Center For Legal Studies - www.legalstudies.com

Legal Secretary Certificate Course

Text-Only Format Syllabus

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.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this 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: You will be expected to spend an average of 12 hours per lesson reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that, barring extenuating circumstances, extensions will not be granted for this text-only course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course.

TEXTS: The required texts for this course, Legal Secretarial Handbook, and A Uniform System of Citation, most recent edition, are available through The Center for Legal Studies at 800-522-7737 or online in the CLS store

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.

LESSON TOPICS:

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

TESTS: For each lesson's topic you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay exam covering the topics in that lesson's reading.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Your writing assignment is to prepare a group of legal documents. The assignment is worth 100 points and is due with your Lesson Six assignments.

REFLECTION ASSIGNMENTS: You will also submit your responses to six reflection assignments. These assignments must be submitted with the each lesson and make up your class participation grade. All lesson objectives, assignments, and tests can be found in the Lesson Material packet.

GRADING
Your grade will be based on your completion of six tests and one writing assignment and class participation.

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.

Refund Policy

Students have 30 days from the date they register for the Text-only course to drop the class and receive a refund less a $50 non-refundable administrative fee.
If students drop after 30 days from their registration date no refund will be issued.
Materials, including all printed handouts 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.