Careers | Curriculum | Faculty Biographies | Advisory Board
Want a profession instead of a job?
The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as a person, qualified by education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.
Lawyers are busy and delegate many tasks to the paralegals who assist them with their work. In this profession you may help prepare for real estate closings, interviews, hearings, mediation, trials and corporate meetings, and you may also draft discovery, correspondence, and pleadings.
The Greenville Tech Paralegal program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and taught by licensed attorneys in good standing in South Carolina and by certified paralegals. Many of our courses are project-oriented and offer hands-on experience, including litigation, title examination, and legal research.
The department is an institutional member of the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) and is a sustaining member of the South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association (SCUPA).
To learn more about our program, please view this presentation.
Department Mission
- This program will train students to perform factual research, legal research, conduct interviews and to review, analyze and draft documents.
- This program is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), is an institutional member of the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) and is a sustaining member of the South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association (SCUPA).
- Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) Statement: Paralegals work under the supervision of a licensed attorney and are not authorized to practice law in South Carolina (S.C. Code § 40-5-310).
Paralegal Associate Degree
The Associate Degree in Public Service, Paralegal Studies, (AAS.LEG) requires 64 credit hours and takes about 5 semesters. The Associate Degree is also available to students with a bachelor's degree (AAS.LEG.APLA) on a fast-track which requires about 43 credit hours and can be completed in 12 months.
Bachelor's Degree Transfer agreements are in place with Lander University, Limestone College, and USC Upstate. In addition, an agreement is in effect with Franklin University where a bachelor's degree may be earned online.
Law firms
- Corporate legal departments
- State Government
- Federal Government
- Insurance Companies
- Mortgage Departments
Find out more about the Paralegal career field.
Professional Organizations
American Bar Association
American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE)
South Carolina Upstate Paralegal Association (SCUPA)
South Carolina Bar Association
Greenville County Bar Association
Honor Societies
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the national two-year college honor society
Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX), the national paralegal honor society