General Legal Studies, B.A.
The School of Professional Advancement's General Legal Studies Program was first approved by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on Paralegals in 1981 and earned its most recent reapproval in 2023. Throughout this time, the program has maintained compliance with the rigorous ABA guidelines that govern all aspects of our operations, instilling in our graduates the superior education that ABA requires and legal employers demand.
The General Legal Studies Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and accompanying Paralegal Certificate, awarded simultaneously, require 120 credits for completion, including 36 credits in the GLSP major. Carefully sequenced coursework begins with core skills classes that emphasize legal research, writing, and analysis, along with law office technology, legal ethics, and other practical aspects of the legal profession. In ensuing semesters, upper-level electives allow students to explore major areas of substantive law.
In or near the final semester, students not already employed as paralegals take GLSP 5900 Gen Legal Studies Practicum (3 c.h.) , a course that includes both a 100-hour internship in a legal services office and an instructional component focusing upon legal ethics, professionalism, and career success skills. Students already employed as paralegals may apply to waive GLSP 5900 and replace the course with an additional GLSP 4000-level elective.
GLSP courses are offered in person or online, in either synchronous remote (meeting one evening per week on Zoom) or fully online formats (with at least two Zoom sessions that are recorded for those who cannot attend). Subject to the ABA requirement that each student must complete at least 3 classes (9 credits) in person or in synchronous remote format, you may take your GLSP classes from wherever you may be, in the format that suits your needs and preferences.
Many of our graduates pursue careers as paralegals or in other positions in law firms, courts, corporations, government agencies, non-profit legal service providers, and other legal services offices, while others choose to enter law school and become attorneys.
General Legal Studies Program Mission Statement: The General Legal Studies Program provides our students with the skills, wisdom, and integrity to identify, communicate, and conserve knowledge and to pursue careers as efficient, ethical legal professionals who are prepared to assist attorneys in courts, governmental agencies, law firms, and other legal services offices, or to apply to law school after graduation, if they choose.
General Legal Studies Program Learning Outcomes
On completion of the General Legal Studies Program curriculum, graduates will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Describe and analyze the jurisdictions and functions of the state and federal civil, criminal, and administrative court systems.
- Perform legal research and factual investigations using both print and electronic methods and summarize findings in legal memoranda and briefs.
- Cite authorities consistent with the adopted legal citation manual (The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.)
- Draft memoranda of law and legal correspondence.
- Identify, draft, and file standard pretrial and litigation documents in Federal and State Courts.
- Use industry-standard law office technology to organize and manage documents, files, billing data, and dockets for trial and other law practice management purposes.
- Identify and apply the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the NALA and NFPA ethics guidelines.
Note: Paralegals are trained professionals who work under the supervision of licensed attorneys. Paralegals are not lawyers and are not permitted to practice law or to provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
Credit Transfers toward the BA in General Legal Studies
Tulane SoPA’s General Legal Studies Program does not accept the transfer of credits for paralegal or legal studies courses completed at paralegal or legal studies programs that were not approved by ABA’s Standing Committee on Paralegals at the time the courses were taken.
Consistent with Tulane SoPA’s undergraduate credit transfer policy, which is found here: https://sopa.tulane.edu/admissions/student-transfers/undergraduate, students pursing the General Legal Studies BA and Paralegal Certificate may be permitted to transfer in up to 18 credits (50%) of the 36 legal studies/paralegal course credits required for the GLSP major, provided each course (1) meets all SoPA undergraduate course transfer requirements; (2) was completed at a paralegal or legal studies program that was approved by ABA’s Standing Committee on Paralegals at the time the class was completed; and (3) has been reviewed and approved by the General Legal Studies Program Director.