How to Self Withdraw:

1. Click on any of the Courses & Registration Buttons located throughout the PACE website or click here.
2. This will take you to the Registration page. Sign into your account using your username and password.
3. Click on the Manage Registration tab located on the top of the page.
4. This will display all the courses for which you are currently registered. On the right hand side of each course, you will see an Action button. Click the Action button for the course(s) you wish to withdraw from and select Drop NR Pre-Term.
5. When you are finished click the Save button at the bottom right of the Manage Registration screen.

Students who do not officially withdraw and who have missed more than two (2) class meetings will have a failing grade entered on their student record.

Waiver of Courses Based on Previous Experience

Certain courses may be waived on the basis of work experience. Students must request a waiver by letter to the director. Reply to waiver requests will be by letter. #2500 Introduction to the Law may be waived for those with five or more years experience as a legal secretary. Waiver requests based on work experience must be accompanied by:

1. Description of relevant work experience.
2. Supporting letter from employer.

All students applying for graduation must satisfy the Paralegal Program's current CEU (Continuing Education Unit) requirement for course work. The requirement, not including the internship, is 37.5 CEUs. Students waiving out of classes based on experience will need to select additional specialty courses to meet the 37.5 CEU requirement.

Transferring Courses From Other Institutions

Students beginning Oakland University's Paralegal Program may transfer up to five courses from another legal assistant program. Courses accepted in transfer must be evaluated on the basis of their equivalency to program requirements. New electives must be chosen in lieu of those transferred in to Oakland’s Paralegal program. Requests to transfer courses must be made in writing and accompanied by:

1. Transcripts listing courses upon which request is based.
2. A copy of the catalogue description of the course or the course syllabus.(Once students have begun a course of study in Oakland University's Paralegal Program they may not take legal courses at another institution to satisfy program requirements.)

Courses accepted in transfer toward the Program Certificate may not be more than six years old at the time of completion of the program.

CEUs (Continuing Education Units)

Noncredit students earn CEUs (Continuing Education Units). CEUs are a measure of noncredit learning experiences recognized nationwide by employers and professional associations. They are not transferable to regular college credits in baccalaureate or graduate degree programs.

To earn a Program Certificate from Oakland University's Paralegal Program students must complete a minimum of 37.5 CEUs in course work plus satisfy the internship requirement.

Grading Policy

In the 1983 fall term the Legal Assistant Program adopted the grading system used for Oakland University undergraduate programs. It is a 32 point system of numerical grades, with passing grades ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 by tenths:

3.6 to 4.0 = A                     I = Incomplete 3.0 to 3.5 = B                     W = Withdrew 2.0 to 2.9 = C                     P = Progress 1.0 to 1.9 = D                    S = Satisfactory 0.0 = No credit/CEU         U = Unsatisfactory Z = Audit

To receive the Paralegal Program Certificate students must have a minimum 2.0 or a "C" in each course. Students who have questions about a grade received in a course should write the instructor or program director within twelve (12) weeks from the date the grade was issued.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is a factor in awarding CEUs. Students are allowed a maximum of two absences from 20 to 30 hour courses. Fewer absences are allowed in shorter courses. Extenuating circumstances may be discussed with individual instructors.

Course Evaluation

At the conclusion of each course instructors will ask students to complete a course evaluation. To insure confidentiality, evaluations will be collected by a student in the class and sealed. The student or the instructor then mails or delivers the envelope to PACE. Evaluations are available on our website for those that would like complete anonymity.

Job Referral Service

PACE cannot make any guarantee of job placement to graduates. However, firms and agencies seeking qualified legal assistants are contacting the College. To respond to these requests, we maintain files of graduates and students who are seeking employment. Those who would like their resume sent to prospective employers, please Email your resume to lwallace@oakland.edu. Students must have completed all the core courses to be eligible for the service. Program graduates will be considered first in responding to request for resumes.

Occasionally attorneys express interest in hiring a student who is still taking program courses, usually at close to minimum wages, but in situations which provide for learning on the job. From time to time, some part-time positions are also available. These opportunities, in conjunction with program courses, can provide useful experience. Students who would like to be considered for such opportunities should prepare a resume and discuss their plans with the program director.

Graduation from the Program

Students have a five-year time limit to complete the requirements for the Program Certificate, beginning with the first course taken in the program. The program may be completed in one year taking classes full time. (Students wishing to complete the program in one year are encouraged to discuss their plans with the program director.)

The Program Certificate is awarded to those who have been admitted into the program and who satisfy the computer competency requirement, complete, with a 2.0 grade or better, the (9) core courses, the three (3) legal specialty courses and the internship. (Total CEU requirement for course work, not including the internship is 37.5 CEUs.) While students may finish program requirements any time during the year, there are only three official graduation dates -- May 31, August 31 and January 31.

Transcripts and Program Certificates

Graduates will receive one (1) free copy of their transcript upon graduation. Program Certificates and Legal Specialty Certificates suitable for framing will be mailed out at a later date. Students and graduates who need additional transcripts should make their requests in writing to the office of Academic Records, 102 O'Dowd Hall, Oakland University, Rochester MI 48309-4401.

Legal Specialty Certificates

In addition to the Program Certificate, students may elect to earn a Legal Specialty Certificate. Listed below are the specialty certificates available and the courses that may be applied to them. Students who complete a Legal Specialty Certificate should call the program coordinator to request a file review. 

      Litigation Specialty

• 25470 Litigation III- Anatomy of a Lawsuit (Required)

          Select two from the following:

• 25780 Auto Accident Law & Cases
• 25790 Family Law
• 25350 Employment Law
• 25210 Criminal Law and Procedure

      Business Specialty (Select three from the following)

• 25200 Real Property Transactions
• 25300 Business Organizations
• 25760 Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law
• 25350 Employment Law
• 25310 Contract Negotiations

      Probate Administration Specialty (Select the following)

• 25500 Probate I
• 25510 Probate II
• 25680 Estate Planning and Documents

Academic Conduct Policy

All members of the academic community at Oakland University are expected to practice and uphold standards of academic integrity and honesty. Academic integrity means representing oneself and one’s work honestly. Misrepresentation is cheating, since it means students are claiming credit for ideas or works not actually theirs and are thereby seeking a grade that is not actually earned. Following are some examples of academic dishonesty:

1. Cheating on examinations: This includes using materials such as books and/or notes when not authorized by the instructor, copying from someone else’s paper, helping someone else copy work, substituting another’s work as one’s own, theft of exam copies, or other forms of misconduct on exams.
2. Plagiarizing the work of others: Plagiarism is using someone else’s work or ideas without giving that person credit; by doing this, students are, in effect, claiming credit for someone else’s thinking. Whether students have read or heard the information used, they must document the source of information: When dealing with written sources, a clear distinction should be made between quotations (which reproduce information from the source word-for-word within quotation marks) and paraphrases (which digest the source of information and produce it in the student’s own words). Both direct quotations and paraphrases must be documented. Even if students rephrase, condense, or select from another person’s work, the ideas are still the other person’s, and failure to give credit constitutes misrepresentation of the student’s actual work and plagiarism of another’s ideas. Buying a paper and handing it in as one’s own work is also considered plagiarism.
3. Cheating on lab reports by falsifying data or submitting data not based on the student’s own work
4. Falsifying records or providing misinformation regarding one’s credentials
5. Unauthorized collaboration on computer assignments and unauthorized access to and use of computer programs, including modifying computer files created by others and representing that work as one’s own

Unless they specifically indicate otherwise, instructors expect individual, unaided work on homework assignments, exams, lab reports, and computer exercises, along with documentation of sources when used. If instructors assign a special project other than or in addition to exams, such as a research paper, or original essay, or a book review, they intend that work to be completed for that course only. Students must not submit work completed for a course taken in the past or for a concurrent course unless they have explicit permission to do so.

Instructors are expected to maintain the following standards in the context of academic conduct:

1. To inform and instruct students about the procedures and standards of research and documentation required to complete work in a particular course or in the context of a particular discipline
2. To take practical steps to prevent and detect cheating
3. To report suspected academic misconduct to the Dean of Students Office, 144 Oakland Center, for consideration by the Academic Conduct Committee of the University Senate
4. To present evidence of plagiarism, cheating on exams or lab reports, falsification of records, or other forms of academic conduct before the Academic Conduct Committee

Students are expected to maintain the following standards in the context of academic conduct:

1. To be aware of and practice the standards of honest scholarship
2. To follow faculty instruction regarding exams and assignments to avoid inadvertent misrepresentation of work
3. To be certain that special rules regarding documentation of term papers, examination procedures, use of computer-based information and programs, etc., are clearly understood
4. To avoid the appearance of cheating

If students believe that practices by the instructor are conducive to cheating, they may convey this message to the instructor, to the program director, or to any member of the student/faculty Academic Conduct Committee (either director or through the Dean of Students Office).

If academic misconduct is determined by the Academic Conduct Committee, the committee assesses penalties ranging from academic disciplinary reprimand, to academic probation, to suspension, to expulsion (dismissal) from the university. All conduct records are maintained in the Dean of Students Office.

General Information

Administrative Offices for Paralegal Program

The Professional and Continuing Education office is located in 440E Pawley  Hall on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Hours are: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Closed to walk-in traffic during the noon hour.)

Registrar

Transcripts of courses taken in the Paralegal Assistant Program are obtained by writing to the Office of Academic Records,102 O'Dowd Hall, Oakland University, Rochester MI 48309.

Oakland University Bookstore (248) 370-2404

Texts for most courses will be available at the Oakland University bookstore in the lower level of the Oakland Center. Paralegal Program texts are usually in stock one week prior to the start of the term. Students shopping early should call the bookstore to determine availability and hours of operation.

Textbook Outlet (248) 377-2884

Texts may be available at the Textbook Outlet located in a shopping mall at the northeast corner of Squirrel Road and Walton Boulevard, across from the University. Call to confirm hours of operation.

Adams Pratt Oakland County Law Library (248) 858-0011

Address: 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac, MI
Call for hours of operation.

Oakland University Library (248) 370-2471

To check books out students must have a student card, which may be obtained by calling the ID Card office (248)370-2291 located in room 112 Oakland Center. Call the library to confirm hours of operation.

Location of Courses

Unless otherwise noted in the program brochure, Fall, Winter, and Spring term evening classes will be held at Seaholm High School located on Lincoln at the corner of Evergreen/Cranbrook and Lincoln in Birmingham. Saturday and computer classes will be on the Oakland University Campus. Room numbers for individual classes at Seaholm High School will be posted on the bulletin board outside room F102, near the entrance labeled Community Education. At Oakland University classroom locations will be posted on the doors to the building where the class is to be held.

Class Cancellations

In the event of bad weather listen to local radio and television stations or call the OU Hotline at (248) 370-2000 to determine if your class site is closed. If the Center for Executive and Continuing Education cancels a class for a reason other than weather, the office will call all those registered for class. Therefore, it is important that our office have your current address and home/business phone numbers. If you change your address or phone, please let us know immediately.