Center For Legal Studies - www.legalstudies.com

Legal Secretary Certificate Course

Online Format Syllabus

This intensive online program is designed for both beginning and experienced secretaries who are interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within the law office.

COURSE 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
ethics for the law office
the elements of tort law and contract law
the important rules of civil procedure
how to conduct a legal interview and maintain good client relations
how to use some of the common word processing features specifically for the law office
how to prepare legal documents including letters, pleadings, discovery documents, motions and memos
the basic rules of citation format
the elements of law office management

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.

EXPECTATIONS: This is an accelerated course. 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.

TEXTS: The required texts for this course (your state rules of court and A Uniform System of Citation) are available through The Center for Legal Studies at 800-522-7737.

The following texts are recommended but not required:

Cummins, Robert R. Basics of Legal Document Preparation. Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1997.
Garner, Bryan A. Black's Law Dictionary, 3rd Pocket Edition. St. Paul: West Publishing, 2006.

WEEKLY TOPICS:

Week One: Introduction to the American Legal System
Week Two: The Litigation Process and Legal Ethics
Week Three: An Overview of Civil Procedure, Contract Law, and Tort Law
Week Four: Computers in the Law Office and Law Office Management
Weeks Five: Legal Writing Style and Citation Format
Week Six: Letter Writing and Preparing Common Court Documents

TESTS: For each weekly topic you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay exam covering the topics in your weekly reading. These tests are due by 9:00 a.m. each Monday, and are submitted using the Private Mail tool.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Your writing assignment is to prepare a group of legal documents. The assignment is worth 100 points and is due by 9:00 a.m. on the last Monday of class. You will submit your memos using the Private Mail tool.

BULLETIN BOARD ASSIGNMENTS: You will also post your responses to six 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 six tests and one writing assignment and class participation. The tests and memos 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 six tests are 50 points each and comprise 60% of your grade.
The one writing assignment is worth 100 points and comprises 30% of your grade.
Your participation in class participation assignments comprises 10% 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.