Bankruptcy is an area of law that has provided significant employment for paralegals. This course examines the debtor-creditor relationship and the difference between voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy, both under Chapter 7 (liquidation) and 11 (reorganization). You will study the Bankruptcy Code in depth and learn how to prepare the most important bankruptcy forms.

This seven-week course is designed to introduce paralegal students to the complexities of bankruptcy law. The course is designed to train students to work as bankruptcy paralegals. It also provides paralegals working for attorneys who specialize in other areas of law with the knowledge they may need to assist their attorney with clients who receive notice of a bankruptcy.

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

• the purpose of bankruptcy
• how to access the bankruptcy code
• bankruptcy court structure
• the provisions of Chapters 1, 3 & 5 of the Bankruptcy Code
• the ethical considerations of practicing bankruptcy law
• the elements of "341 meetings"
• the meanings of an automatic stay and adequate protection
• the elements of a proof of claim
• what constitutes exempt and non-exempt property
• the elements of and differences between Chapter 7, 11, 12, & 13 bankruptcies
• the procedural rules governing bankruptcy law
• how to prepare bankruptcy documents, including petitions, the statement of financial affairs, schedules, and the order confirming plans

EXPECTATIONS: You will be expected to spend an average of 8 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that, barring extenuating circumstances, extensions will not 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.

PREREQUISITES: Successful completion of Paralegal 1 and Paralegal 2, or the equivalent, or law office experience.

TEXTS: The required texts for this course consist of texts you probably own already from your participation in Paralegal 1 and Paralegal 2. They are available to order from The Center for Legal Studies.

The following texts are required:

• Cummins, Robert R. Basics of Legal Document Preparation. Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1997.
• Hatch, Scott A. and Lisa Zimmer Hatch. A Paralegal Primer, Third Edition. Golden: The Center for Legal Studies, 1997.

The following text is recommended but not required:

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

To order texts, call The Center for Legal Studies at 800-522-7737 or E-mail us at info@legalstudies.com. Or use the book order form.

TESTS: For each topic you will submit a 100-point short answer/essay test covering the information in that topic. These tests are due by 5:00 p.m. each Monday, and are submitted using the Private Mail tool.

BULLETIN BOARD ASSIGNMENTS: You will also post your responses to four class participation assignments. These assignments will be submitted using the Bulletin Board tool and make up your class participation grade. All weekly objectives, assignments, and tests can be found in the Lesson Material tool. Additional resources are available by accessing the URL Library tool.

GRADING: Your grade will be based on your completion of four Bulletin Board assignments (class participation) and four tests. The tests are submitted using the Private Mail tool. 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.

Your final grade will be figured as follows: The four exams are worth 100 points and comprise 70% of your grade. Your participation in the four class participation assignments comprises 30% of your grade.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students may drop the course with a full tuition refund if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email 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 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.