Paralegal Studies

Are you ready for a legal career?

• Do you want to assist attorneys during trial?
• Would you like to research the law?
• Are you interested in interviewing clients and visiting crime scenes?

As a paralegal, you can do all these things and much more….

What is a paralegal?

Paralegals work with attorneys to solve clients’ legal problems. With attorney supervision, paralegals perform many tasks that attorneys do. They research the law, investigate cases, and draft documents such as wills, contracts, and court documents. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.

What is the future like for paralegals?

According to the May 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the annual mean wage for a paralegal in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area is $61,280. Employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 14 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Are you thinking about law school?

The paralegal program does not qualify a graduate to take a state bar exam, represent clients in court, or give legal advice. Nevertheless, paralegal studies is a smart step for students who are contemplating attending law school. In the paralegal program, students can decide whether law is a good fit for them and what type of law they want to practice. In fact, many aspiring attorneys pay for law school by working as paralegals.

What can Collin's paralegal program offer you?

Learn from highly skilled attorneys who have experience in practicing in the areas they teach. 

Make yourself marketable. The prestigious American Bar Association has approved Collin’s paralegal program. To earn this distinction, Collin went through an intensive review of its program. 

Collin has a paralegal plan for everyone. Admission to the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Paralegal Studies program is open to all students. Persons who already have a degree may be eligible for admission to the Level 2 Paralegal General Certificate program. 

Collin's paralegal program is not a fully online program and does not offer a fully online program option, but Collin does offer many of its paralegal courses online. Students must take at least nine semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses though synchronous instruction.

How can you get more information?

The two full-time instructors in the program are:

Professor Gage Waggoner (gwaggoner@collin.edu)

Professor Cynthia Farris Gruver (cgruver@collin.edu)