Paralegal Certificate

The one-year Paralegal Certificate program consists of six sequential courses comprising 234 contact hours of instruction. All courses are taught by experienced attorneys and judges. Participants acquire the following knowledge areas and key competencies within each of the six courses: Introduction to Law (39 contact hours) • General concepts of the law • American system of law (constitutional, statutory, tort) • Court systems and procedures Legal Research and Writing (39 contact hours) • Researching and applying primary and secondary legal authority • Utilization of LexisNexis online legal database, as well as law reviews, journals, legal encyclopedias • Research and writing strategies via 8-10 hands-on research assessments • Effective legal writing strategies including style and citation form • Drafting a legal memorandum Civil Procedure (39 contact hours) • Paralegal’s role in the litigation process • Structure and jurisdiction of federal and state courts • Proper use of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure • Fact investigations • Draft pleadings • Summary and control of documents and deposition transcripts • Pre-trial organization • Post-trial considerations Tort Law (39 contact hours) • Different types of torts • Strict liability, product liability, negligence and defamation • Defense and remedy of these torts • Legal research and writing in the field of torts Contract Law (39 contact hours) • How binding contracts are formed, and understanding them (offer, acceptance, consideration) • Drafting common clauses • Contract invalidation • Damages/Breach of contract Criminal Law and Procedure (39 contact hours) • Criminal law, criminal procedure concepts • Crimes against people • Crimes against property • Theft crimes • Defenses to crimes • Procedural rules; constitutional issues; 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments To earn the Paralegal Certificate, each participant must: • Successfully research and draft legal documents • Complete a midterm and final exam in each course, as well as graded assignments in each • Complete each program course with a passing grade and earn a “C” or above as a cumulative program grade