How to Apply for your Paralegal Certificate
1. First you should review and see if you have completed all of the 12 classes for the certificate.
2. Go to the Student Information System,
and type in your Student ID Number starting with 88-xxx-xxxx or your
SSN and your PIN (which is your day and date of birth) - Go to your
transcript, and make sure you have completed all of the classes. If you
have completed other classes and wish to have them "substituted" in the
place of the Mission Paralegal Classes, first contact Prof J.
(818-415-2015) to discuss, if you are allowed, and if so, then fill in
the Substitution Petition,
and return it to Prof J. at Mission College - 13356 Eldridge Ave.,
Sylmar, Ca. 91342, along with any supporting documentation (i.e. a copy
of the course description and syllabus demonstrating the same materials
were covered in the "substituted class" as the one at Mission being
"subsituted". Also contact the college where you took the class, and
have them forward a sealed and certified transcript of your grade for
the class(es) and have them forward it directly to Rosalie Torres,
Admissions Director at Mission College.
3. Once you have ascertained that you have completed the above 12 classes, then fill in the PETITION FOR PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE and
word process the form, changing the dates at the top, and filling in
your name, etc. , and Catalog Year (date you are graduating).
Then sign, and forward by mail to Prof.
David Jordan, Esq., Director of Paralegal Studies, Campus Mail Box
#160, Los Angeles Mission College, 13356 Eldridge Avenue, Sylmar, CA.
91342-3244.
I will then send it along to our Petitions Clerk who will process your
Petition, who first verifies your transcript, and grades, and then
sends it over to our Dean of Students for the Vocational Programs, who
has a certificate prepared, Prof. Jordan then signs the petition, along
with the Dean, and the certificate is then mailed to you, or you can
drop by and pick it up.
By the way, we have a very nice Paralegal Certificate Awards Ceremony every year in May, and you are cordially invited to attend. At the awards ceremony you will not receive
your paralegal certificate since that has to be processed when you
complete all of your classes in June, and then forwarded to you by
mail, or you pick it up (or if you completed the program before the
Spring, it is likely that you have already received your
certificate). Here is a sample Paralegal Certificate.
At the Paralegal Awards Ceremony you will receive two additional Certificates of Recognition - one from the City of Los Angeles, and a second from the California State Senate which both recognize your accomplishment in completing your work in our Paralegal Studies program.
If you cannot attend the awards ceremony, we will send the two certificates to you by "regular" mail.
Please NOTE: You
do not have to wait to apply for your certificate until May, but can
apply anytime you have completed the 12 courses. Also you should apply
before May even though you are waiting to complete the last few classes
in the Spring semester. (Here is a list of our Paralegal Graduates)
You should allow 8 weeks before your certificate is ready to pick up or send in the mail.
5. Once you have graduated, you may want to become an independent paralegal (licensed Legal Document Assistant, and you will have to follow the steps at http://www.lavote.net/clerk/Legal_Doc_Assistant.cfm
6. Also you may want to now consider going to law school. We are current working on a program, we call the "Fast-Track to Law School".
updated: 4/11/12