Personal Injury for Paralegals – Online

About This Course

With this exciting, fast-paced class you will learn many of the legal terms, causes of action, and remedies available to victims of personal injury accidents. We will review the negligence theory of torts upon which many personal injury claims are based. Students will discuss interviewing, investigating and other case building techniques vital to a personal injury paralegal’s success in the law office.

Class discussions and lesson material will include the different kinds of personal injury claims including (but not limited to): car accidents, slip and falls, medical negligence/malpractice, manufacturer product defects, and class-action lawsuits. Discover the basic categories of damages recovery, statutes of limitations, and schemes for liability.

Course Objectives:

• Interview clients with a narrative of the injury
• Review medical records and nurses’ notes
• Prepare summaries of depositions
• Interview medical witnesses
• Observe and identify possible areas of negligence
• Keep and organize a trial notebook
• Understand the concept of products liability
• Be familiar with the concept of duty toward the victim
• Distinguish personal injury from torts to property or reputation
• Distinguish private torts from governmental torts under the Federal Torts Claims Act

Expectations

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of at least 12 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this online course. This course is the equivalent of at least 50 clock hours of study. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course.

Course Books

Required textbooks for this course:

• Personal Injury and the Law of Torts for Paralegals, most recent Edition, by Emily Lynch Morissette, Aspen Publishers.

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

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

Texts may be purchased from CLS by BARBRI Online Store.
For more information, call CLS by BARBRI at 888-238-5204, or visit our Online Store to order.

Reading Assignments for Lesson Topics:

Lesson One: INTRODUCTION TO TORTS & THE ELEMENTS OF NEGLIGENCE
Read Chapters 1 through 5 in Personal Injury and The Law of Torts for Paralegals, 5th Edition (Morissette)

Lesson Two: DEFENSES TO NEGLIGENCE
Read Chapters 6 & 7 in Morissette

Lesson Three: MEDICAL MALPRACTICE & REVIEWING MEDICAL RECORDS
Read Chapters 8 & 15 in Morissette

Lesson Four: INTENTIONAL TORTS & THEIR DEFENSES
Read Chapters 9, 10, & 11 in Morissette

Lesson Five: STRICT LIABILITY, PRODUCT LIABILITY, NUISANCE & WORKERS’ COMP
Read Chapters 12, 13, & 14 in Morissette

Lesson Six: THE PERSONAL INJURY TRIAL
Read Chapters 16 & 17 in Morissette

Exams:

You will complete six 100 point exams covering the topics in that lesson’s reading. The exams account for 70% of your grade and are comprised of true/false, multiple choice, short answer and essay questions.

Bulletin Board Assignments:

You will also post your responses to six class participation assignments.

Writing Assignment:

You will be required to prepare an answer to a complaint for the 50 point writing assignment. The writing assignment accounts for 20% of your final grade.

All lesson objectives, assignments, and exams can be found in the Lesson Materials.

Grading

Your grade will be based on your completion of six exams, one writing assignment, and class participation/Bulletin Board Submissions. 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 exams comprise 70% of your grade.
• Your participation in class participation assignments comprises 10% of your grade.
• The writing assignment comprises 20% of your grade.

Withdrawal Policy

Students may drop the course with a full tuition refund less a non-refundable $50 administrative fee if written notice is sent to CLS by BARBRI by email at [email protected] by the Wednesday before class begins. Students may drop the course with a 50% tuition refund if written notice is sent to CLS by BARBRI by email at [email protected] 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.

Please NOTE: If you registered for a CLS course directly with the college or university, you are subject to the school’s refund/drop policies.