Legal Secretary Certificate Course

About This Course

This intensive program is designed for both beginning and experienced secretaries who are interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within the law office. Students will study such topics as: legal terminology; legal process; jurisdiction and venue; ethics; written communications including letters, pleadings, discovery, notices and motions; filing procedures, billing and accounting; time management; records management; an overview of commonly used word and data processing programs; legal research; memoranda preparation, and citation format.

Session 1: During this first session students will receive an introduction to the theory of law, the legal process, and the nature of the practice of law. Discussion will include the process of law as well as the specific legal terminology. Ethics are also covered.

Session 2: This session addresses the particulars of law office management. Also, this session studies technology in the law office. Students will be exposed to actual court documents and will prepare some of these documents as part of their homework.

Session 3: The final session will be spent examining the intricacies of the law office, including office procedure manuals, billing techniques, and overall management techniques of the law office. Students will also be introduced to the basics of legal research and proper citation format. Job search strategies and placement possibilities will also be discussed.

Course Objectives:

Participants will demonstrate the following skills through successful completion of all required coursework and assignments:

Discuss the origins and history of the American legal system
Define and apply important legal terminology
Disucss ethics for the law office
List the elements of tort law and contract law
Explain the important rules of civil procedure
Demonstrate how to conduct a legal interview and maintain good client relations
Demonstrate how to use some of the common word processing features specifically for the law office
Demonstrate how to prepare legal documents including letters, pleadings, discovery documents, motions and memos
Apply the basic rules of citation format
Define the elements of law office management

Expectations

Students will be expected to spend an average of 8 hours per lesson reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course.

Prerequisites

This course presumes a basic knowledge of word processing and a typing proficiency of at least 50 words per minute. Basic word processing and typing skills will not be covered in this course.

Course Books

Required textbooks for this course:

Legal Secretary Handbook, is available through The Center for Legal Studies.
A Uniform System of Citation, most recent edition, is available through The Center for Legal Studies.

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

Oran’s Dictionary of the Law, 4th Edition, by Daniel Oran. Clifton Park: Delmar Cengage Learning

For more information, call The Center for Legal Studies at 800-522-7737, or visit our Online Store to order.

Refund Policy

Students have 30 days from the date they register for the DVD course to return all course materials and drop the class to receive a refund less a $50 non-refundable administrative fee. Materials, handouts, and DVDs, must be received by CLS in new condition no less then 30 days from the date of purchase. No items will be accepted after 30 days.
If students drop after 30 days from their registration date no refund will be issued.

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