11000 Law & Paralegal bachelor sub_topic A Bachelor in Legal Studies prepares students for a very wide range of careers, including paralegals and lawyers. However, these programs are also a good fit for students interested in pursuing graduate school studies of any kind, because critical thinking skills are stressed. Legal Studies programs tend to be very interdisciplinary and they cover a broad range of topics. Most Legal Studies bachelor programs allow students to study a wide variety of topics including economics, state, local and national government, environmental law and practice, e-commerce, sports law and patent law. A Bachelor in Legal Studies does not usually mirror law school curriculum, which tends to provide students with in-depth knowledge about a very specific type of legal scholarship. Legal Studies students learn how law fits in the world at large, as well as concepts about right and wrong and ethics. 0 1 1 11130 <p>A bachelor's degree in legal studies prepares students to become valuable assets to a law firm, corporate legal department, bank, insurance company, or government agency. Those who choose this course of study enjoy the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills, communication abilities, and knowledge of legal procedures and issues. For students who wish to become lawyers, a bachelor's degree in legal studies can be excellent preparation for law school. Additional career possibilities include public policy, human resources and teaching. </p> <strong>Legal Studies Courses </strong> <p>Legal studies is an interdisciplinary major. Students take courses on specific legal issues, but may also take courses in ethics, legal history, psychology, human rights, sociology, and rhetoric. Specific issues that legal courses address include business and tax law, dispute resolution, technology and the law, criminal law and property justice. Since law deals with so many different aspects of human society - from criminal justice to family law matters - a well-rounded education is important. </p> <strong>Legal Careers </strong> <p>Furthermore, legal assistants and paralegals are often assigned tasks that used to be done by lawyers, so it is critical for students pursuing a legal studies degree to gain as much knowledge as possible due to the wide variety of tasks they may be asked to do. Even entry-level jobs require good legal research skills, as well as analytical ability, familiarity with law-related terms and protocols, and good communications skills, particularly in writing. For example, a legal assistant may be asked to research previous cases similar to a current one or analyze case facts and present a report to his or her supervising attorney. Although a legal assistant does not actually provide legal advice or bring a case to court, he or she works closely with many aspects of case preparation. </p> <p>Students with a bachelor's in legal studies who pursue work as a paralegal may earn around $43,040 (the median annual salary of this profession as of May 2006.) An experienced legal assistant can earn more than $67,540. Students who choose to pursue law careers can expect to earn significantly more following their law degree. </p> <p>A bachelor's degree in legal studies prepares students well for work in a variety of settings. Those seeking a degree that is professionally rewarding and flexible will find that this is a degree worth considering. </p> <p><strong>Article Resources:</strong></p> U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<br> <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm#related" target="_blank">http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm</a><br><br> The University of Massachusetts at Amherst <br> <a href="http://www.umass.edu/legal/" target="_blank">http://www.umass.edu/legal/</a><br><br> The University of California at Berkeley <br> <a href="http://legalstudies.berkeley.edu/?p=12" target="_blank">http://legalstudies.berkeley.edu/?p=12</a><br><br> bachelor-legal-studies Bachelor in Legal Studies 11180, 11190, 11170, 11100, 11140 1 0 0