Paralegal Certificate Syllabus- Course Description

Paralegal 1

Introduction
Welcome to Paralegal I, the first section of the Paralegal Certificate Course offered online. This online course represents the culmination of twenty (20) years of "live" classroom instruction of this course for liberal arts and pre-law students at major universities across the United States. To serve foreign students and law firm employees overseas, as well as people residing far from our live classroom lecture locations, we began offering this course on a VHS format in 1987. Now this interactive online format, we are overcoming the boundaries of distance and time by bringing the classroom into your office or living room. This interactive Paralegal Certificate Course provides guided instruction and, in some cases, credit hours with which to work toward a degree. Plus, students successfully completing both section 1 and section 2 will receive a Paralegal Certificate of Completion from their chosen, sponsoring university.

Once registered, your password and access information will be emailed to you in time for the start of class.

This course will provide you with comprehensive knowledge of the American judicial system. It will also teach you practical skills including how to assist trial attorneys, interview witnesses, investigate complex fact patterns, research the law, and assist in preparing cases for courtroom litigation.

Paralegal One: Introduction to Paralegal Studies provides the foundation for the study of paralegalism. During the seven week course, you will gain an understanding of the American legal system and learn how you can be of assistance in the exciting field of law. Coursework in Paralegal One is equivalent to 45 class hours of study.

Paralegal I: Introduction to Paralegal Studies
This course is the first of two courses leading to a Paralegal Certificate. Successful completion of both Section 1 and Section 2 of the paralegal Certificate Course will result in a Paralegal Certificate issued from the sponsoring university of your choice. (California paralegals may need to complete Advanced coursework to meet the requirements of new legislation, California Business and Professional Code §6450. Please click here for more information.) The course is designed to train students to work as paralegals, provide advanced legal workers with additional skills, and educate students in the American legal system.

SECTION ONE OBJECTIVES:
After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this seven week course, you will know:

• the origins and history of the American legal system
• the meaning and application of important legal terminology
• attorney and paralegal ethics
• techniques of jury selection and the jury selection process
• how to prepare legal documents including demand letters, pleadings, discovery documents, motions and memos
• significant elements of the substantive law of torts, contracts
• the important rules of civil procedure and evidence
• how to conduct a legal interview
• how to conduct legal investigation
• how to conduct legal analysis and perform legal problem solving

EXPECTATIONS
This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of 12 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments.
Please note that no extensions will be granted for this online course.

70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course. Students may consider working ahead in the curriculum if they have the time. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course.

The entire program, Paralegal I and Paralegal II, runs 14 weeks; seven weeks for Paralegal I and seven weeks for Paralegal II. NOTE: To receive your Paralegal Certificate, students must enroll in, and successfully complete, both Paralegal I and Paralegal II. Paralegal I is a prerequisite for Paralegal II.

TEXTS: The following texts are available to order from The Center for Legal Studies. Some of the texts may be available in libraries, but most students prefer to own these texts because they are great references even after the course has ended. Please note that these same texts will also be used for Section Two, Paralegal II.

The following texts/items are required:

• Cummins, Robert R. Basics of Legal Document Preparation. Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1997.
• Hatch, Scott A. and Lisa Zimmer Hatch. Paralegal Career for Dummies Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2006.
• Kirk, Margaret J. Paralegal Certificate Course© Workbook. Golden: The Center for Legal Studies, Inc., 2009.
• Statsky, William. Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 7th Edition. Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 2009.
• Federal Civil Rules Booklet, Dahlstrom Legal Publishing, Inc, 2009

The following texts/items are recommended but not required:

• Garner, Bryan A., Black's Law Dictionary, 3rd Pocket Edition. Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company 2006.
• WESTLAW online legal research access, available during the online session for only $75.00*. Order online

 We also recommend that you purchase the rules of court for your particular state so that you know the unique procedural rules specific to your state.

READING ASSIGNMENTS
Please read from your texts according to the following guidelines:

TESTS: Each lesson you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay test covering the topics in that lesson's reading. These tests are due by 9:00 a.m. each Friday. You will not have a test on the last week of class.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: Your writing assignment is to prepare two interoffice memos in which you analyze legal issues. Each memo is worth 100 points. The first is due by 9:00 a.m. on the Friday of the fourth week of class, and the second is due by 9:00 a.m. on the Friday of the sixth week of class.

BULLETIN BOARD ASSIGNMENTS: You will also post your responses to six class participation assignments. These assignments are referred to as Bulletin Board Submissions and will be submitted by either selecting Bulletin Board Submission from within the lesson material, or by selecting 'Forums' under Activities on the Left Hand Block.

All lesson objectives, assignments, and tests can be found in the Lesson Materials.

GRADING
Your grade will be based on your completion of six tests, two memos, and class participation assignments /Bulletin Board Submissions. The tests and writing assignments can be accessed from within the lesson material, or by selecting 'Assignments' under Activities on the Left Hand Block. You will have the opportunity to engage in "class participation" by using the Bulletin Board tool to respond to the bulletin board assignments throughout the course. Also, participating in the bulletin board assignments will enhance your understanding of the reading material. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course.

Your final grade will be figured as follows:

• The six tests are 50 points each and comprise 60% of your grade.
• Two interoffice memos are 100 points each and comprise 30% of your grade.
• Your participation in bulletin board assignments comprises 10% of your grade.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students may drop the course with a full tuition refund less a non-refundable $15 administrative fee if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email at info@legalstudies.com by the Wednesday before class begins. Students may drop the course with a 50% tuition refund if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email at info@legalstudies.com anytime from the Thursday before the course begins until the first Thursday of class. After the first Thursday of class, no refunds will be issued.

Paralegal 2

Introduction
Welcome to Paralegal II, the second section of the two-part Paralegal Certificate Course (Core Courses) offered online. This online course represents the culmination of twenty (20) years of "live" classroom instruction of this course for liberal arts and pre-law students at major universities across the United States. To serve foreign students and law firm employees overseas, as well as people residing far from our live classroom lecture locations, we began offering this course on a VHS format in 1987. Now, with this interactive online format, we are overcoming the boundaries of distance and time by bringing the classroom into your office or living room. This interactive Paralegal Certificate Course provides guided instruction and, in some cases, credit hours with which to work toward a degree. Plus, students successfully completing both section 1 and section 2 will receive a paralegal certificate from their chosen, sponsoring university.

Once registered, your password and access information will be emailed to you in time for the start of class.

This course will provide you with a working knowledge of legal authority: how it is used in the litigation process and how to locate it through legal research. You will also learn the basics of law office management, substantive law (such as criminal law, domestic relations, real property law, and bankruptcy), and informal and formal advocacy.

Paralegal Two: Advanced Paralegal Concepts takes over where part one leaves off. You will learn the advanced skills of legal research and writing, formal and informal advocacy, and appellate procedure. Coursework in Paralegal II is equivalent to 45 class hours of study.

Paralegal II: Advanced Paralegal Concepts

Prerequisites: Paralegal I: Introduction to Paralegal Studies

This course is the second of two courses leading to a Paralegal Certificate. Successful completion of both Section 1 and Section 2 of the paralegal Certificate Course will result in a Paralegal Certificate issued from the sponsoring university of your choice. (California paralegals may need to complete Advanced coursework to meet the requirements of the California Business and Professional Code §6450. The course is designed to train students to work as paralegals, provide advanced legal workers with additional skills, and educate students about the American legal system.

SECTION TWO OBJECTIVES:

After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this seven week course, you will know:

• the importance of precedence
• what legal authority is, and which authority is the most important
• how to conduct legal research and learn how to use the 4 most effective legal research tools found in virtually every law library
• how to Shepardize your authority
• how to properly cite your authority
• how to conduct computerized legal research used extensively in law offices throughout the country.
• proper and effective legal writing style
• the basic documents for several important substantive areas of law
• advocacy techniques for usage in formal or informal settings, and
• how to begin your job search and perhaps begin a freelance paralegal business after your education

EXPECTATIONS:

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of 12 hours per week reading and completing writing and research assignments. Please note that no extensions will be granted for this online course.

70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course. Students may consider working ahead in the curriculum if they have the time. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course.

The entire program, Paralegal I and Paralegal II, runs 14 weeks; seven weeks for Paralegal I and seven weeks for Paralegal II. NOTE: To receive your Paralegal Certificate, students must enroll in, and successfully complete, both Paralegal I and Paralegal II. Paralegal I is a prerequisite for Paralegal II.

Student WESTLAW access through CLS lasts for the duration of the session (subject to terms and conditions). If you purchase WESTLAW access, you may choose to access the Federal Civil Rules Booklet (which includes FRCP and FRE) online rather than purchasing the bound copy.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

The following texts are available to order from The Center for Legal Studies. Some of the texts may be available in libraries, but most students prefer to own these texts because they are great references even after the course has ended.

The following texts are required: Please note that these are the same texts you used for Paralegal 1.

• Cummins, Robert R. Basics of Legal Document Preparation. Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1997.
• Hatch, Scott A. and Lisa Zimmer Hatch. Paralegal Career for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, 2006.
• Kirk, Margaret J. Paralegal Certificate Course© Workbook. Golden: The Center for Legal Studies, Inc., 2009.
• Statsky, William. Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 7th Edition. Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 2009.
• Federal Civil Rules Booklet. Harvard: Dahlstrom Legal Publishing, Inc., 2009.
• WESTLAW online legal research access, available during the online session for only $75.00*. Order online

The following text is recommended but not required:

• Garner, Bryan A.. Black's Law Dictionary, 3rd Pocket Edition. St. Paul: West Publishing, 2006..

We also recommend that you purchase the rules of court for your particular state so that you know the unique procedural rules specific to your state.

READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Please read from your texts according to the following guidelines:

TESTS:
Each lesson you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay exam covering the topics in that lesson's reading. These tests are due by 9:00 a.m. each Friday. You will not have a test on the last week of class.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: Your writing assignment for this course is to complete an Appellate Brief based on a hypothetical case. This assignment is worth 100 points and is due by 9:00 a.m. on the Friday of the sixth week of class.

BULLETIN BOARD ASSIGNMENTS: You will also post your responses to six class participation assignments. These assignments are referred to as Bulletin Board Submissions and will be submitted by either selecting Bulletin Board Submission from within the lesson material, or by selecting 'Forums' under Activities on the Left Hand Block.

All lesson objectives, assignments, and tests can be found in the Lesson Materials.

GRADING
Your grade will be based on your completion of six tests, two memos, and class participation assignments /Bulletin Board Submissions. The tests and writing assignments can be accessed from within the lesson material, or by selecting 'Assignments' under Activities on the Left Hand Block. You will have the opportunity to engage in "class participation" by using the Bulletin Board tool to respond to the bulletin board assignments throughout the course. Also, participating in the bulletin board assignments will enhance your understanding of the reading material. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course.

Your final grade will be figured as follows:

• The six tests are 50 points each and comprise 60% of your grade.
• Two interoffice memos are 100 points each and comprise 30% of your grade.
• Your participation in bulletin board assignments comprises 10% of your grade.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students may drop the course with a full tuition refund less a non-refundable $15 administrative fee if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email at info@legalstudies.com by the Wednesday before class begins. Students may drop the course with a 50% tuition refund if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email at info@legalstudies.com anytime from the Thursday before the course begins until the first Thursday of class. After the first Thursday of class, no refunds will be issued.

* Westlaw access is available for a maximum of seven weeks for only $75.00. Please read the Westlaw User Agreement for more information.

 Back to Paralegal Certificate home page