Paralegal Program Policies

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Important Forms and Documents​

Policies and Procedures

Transfer of Legal Specialty Courses​​​​​​

In order to transfer legal specialty courses from another institution, the following policy will be observed:

  1.  Students who desire to receive credit for coursework completed at an institution other than Santa Ana College must file a petition with the Chair of Legal Studies for substitution of the non-Santa Ana College legal specialty courses. The course work completed will be evaluated by the Legal Studies Department and the student will be informed which coursework, if any, may be applied toward the Paralegal Certificate and/or Degree, the Law office Technitian or Legal Interpreting certificates.​

  2. Students must meet the following requirements for the Paralegal degree and or certificate, which will not be waived as they are requirements of the American Bar Association (ABA) and/or approved as part of the approval process with the American Bar Association:

  3. Students must meet the ABA requirement for 18 units of general education. See the policy on the Paralegal Program General Education Requirements.

  4. Students must meet the total unit requirements of 60 units for the Paralegal Certificate.

  5. Students must meet the general education requirements of the ABA and the AA degree requirements of the current Santa Ana College catalog for the Paralegal AA Degree.

  6. Students must complete at least 18 units of Legal Speciality Courses. 

  7. Students may only transfer in a maximum of 10 units of Legal Speciality Courses from another institution. 

  8. Students must complete 12 units of legal specialty course work at Santa Ana College, including PARA 101, PARA 120, PARA 297, and at least one of the following classes:  PARA 145, PARA 146 or PARA 150.

  9. Nine units of legal specialty course work must be completed in a synchronous instruction format as required by the ABA guidelines.  The department ensures compliance with this through the scheduling process.

  10. Students must submit a completed Transfer Course Policy Check List and the Santa Ana College Petition to Waive or Substitute Major Requirements form; along with the course syllabus from the instructor at the other institution, a copy of the course description at the other institution, and a  copy of the student’s transcript showing a grade of C or better (a certified copy may be required by admissions and records)  A credit/no credit or pass/fail grade will not be accepted.

  11. The Department Chair shall review the submitted material and any other material available to determine if the coursework meets the same rigor and preparation as the Santa Ana course work.

  12. The decision of the Department Chair shall be final.

  13. Students are not allowed to test out of or waive legal specialty courses with the following exception: students who are experienced in the use of legal application software may use Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) of Computers in the Law Office (PARA 120).

    1. Have completed the NSLT Certification program

    2. Take a test from the Legal Studies Department at SAC

    3. Instructor or Department Chair interview

    4. **Student must still have a minimum of 9 units of synchronous legal specialty time, per ABA guidelines. ​

    to receive an approval of the waiver petition. 

  14. A student may apply for Credit for Prior Learning for PARA 120 provided they meet the following:

  15. If a student feels they will not benefit from an elective course due to their experience, they are advised to take a different elective.

Students must complete 12 units of legal specialty course work at Santa Ana College, including PARA 101, PARA 120, PARA 297, and at least one of the following classes:  PARA 145, PARA 146 or PARA 150.

​All applicants for the Paralegal Degree and the Paralegal Certificate must certify through the graduation department that they have met the American Bar Association requirement that they complete a minimum of 9 semester units of Legal Specialty courses through sycronous classroom instruction.

PARA 101, 121, and 297 are only offered online and do not meet this requirement.  PARA 120 Computers in the Law Office, PARA 145 Civil Litigation, PARA 150 Legal Transactions, and PARA 146 Torts and ADR all meet the ABA requirement of sycronous classroom instruction. In the event a course is transferred from another institution and the student plans to use said course to meet this requirement, the student will need to certify through the Paralegal Department Chair that the course meets the ABA requirements. On the petition for substitution of the course, the student will need to indicate that said course was offered in a sycronous format and provide evidence satisfactory to the Paralegal Department Chair.​

Students must petition the Paralegal Department Chair for consideration for credit of legal specialty courses and must provide relevant transcripts and course descriptions. 

The Paralegal Department Chair, in consultation with the Dean, will approve or deny the form and forward to the Graduation Office. The decision of the Department Chair ​shall be final.

Paralegal Degree Policy

The Paralegal Program at Santa Ana College is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA has specific guidelines the program must meet in order to be in compliance with the guidelines and to maintain the program approval. Students who graduate with a degree in Paralegal Studies or who meet the qualifications for a Paralegal Certificate must meet the following general education criteria:

The student must satisfy the general education requirements under either Plan A,B, or C as set forth in the College Catalog.  These units may be used to satisfy Section 2 below.

The student is required to have a minimum of 18 semester units of  general education that meet the criteria of the American Bar Association as set forth below:

​A general education course is an academic, college-level course designed to give students a broadly based liberal arts education. This definition of general education may differ from the definition adopted by a particular institution or a particular accrediting agency

  • ​A general education course ordinarily provides the students with critical reasoning and writing skills.

  • Such courses are usually in the areas of social and behavioral science, English composition and literature, foreign language, mathematics, humanities, natural science, and the fine arts.

  • Courses specifically designed to develop professional, vocational, and technical skills or that are remedial in nature are not classified as general education.

  • Examples of courses that are not classified as general education include, but are not limited to, physical education, performing arts, accounting, computers, technical writing, business mathematics, business English, keyboarding, and business law. 

Within the requirement for 18 semester credits or the equivalent of general education course work, students must take courses in at least three disciplines, such as: social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, foreign language, and English.

The student shall be required to certify with the graduation department completion of courses that meet the ABA definition of general education. Any general education courses passed by credit by examination may not be used to satisfy the 18 units of general education required by the American Bar Association.Paralegal Certificate General Education Requirements

Policy on Credit by Examination and Pass/Fail

No paralegal course may be taken by credit by examination with the following exception:

The department chair at his/her sole discretion may allow a substitution for the PARA 120 Computers in the Law Office course. If a student is able to demonstrate to the Department Chair’s satisfaction that the student has the skill sets being taught in the class, then the student may enter into an education plan to satisfy that requirement. The education plan will include Adobe Acrobat (BA 163), Introduction to Microsoft Office (BA 179), and/or the successful completion of the Microsoft Office Specialist Exam in either Word, Excel, or PowerPoint as an substitution for PARA 120. The student must submit a completed a Petition to Substitute or Waive Major Requirements to the Chair in A-107-13. The student must include their email address on the petition. All supporting documentation must be included with the petition.

The catalog states:

"All courses must be passed with a C or better with the exception of PARA 297, which is pass/no pass.​"

In order for a paralegal course (with the exception of PARA 297 which is a pass/no pass class) to be counted as a required course or a legal elective, the course must be passed with a C or better. Any paralegal course taken as pass/no pass, other than PARA 297, can only be counted as non-paralegal elective units toward the total unit requirement.​

Course Substitutions and Waiver Petitions

It is the departmental policy to deny Petitions to Waive or to Substitute Program Requirements. The course work that is outlined in the program is approved by the advisory committee and the department, division, and college curriculum councils. All students are expected to complete the entire course of study in order to be properly prepared to obtain gainful employment in the legal profession.

In the event a student has a degree from an accredited institution that is not generally accepted by Santa Ana College, then the department will review the petitionon a case by case basis and determine if the student has met the 18 units of general education required for the certificate.

PRODEDURE: The student shall submit the Petition to Substitute or Waive Major Requirements for Degrees and Certificates to the Department Chair. Included with the petition shall be a copy of the official transcript. The student shall supply the department with a list of all courses that meet the general education requirements of the American Bar Association, a copy of the catalog entry for each course, and a copy of the course syllabus. The student shall add their email address to the petition. Once the department has reviewed the petition the student will be informed via email of the department’s decision. ​​

Policy on Online Education/Distance Education Courses

In accordance with ABA Guideline G-302.J.3 which states, “Programs must provide and students must be required to take at least nine semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction." Santa Ana College ensures that students attend twelve units of Legal Specialty courses through synchronous instructions using remote synchronous instruction.  This is noted in the posted schedule of classes.​