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Courses >
Law & Legal Careers > Paralegal Preparation 1
 If
you're interested in becoming a paralegal, this course is an important
first step. Paralegals, also known as legal assistants, help lawyers
prepare for trials. Paralegals are responsible for investigating the
facts of a case and review laws, legal decisions, and legal articles
that might be relevant to the case. Paralegals may also prepare written
reports, arguments, pleadings, and motions. Paralegals are also often
charged with organizing and tracking files, and may also draft
contracts, estate plans, agreements, and other common legal documents.
Demand for paralegals continues to be strong as more and more private
law offices are turning to paralegals to help them reduce costs and
provide more legal services in less time.
This course provides
an overview of the American judicial system focusing on the origins of
American law and the litigation process.
Important: This
six-course series will provide you with the skills and knowledge you
will need to perform the basic duties of a paralegal. By the time you
finish this series, you will have a solid understanding of what
activities a paralegal must perform and how to perform them. If you are
interested in becoming a paralegal, completing this program will take
you one step closer to your goal. However, please understand that this
is a non-credit program and it does not lead to any type of
professional certification or a degree. Although there is no current
requirement in any state other than California that a paralegal have
any level of professional experience or hold any type of degree, most
employers prefer to hire paralegals who have experience working in a
law office and/or an associate's degree, in addition to the skills and
knowledge taught in this program. If you have not already done so, we
recommend that you consider working as an intern in a law office and/or
enrolling in an accredited two-year college degree program while (or
soon after) completing this series of courses.
Recommended Courses:
Students who enrolled in Paralegal Preparation 1 were also interested in the following courses:
Introduction to Criminal Law II
Constitutional Law: Bill of Rights
Evidence Law
Introduction to Criminal Law
Paralegal Preparation 2
Paralegal Preparation 3
Paralegal Preparation 4
Paralegal Preparation 5
Paralegal Preparation 6
Real Estate Law
Workers' Compensation
Winning Strategy for the Courtroom
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
The American Legal System
|
| Friday - Lesson 02 |
The Litigation Process
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Paralegals in the Litigation Process
|
| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Legal Terminology
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Regulation of Paralegals
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
Ethical Considerations for Attorneys and Paralegals
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
Overview of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
|
| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Important Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for Paralegals
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Contract Law
|
| Friday - Lesson 10 |
Contract Law Documents
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Tort Law
|
| Friday - Lesson 12 |
Tort Law Practice
|
This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Scott and Lisa Hatch.
 Scott
Hatch has presented paralegal courses since 1980. He is listed in Who's
Who in California, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and
Universities, and has been named one of the Outstanding Young Men of
America by the United States Jaycees. He was a contributing editor to
The Judicial Profiler (McGraw-Hill and the Colorado Law Annotated
(West/Lawyers Co-op)series, and editor of several award-winning
publications. He is author of Paralegal Procedures and Practices,
published by West Publishing, as well as books on mediation and legal
investigation.
Lisa Zimmer Hatch, M.A., has been teaching legal
certificate and standardized test preparation courses since 1987. She
graduated with honors in English from the University of Puget Sound,
and received her master's degree from California State University. She
is co-author of numerous law and standardized test texts.
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins
(two free and simple downloads you obtain at
http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and
Get Adobe Reader). High School Diploma or equivalent, college
experience and/or law office experience is helpful but not required. You will also need to purchase the following textbooks through Amazon.com before the course begins: - Basics of Legal Document Preparation, Robert R. Cummins, Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1996
- Federal Civil Rules Booklet, current edition
- Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 6th Edition, by William Statsky, Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1997
- Paralegal Procedures and Practices, by Scott A. and Lisa Zimmer Hatch. Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1993
Student Reviews:
"Excellent course and very thorough. It was a pleasure. Looking forward to taking more. Thank you, Martin."
"Having never worked in a legal firm, this course has been
quite informative and interesting. Additionally, this was my first
online course. I'm encouraged to continue with online education."
"I am totally satisfied and impressed with the interaction
of the instructor, Martin. I thought his interaction and encouragement
were a wondurful aspect of this course. in further regard to the length
of the lessons, I thought that in most instances they were appropriate
but in others I felt a need to go and seek a little more information.
Not that all the information was not complete, it was just my desire to
know the topic a bit more in detail. I am thinking of the tort and
contract sections in particular. I am most impressed with how the
course built upon itself. The constant referring back to information
& definitions etc made me very aware of the need not just to need
to know to get thru the quiz/test. I am currently enrolled in the
second courde in this series (legal analysis ....)"
"I appreciate the discussion and feedback from everyone
involved with this class. I hope to continue through this course and
meet the same interest and discussional challenges. Thanks, Regina"
"I appreciate the instructorand my online classmates for all
of the replies, help, and assistance during this online experience.
Although this was my first online course, I found it to be very
convenient and fun! I look forward to joining some or all of other
people registering for the next course!"
"I find the online environment streamlines the learning
process, delivering an education at a pace that suits the individual
student. The discussion area provides a venue for those who need
further assistance, while those of us who need little or no assistance
get to zoom ahead! Whenever I took courses in a traditional classroom
environment, I found it frustrating and time consuming each time the
instructor would get tied up in an explanation to a fellow classmate.
This was a vast improvement. Thank you!"
"I found many of the questions that relate to my daily
position as a legal secretary were answered and I feel I obtained a
better grasp of my job duties. I look forward to the next course with
anticipation."
"I found this course to be very informative and helpful. I was delighted with it and will be following up with the next one."
"I found this perfect for my needs at present time. I like
taking courses online (my 1st time). I enjoy the challenge of finding
the answers for the assignments. I look forward to the next course."
"I just want to send a quick Thanks to our instructer Martin, he was always there to help us along."
"I learned a lot from this course. I am looking forward to
completing the 5 courses left and gaining enough knowledge from them to
go on to becoming a working paralegal. Thank you."
"I learned a lot of material so far that will be useful in my future career. I can't wait for the next course!"
"I love taking this Paralegal course! On-line makes it so
much better than having to rush after work to a college campus while
eating a pack of crackers and a soda for dinner. I plan on taking all
of the paralegal program courses."
"I really enjoyed the lessons and assignments. Since I work
in this industry, it already explained a lot of what I see and run
across on a daily basis."
"I really enjoyed this class! I learned more than I expected from an on-line course."
"I really liked this course! I started out just knowing only
what I had heard about the legal system from others, I now have a
different aspect of the whole legal system in general. I do plan on
taking the other parts to this course as soon as time will allow me to
do so, but I really enjoyed this course a lot. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed this class. The instructor was quite
helpful, and the discussion areas were lively and informative. I am
looking forward to completing the Paralegal cetificate program."
"I truly enjoyed the class and am hoping to complete the rest. Thank you."
"It was interesting to attend an on-line class. It actually
forces you to THINK more than you would in a classroom where you have
the input of others at the moment the questions are asked."
"I was impressed by this course, being my first on-line
class. The instructor was great and the class lessons were very
practical. I learned a lot through the homework assignments. Can't wait
for the 2nd course!"
"I would definetely take other online classes. Loved the
format of the course. No frills; just practical, straight to the point
information. Has been a great learning experience. Thanks."
"My intention is to continue on and take the remaining five
courses. I have enjoyed this class a great deal. This is my first
experience taking a class on-line. I have been surprised and very
pleased with the quality of instruction offered in this course. I have
learned a great deal. Thank you so very much. I will certainly
recommend this course to others!"
"Thanks for a terrific and enjoyable class. I have a better understanding of law in general and how it affects our daily lives."
"Thank you for your course I have signed up for course #2. I
am fascinated by the law and I have always wanted to be a lawyer but
never put my mind to it. With these courses I am able to take the steps
towards becoming a lawyer some day."
"Thank you so much for making my "first time" internet
classroom experience a wonderful one. The instructions were concise and
understandable. I felt I had the support of the instructor 100% and I
was very surprised that although physically I was not in a classroom
with other students, by participating and interacting in the discussion
portions of the program, I got to meet some students and compare
learning experiences."
"The lessons met my interests and needs far more than I had
expected them to. I personally found them extremely relevant (with help
from the instructor). I found the instructor, an assistant district
attorney, very knowledgeable and an expert in his field: I was pleased
to see that the course was being taught by someone of his stature. I
would also like to acknowledge that he is a person of good faith. The
assignments were very well conceived and were excellent learning
experiences--highly recommended. The intertextuality between the online
lessons and readings in the textbooks was also well conceived. Some of
the subject matter I found very interesting, while some of it I found
very dry--but I guess that is the nature of the content of the law. The
online learning experience--my first--was also valuable for the
presence of the other students in the discussion areas, who formed a
kind of support group. I enjoyed the course very much!"
"This being my first experience with an online programm, I
am impressed with the scope of the information and the structure of the
program. I have enjoyed the lessons and the break down of the program.
I look forward to continuing with the program."
"This class was very helpful in my legal assistant
profession, and I very much enjoyed it. I just registered for Course 2
and can't wait."
"This course was a lot of fun! Thanks!"
"This course was extremely informative. I feel that I have
learned so much. This was a nice experience for my first on line class."
"This course was great ! It is the first on-line class I
have ever taken. I will definitely take others. The course was very
informative and the instructor very helpful."
"This was my first on line course and I was extremely
pleased to find it both stimulating and thought provoking. I believe
that the method of delivering the material to the student for study and
comprehension was excellent. In taking the final exam I found that I
used all of the material - the code book, work book, lessons, quizzes
and text books. This demonstrates to me that much experience in
preparation of the course is evident. Thanks very much. I look forward
to course 2."
"Though I have been in the legal field for over thirty
years, and the fact that my wife is an attorney, I still had room to
learn."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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