Highline Community College's Paralegal Studies Program
By Judith Earley
Highline Community College is a junior college located in Des Moines, WA, just south of Seattle. The school was founded in 1961 and was the first community college in King County. The main campus overlooks Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. It is situated on 80 acres and boasts approximately 10,000 students and 350,000 alumni.
Additionally, Central Washington University has a facility located on Highline Community College's campus. A partnership between the two schools allows students to take classes at HCC and CWU at the same time. HCC offers bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as many top-notch certification programs.
Highline's paralegal program is approved by the American Bar Association and offers paralegal training on three different tracks. The first is a two-year Associate of Applied Science program, which is the school's traditional program for students wishing to acquire degrees in paralegal studies.
The Associate of Arts degree, while similar to the Associate of Applied Science degree, requires some additional classes and grants students the ability to transfer directly to most four-year universities. Finally, the one-year certificate program—the "Paralegal Plus" certificate program—is for students who desire to become paralegals and have already completed Bachelor of Arts degrees.
Paralegal students at Highline learn foundational knowledge of legal systems and procedures. The program teaches and promotes the principles of ethical legal practice as defined by the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
The Highline College Paralegal Association is an officially recognized organization for paralegal students at HCC; Buzz Wheeler, J.D., is the program coordinator. Membership in the association is open not only to any HCC student currently enrolled in the paralegal program but also to any HCC student who has an interest in legal issues and in the legal profession. The association sponsors various activities. These include, but are not limited to, a mentoring program for new students, presentations by guest speakers, workshops related to the paralegal profession, social gatherings, and job fairs.
HCC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges and Universities of the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities.
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