Award CIP Code: 22.0301 |Major Code: OMED

Legal Assistant Program

The State of Texas mandates that a person desiring mediation “status” must attend 40 clock hours of mediation training; therefore, excessive absences in this course (LGLA 2337 ) will result in the Program Coordinator being unable to certify training completion. Mediation is a dispute resolution procedure that includes a third party who leads the disputants to their own solution, without a judge making a decision. Mediation can be a formal process with lawyers or contractors, or an informal procedure with corporate or in-house mediators. The Occupational Skills Award in Mediation is designed to provide entry-level skills for mediators. The program is especially suited for people who would like to mediate employment, landlord-tenant, neighborhood, and other interpersonal disputes. Mediation training can provide the student with opportunities to: augment income and skills, qualify for court appointments, assist families in crisis, develop new systems for workplace disputes, protect business reputations and assets, and help litigants save costs and risks of a trial.

A Legal Assistant (Paralegal) performs legal research, assists in gathering facts, prepares documents, and does general administrative work at the direction and under the supervision of a lawyer. The skills of the Legal Assistant are such that the work performed would otherwise have to be accomplished by a licensed attorney. Graduates of this Program are prepared to assist attorneys in the delivery of legal services, and employment positions may be found in private law firms, courts, corporations and businesses, insurance companies, governmental offices, administrative offices, and banks-trust departments.

More information is available online through the Legal Assistant Program website. Applied Sciences award plans.