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Mission Statement and Program Goals

Mission Statement

The Department of Paralegal Studies supports the Law Center’s mission of promoting knowledge in the service of humanity by educating students to work as competent, effective assistants to lawyers.  While the program is oriented toward a specific career, its objectives indicate our belief that rigorous, comprehensive academic instruction, not merely vocational training, is essential for a paralegal to develop the proper capacity of critical and ethical judgment.  We also seek to promote the professionalism of paralegals, thereby enlarging their capacity for service to the legal community and ultimately contributing to the advancement of justice in American Society.

Program Goals

The primary program goal is to educate students to become career paralegals who can perform effectively in a variety of legal settings and can adapt to changes in the legal environment and law practice.

The overall program goal is to prepare students for careers as paralegals working under the supervision of lawyers in the public and private sector.

The program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes they need to become competent and ethical professional paralegals working in the delivery of legal services.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program, graduates should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the law, the legal and paralegal professions, and the legal process, including the use of technology, appropriate to their expected role in the legal community.
  2. Demonstrate the acquisition of practical, technical skills as well as basic knowledge of legal theory.
  3. Demonstrate competence in legal research and writing, problem analysis, and critical thinking.
  4. Display an awareness of ethical, moral, and social issues that contain legal implications.
  5. Demonstrate knowledge of the standards of conduct expected of the legal profession in general and the paralegal in particular.

Thank you for your interest in applying to OU Law

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J.D. ProgramM.L.S. ProgramLL.M. ProgramLegal Assistant Education Not sure? Learn more about admissions at OU Law