The program maintains several articulation agreements with local community colleges that offer ABA-approved programs. The agreements permit transfers of certain legal specialty courses automatically through the Registrar’s office. The courses were reviewed to ensure they qualified as legal specialty courses as defined by the ABA. The articulation agreements are reviewed every three years to stay current and ensure they are complying with the ABA’s requirements of legal specialty courses.
Courses subject to those articulation agreements are transferred automatically by the Registrar’s office provided they are not over 7 years old and student has received a “C” or better grade in the course.
Transfers of legal specialty courses are also accepted from paralegal programs without an articulation agreement that are ABA-approved, regionally accredited, or that are members of AAfPE. Transferability of legal specialty courses is based on the accreditation of the school, comparability of the course with regard to practical assignments, the year the course was taken, and the grade the student received.
As far as accreditation, the school must be at a minimum accredited by a recognized accrediting body such as the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The course must qualify as a legal specialty course as defined by the ABA at G-302.I.1. and have sufficient practical assignments. The course cannot be over 7 years old unless the student is a working paralegal and current in that area of law. Finally, the student must have received a “C” or better in the class. Upon request by a student for a transfer the program director will do a careful review of the student transcript, the syllabi, and samples of practical assignments. If the program director determines the class is not appropriate for transfer, the student is informed, and they may appeal to the Dean of Colleges of Arts and Sciences if they disagree with the determination.
Transfer from schools that are not regionally accredited, ABA approved or institutional members of AAfPE is limited to two courses, as long as academic quality and comparability to ULV courses are assured as stated in the above paragraph.
Only two courses are accepted in transfer for the Certificate. For the Bachelor’s Degree, the University requires that 24 units in the major be completed at La Verne. For most transfer students, this means that 24 units in the major will be completed at La Verne no matter how many are transferred in. As a note, the program relies on the expertise and support of the Registrar’s Office to assist with all transfers of courses towards the Legal Studies major.