Paralegal

This course presents the role of paralegals in the legal system, introduces paralegal skills, and explores career opportunities. It highlights the ethical and professional guidelines that govern the paralegal field. It also introduces the sources of law, an overview of courts, and alternative dispute resolution systems.

This course presents the role of paralegals in the civil litigation process including alternative dispute resolution. It gives students instruction on basic legal research and writing, drafting documents and pleadings, and electronic filing.

This course provides the paralegal student with an introduction to the types and functions of technology in the legal field, providing them with knowledge of and access to commonly used software.

This course introduces future paralegals to all facets of contract preparation, including ethical, practical, and professional issues. Students practice drafting contracts for equipment, real estate, and business sales, while reviewing current case law, completing critical thinking assignments involving attorney briefings and legal cases.

This course expands the skills of the paralegal student in performing legal research and writing, emphasizing case briefing and legal analysis. It provides students with experience using research tools and search engines available in the legal field.

This course provides students with an understanding of the nature, formation and regulation of business organizations. Students will not only learn fundamental applications of business law, but also will be able to put those basics into practice after reading a multitude of real-world examples and performing several skill assessment activities.

This course provides a basic understanding of personal injury, wrongful death, professional malpractice, and civil rights litigation. Students develop skills in applying law to fact patterns as well as utilizing rules of state and federal civil procedure.

This course explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming modern legal work. Students will examine applications of AI in legal research, document review, contract analysis, litigation support, and compliance. Emphasis is placed on understanding ethical, regulatory, and privacy issues; evaluating AI tools; and gaining hands-on experience using software that assists with predictive analytics, natural language processing, and automation. 

This course focuses on the paralegal's role in a family law practice and the opportunity to develop practical skills for family law practice paralegals. Topics include fundamental concepts of family law, including jurisdictional issues, paternity issues, adoption, formal and informal marriages, divorce, annulment, marital property, and the parent-child relationship with emphasis on the paralegal's role.

This course provides students with an understanding of the nature, formation, and regulation of business organizations. Students will also gain an understanding of contractual relationships, applicable laws, and remedies.

This course involves the study of both substantive and procedural criminal law, the different stages of the criminal process from the prospect of both prosecution and defense. Topics include the classifications and elements of state and federal crimes, constitutional civil rights, procedural and evidentiary rules, criminal trial litigation preparation.

This course provides additional practice and application in legal research and writing. Students will be expected to complete legal writing assignments utilizing more advanced legal analysis skills and based on state-specific laws.

This course prepares students to support attorneys through every stage of trial preparation and courtroom practice. Students will gain experience drafting pleadings, pre-trial motions, and discovery requests, as well as assisting with deposition preparation. Emphasis is placed on the paralegal’s role in trial strategy, alternative dispute resolution, and the use of technology in the electronic courtroom. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the practical skills needed to provide effective trial support. 

Explore the essentials of wills, trusts, and estates in this specialized course for paralegals. Learn practical skills in drafting wills, administering estates, and navigating probate proceedings. Taught by seasoned professionals, this course equips paralegals with the knowledge to excel in the vital field of estate law. 

This course is designed to provide students with practical experience using the knowledge that they have gained in the program. Students will have the opportunity to prepare detailed pleadings, draft pre-trial motions, and write discovery requests in addition to learning about deposition preparation. This class additionally explores the role of paralegals in alternative dispute resolution and provides them with a chance to develop their skills relating to trial preparation and presentation in the electronic courtroom.

In this hands-on course students will investigate the intricacies of civil litigation, exploring the procedural and substantive aspects of the legal process. The course will cover key topics, including pleadings, discovery, motion practice, pretrial procedures, trial strategies, and post-trial motions. Throughout the course, students will create a comprehensive civil litigation guide that will be able to serve them in practice as a paralegal. 

A course covering the information, knowledge and skills needed to succeed specifically in paralegal studies, including study skills, setting academic goals, managing time, and technology skills such as word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets.