The Legal Studies Program at Illinois State University is designed to provide knowledge of law appropriate to persons interested in employment as a legal assistant or paralegal in public or private law offices and government agencies. Students may choose from a variety of courses that will develop paralegal skills in one or more specialty areas. Individual course sequences are selected in close consultation with the Legal Studies Advisor and are based on the student's career objectives. The Legal Studies Program focuses on the development of basic paralegal skills in the areas of legal research, legal analysis, and legal drafting. Students must understand how lawyers think and must be able to communicate effectively with both lawyers and laymen.
All paralegal courses stress basic writing skills.
Students in the Legal Studies program are required to take a minimum of 24 semester hours of approved Legal Studies courses in addition to the general education courses required of all Illinois State University students. Students are encouraged to supplement their Legal Studies Minor with electives from a variety of general law related courses such as Administrative Law, Business Law, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Tax Law, and Real Estate Law. Students may complete the remaining 9 hours of Legal Studies courses by choosing among several paralegal specialty courses. While it is not a formal requirement, students are strongly urged to include at least 135 clock hours of internship. Internship placements are available in private law offices, legal aid agencies, government agencies and legal departments in corporations.