Paralegal Studies Virtual Info Session Virtual Info Sessions
Interested in learning more about becoming a Paralegal?
RSVP TodayAt this time, applications are being accepted for the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program. Enrollment in the four year paralegal BS program has been temporarily paused for the 2025-26 Academic Year.
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ is always striving to update our programs to align with student interests, career opportunities and innovations in the field. Prospective students, please email admissions or 1 (716) 839-8225, to learn more about related program opportunities.
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Program Benefits
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ offers the only ABA-approved Paralegal Studies program in Western New York.
- The American Bar Association, the same body that accredits law schools, granted approval to our paralegal studies program, making it one of two ABA approved programs in Western New York.
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ students perform legal research on premier databases like Westlaw Edge.
- Students are taught by the Socratic Method, similar to the law school classroom. Experienced attorneys and instructors act as mentors to students and assist with career preparation and job placement.
- Internships involve substantive legal work and our paralegal clinic allows students to work in family or housing court.
- Students visit the Buffalo City Court, New York State Supreme Court, and U.S. District Court.
- Students shadow attorneys and paralegals and network with the local legal community.
- Majors learn legal reasoning and legal argument and apply this knowledge when writing a variety of legal documents, culminating in a senior thesis project.
- Scholarship opportunities are available through the Western New York Paralegal Association and the Lambda Epsilon Chi Honor Society.
Paralegal Certificate
Undergraduate Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ students or any student with a four-year degree can pursue our paralegal studies certificate, which can be completed in as little as two semesters.
Most classes are offered at night to accommodate the working professional. The program includes internships, our legal clinic, trips to courts and legal offices, and hearing from guest speakers.
Students have free access to Westlaw, the premier legal database used in law schools, courts, and law firms.
Career Outlook
Paralegals assist attorneys in legal research, writing, and case investigation in a variety of settings, including:
- Large corporate or small law firm
- Labor law firm
- Corporation in-house counsel
- Real estate
- Health care fields
- Intellectual property
- Litigation
- Criminal law
- State and federal courts, agencies, and prosecutors' offices
Additional popular career options include
- Arbitrator
- Bar association administrator
- Claims adjuster, administrator, appraiser, examiner and investigator
- Compliance and enforcement inspector
- Corrections officer
- Court clerk, interpreter or reporter
- Court reporter
- Equal employment opportunity specialist
- Evidence technician
- Grant writer
- Human rights investigator
- Judicial assistant
- Law clerk
- Legal analyst
- Probation officer
Program Specifics
When it comes to business, the law is everywhere. Whether it’s new health care regulations, tax law, or personnel issues, legal issues are prevalent. Future business leaders will need the ability to spot key issues that requires attorney advice. This is true whether you work in real estate, banking, insurance, or a not-for-profit. You can combine Paralegal Studies and Business in many ways: double-majoring, majoring in Paralegal Studies with a Business minor, or majoring in Business with a Paralegal Studies Certificate.
Our business students now have the opportunity to gain that important legal education through our Paralegal Studies program. Students will learn the foundations of the legal system, and also have the opportunity to take Paralegal Studies electives such as Business and Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, and Contracts. There are also opportunities for a Paralegal Studies Internship in which you would work under the supervision of an attorney; this could be at an in-house counsel’s office of a local corporation or for an attorney that advises business corporations or helps groups form their own not-for-profit.
Your advisors will help you fit both subject areas in your schedule, and you will see your opportunities for internships and jobs increase.
Paralegal training coupled with a deep understanding of sustainability leads to innovative thinking about policy for a more sustainable future. Legal firms need to help clients anticipate and respond to changing environmental policies as well as take advantage of funding opportunities for sustainable development and renewable energy investment. Modern companies and nonprofits need an understanding of legal issues that we face as we seek solutions to social justice and environmental issues.
Our competency-based core curriculum linked with sustainability coursework and paralegal education will prepare you for existing careers and those that have not yet become mainstream. You will gain the skills sought by employers--strong interpersonal and communication skills, effective teamwork, creative and critical thinking and problem-solving. Your project-based experiences locally and globally will give you insight for new approaches and understanding cultural differences while honing your skills at listening, speaking and taking action.
This program can typically be completed in four years with semesters of 15-17 credits (123 credits total), depending on your previous language experience. The Sustainability major requires an international experience which can be completed during the summer or as part of a semester exchange. Our Global Studies Office can work with you to find a program that best fits your interests and timing.
*Paralegals assist attorneys in legal research, writing and case investigation. Paralegals cannot provide legal advice to the public except as authorized by law.
*All students receiving a Paralegal Certificate or a B.S. in Paralegal Studies must take at least 9 credits of synchronous instruction.