The Paralegal and Pre-Law programs are for people who want to develop skills for new careers as paralegals, investigators, researchers, advocates, or a variety of other positions in the legal field. Students choose majors in either Paralegal Studies or Pre-Law. Both majors prepare students to ””read the law”” to become an attorney in Vermont, or to go to law school. In addition, Woodbury now has an agreement that guarantees Paralegal and Pre-Law graduates admission to Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vt., if they meet certain requirements.

The Paralegal Studies major prepares graduates to take advantage of this fast growing career field. Paralegals work side by side with attorneys and continue to assume a growing number of tasks in the nation’s legal offices, as well as federal and state government, corporations, real estate and title insurance firms, banks, and nonprofits.

The Pre-Law major is for those who would like to attend law school or would like to “read the law” in Vermont. Students do course work in each of the areas covered by the multistate part of the bar exam.

Students in both majors learn how to find and interpret cases and statutes, analyze legal problems, evaluate legal sources, and construct relevant legal arguments. Students also learn how to prepare pleadings, motions, discoveries, and other legal documents used in litigation. The programs also include study and practice in fact gathering, and recognizing types of evidence.

All students also participate in an internship under the supervision of a legal professional where they practice their new skills and expand their knowledge of law. In addition, all Woodbury students have unlimited access to the college’s online library and to LexisNexis™ the authoritative web-based legal, news, public records, and business information research tool.