SMC Evening Paralegal Certificate Program offering Financial Documents and Accounting Course for Legal Professionals

SPARTANBURG,  SC – May 1, 2014  –  All persons involved in law or business are acutely aware of the necessity of having a decent working knowledge of accounting and financial documents. However, the only people who typically have such backgrounds are those persons who have specifically studied accounting and finance; the legal professional is at a disadvantage in most areas of practice without some knowledge of accounting.

Spartanburg Methodist College is currently registering students for its Evening Paralegal Certificate Program’s Spring II term and will be offering a course designed to bridge the gap between law and business by providing legal professionals the knowledge and skills necessary to represent clients effectively in a business environment.

Financial Documents and Accounting for Legal Professionals will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings, beginning May 15 and concluding on Thursday, June 26. According to Yvonne Harper, Director of the SMC Paralegal Certificate Program, “this course was developed for not only our paralegal students, but also law students and practicing legal professionals in the community. It is geared to the interpretation and use of numbers, NOT on the preparation of such numbers. Our goal is to provide a simple to comprehend guide to the world of finance and accounting.” Shane Williams, Senior Buyer at Robert Bosch Corporation in Anderson, will serve as instructor. The general public can audit this seven week course for $175.

The seven-week term will also include an introduction to the legal system and the paralegal profession course beginning Tuesday, May 13 and ending Tuesday, June 24. Introduction to Paralegal Studies, taught by Amy Thyen, a 2008 graduate of the SMC Paralegal Program, provides an overview of the nature of various law specialties. The course covers legal terminology, teaches the responsibilities of paralegals in the law office and outlines legal ethics for the attorney and paralegal. Thyen has worked as a paralegal for the Smith & Haskell Law Firm since July of 2007, when she was a student in the SMC program.

For more information on the 14-course SMC Paralegal Certificate Program, which operates year round, visit www.smcsc.edu/paralegal/ or contact Harper at (864) 266-7409 or [email protected].

Spartanburg Methodist College

SMC is South Carolina’s only private, residential college exclusively for freshmen and sophomore students and one of only four colleges in South Carolina affiliated with the United Methodist Church. SMC’s mission is to transform lives in a values-oriented, student-centered atmosphere in the Christian tradition that encourages academic excellence, intellectual exploration, social awareness, and character development within the liberal arts tradition. Spartanburg Methodist College, founded in 1911, is proud of its heritage of providing “the opportunity to be your best and the inspiration to do great things.”