Capilano University - School of Legal Studies

The School of Legal Studies offers Legal Administrative Assistant ("LAA") and Paralegal programs. The LAA Certificate is offered in three different formats: on campus full-time (September), online part-time (September) and online full-time delivered through Zoom or Teams during the day (January). There are no pre-requisites to apply for this program other than CapU’s admission requirements. In addition, you will need to submit a resume, letter of reference, complete an LAA English test and a keyboarding test. Please note that some of these testing requirements may be waived at the discretion of program convenors. Make sure to attend the next info night (refer to the CapU Events Calendar) to learn more about the program and to complete your LAA diagnostic tests. The Paralegal programs feature substantive and procedural law coursework. The programs are rigorous and highly competitive. We offer a Paralegal Certificate (part-time), Paralegal Diploma (full-time two-year, plus six-month practicum) and a Bachelor of Legal Studies (full-time four-year degree, plus six-month practicum or first year of law school). In order to apply for the Paralegal Certificate, a prospective student must have completed the LAA Certificate at CapU or have worked full-time in a legal environment for at least two years. In order to apply for the Paralegal Diploma, a prospective student must have at least two years of post-secondary education (though most successful applicants have completed a degree). The Bachelor of Legal Studies is a four-year degree that requires high school graduation. Note that it may be possible to ladder into the second year of the Bachelor of Legal Studies after successful completion of the LAA program. However, this is an option only if certain requirements are met: a minimum of 4.0 GPA in the LAA program, seat availability in the second year of the degree program, a successful interview, and approval from the admission committee for Legal Studies.