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Legal Studies

Welcome to the Clayton State Legal Studies Program, administered by the Department of Social Sciences. Our Legal Studies Program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). This approval signifies a high degree of quality in our curriculum and student resources. Our full-time instructors are all attorneys with a combined 30 years of experience teaching paralegals. Our curriculum has been carefully developed to provide students with the hands-on training they will need to be successful in the legal field.

The Department offers three degrees: (1) a B.S. degree in Legal Studies, (2) a Paralegal Certificate, and (3) an A.A.S. degree in Paralegal Studies. Please refer to our Admissions Link for important information regarding entrance requirements for our programs.

As one of the only paralegal programs in Georgia, we offer students the opportunity to obtain an ABA-approved paralegal certificate or degree just 15 minutes south of downtown Atlanta. Another distinguishing feature of our Paralegal Studies Program is the availability of the HOPE Grant to our qualifying certificate students. Many of our certificate majors qualify for the HOPE Grant which pays for a large portion of a student’s tuition and expenses. As a member school of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University offers our students an array of resources and educational opportunities.

Program Learning Outcomes

The purpose of the Legal Studies Program is to provide students with the skills necessary to perform specifically delegated substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney. Paralegals and other non-lawyers are prohibited from practicing law.

Our students are trained to:

1. Perform manual and computerized legal research
2. Become familiar with rules of legal ethics, such as conflicts of interest, unauthorized practice of law, and confidentiality
3. Prepare legal documents, such as pleadings, incorporation documents, and real estate closing documents
4. Understand billing, timekeeping and other law office procedures
5. Become familiar with federal and state judicial systems
6. Apply legal analysis to fact situations
7. Obtain a broad based general education along with career specific paralegal courses (B.S. and A.A.S.)
8. Use technology and legal software to create legal documents and to function in their role as a paralegal

Contact Us

Clayton State University Legal Studies Program
College of Arts & Sciences
2000 Clayton State Blvd.
Morrow, GA 30260
Phone: (678) 466-4700
Fax: (678) 466-4899