Admission Requirements: General college curricular admission

Program Notes: It is strongly recommended that students meet with the program head before registering for classes, or as early as possible in their first semester of enrollment. Students whose placement test results require ENG 1 or ENG 4, or equivalent, must successfully complete this course prior to admission to any Paralegal Studies course. ENG 107, if recommended, is a co-requisite to LGL 110, or permission of the instructor. Any student who receives a final grade lower than "C" in any of the courses in the Paralegal Studies curriculum must obtain permission from the program head to continue as a student in the Paralegal Studies program. Students will be required by the program head to repeat LGL-prefix courses and ENG 111-112 courses where grades below "C" are received.  Legal assistants, paralegals, and other non-lawyers are prohibited from practicing law without a license. Paralegals and legal assistants may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.

Computer Competency Requirement: Students in this program will meet the college’s computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 115, Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts. Students can also meet this requirement by successfully passing the college’s computer competency exam, administered in the testing centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 115. Students not passing the computer competency exam may retake the exam only once.

Transfer of Legal Specialty Courses:  The Paralegal Studies program accepts the transfer of legal specialty course credits completed at other institutions as long as such institution is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting body, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the program is approved by the American Bar Association, and the program head determines that the course objectives and practical skills are comparable to the course offered by the Paralegal Studies program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.  For any specialty credits awarded at an institution that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting body, but not approved by the American Bar Association, such credits must also be from an institution within the Virginia Community College System or be awarded from an institution that has an articulation agreement with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. In all cases, the grade for such course must be a “C” or better, and no such credit will be given to any courses awarded at an institution outside of the United States. No credit will be awarded from an institution not accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency. No credit by examination or portfolio is allowed for legal specialty course work, and no more than fifty percent (50%) of legal specialty credits required by the Paralegal Studies program shall be accepted for transfer credit.