Paralegal Program Offered at South Suburban College

South Suburban College (SCC) will host an Open House for its Paralegal Program Jan. 7. The curriculum prepares students to work in a variety of legal environments including civil and criminal litigation, insurance, banking, public and governmental agencies, law offices and corporate legal departments. Emphasis is placed on the development of core skills in legal research and writing techniques including compilation and analysis of data, understanding legal vocabulary, law office technology, and preparation of legal documents.
South Suburban College (SCC) will host an Open House for its Paralegal Program Jan. 7. The curriculum prepares students to work in a variety of legal environments including civil and criminal litigation, insurance, banking, public and governmental agencies, law offices and corporate legal departments. Emphasis is placed on the development of core skills in legal research and writing techniques including compilation and analysis of data, understanding legal vocabulary, law office technology, and preparation of legal documents.

If you’re contemplating new career goals in the New Year, you might want to consider attending South Suburban College's (SSC) Open House for its Paralegal Program.

“Whether you are looking for a change in your career path or looking to begin a career, this is an excellent opportunity for anyone who has an interest in the law,” says Jason Cieslik, J.D., Coordinator for the Legal Studies Program. 

As defined by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations,(NFPA), a paralegal is a person qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. A paralegal can be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office, governmental agency or other entity or may be authorized by administrative, statutory or court authority to perform this work.

Formal establishment of the paralegal profession can be traced to the 1960s when individuals were trained to assist attorneys in making legal services available to the poor. Shortly after public agencies began hiring paralegals, private law firms and corporations recognized the benefits of employing paralegals to supply efficient support, reduce the expense of legal services, and increase the availability of services to the public.

Those who attend the open house event scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m., Jan. 7 in Room 5190 at SSC's Oak Forest Center, will learn about a profession whose workforce is expected to grow by as much as 18% through 2020 according to the US Department of Labor. 

Information will be provided about SSC’s Paralegal/Legal Assistant curriculum, including the Associate Degree and certificate programs.  In addition, former students from the program, working as paralegals, will conduct Q & A sessions.

SSC's Paralegal Program curriculum prepares students for a variety of legal environments including civil and criminal litigation, insurance, banking, public and governmental agencies, law offices and corporate legal departments.  Emphasis is placed on the development of core skills in legal research and writing techniques including compilation and analysis of data, understanding legal vocabulary, law office technology, and preparation of legal documents.    

SSC has the only American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal program in the Chicago Southland region, giving graduates a huge advantage when entering the workforce.  The college also requires that all of the instructors in the program are lawyers or judges to ensure the quality of instruction.   

While the majority of the paralegal classes are offered at the Oak Forest Center located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue), some classes are offered online and some are offered at the Main Campus in South Holland. 

For more information, please contact Mr. Cieslik at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2579 or email JCieslik@ssc.edu.  Spring classes begin Monday, January 13, 2014.

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