Legal Studies

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define the role and functions of the legal assistant
• use basic legal terminology appropriately
• analyze a fact pattern
• research basic information in appropriate legal research sources
• integrate knowledge of ethical obligations into all aspects of practice

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify the practical procedural aspects of litigation, such as proper parties, jurisdiction, venue, claims, pleading, defaults, statutes of limitations, and various other motions.
• compare and contrast the major duties and responsibilities of paralegals in various civil litigation practices.
• demonstrate the use of proper methods and forms to submit civil matters to the court system.
• identify ethical issues that arise in litigation.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define the elements of common tort causes of action.
• identify the steps a typical personal injury (PI) case follows from identification of the client through trial preparation.
• evaluate the evidence available in light of a case.
• apply appropriate defenses to common tort causes of action.
• categorize the types of torts appropriately.
• manage information to assist the attorney in successful representation of a client.
• identify ethical issues that arise in a torts practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze contractual disputes for the required elements of prosecution or defense.
• apply and interpret standard contract terms.
• prepare a draft of a valid and enforceable document meeting the client's needs.
• evaluate a contract as to sufficiency of required elements.
• draft effective contract clauses to meet client's objectives.
• describe common defenses to contract causes of action.
• identify ethical issues arising in a transactional law practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• classify the various legal research resources.
• identify appropriate resources for various legal research questions.
• synthesize the information provided in legal resources into a useful summary for the use by an attorney.
• plan a research approach to an issue.
• utilize a variety of computer resources to aid the research process.
• research California State Bar ethics opinions.
• analyze California State Bar ethics opinions.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• prepare points and authorities which accompany motions.
• compose interoffice memos, motions, points and authorities, and ancillary materials for filing with the court.
• produce documents which are intended to inform or persuade the recipient such as letters and memos.
• recognize the intended audience and purpose of a document.
• integrate computer research into the creation of appropriate documents such as legal research databases and electronic practice guides.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• create a comprehensive and efficient approach to researching and applying current codes, rules, and practices pertaining to e-discovery, meta data mining and other topical technical issues.
• evaluate and identify facts and supporting evidence for use in drafting discovery requests and responses with a focus on e-discovery, meta data mining, and other topical technical issues.
• analyze and verify research to be used in drafting discovery motions and oppositions for filing with the court.
• draft correspondence, legal documents, and pleadings for use by attorney in Law and Motion practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define the role of the paralegal in relation to the family law attorney in litigation of family law cases.
• apply knowledge of the process to work efficiently and effectively with counsel and court staff.
• identify the economic effects of dissolution.
• analyze the client's case to determine proper pleadings and procedures.
• analyze ethical issues that may arise in a family law practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define basic elements of administrative law and procedure.
• evaluate simple administrative cases.
• identify the necessary elements of complex administrative law case to assist the attorney.
• analyze ethical issues that may arise in an administrative law practice.
• present a simple administrative case.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• prepare pre-trial writs and motions, and post-trial writs.
• evaluate common situations in criminal law and the appropriate steps to be taken such as discovery requests, filing motions, etc.
• identify substantive crimes.
• recognize procedural rules.
• identify and analyze ethical issues which arise in a criminal law practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify various paths to immigration and naturalization in the United States.
• demonstrate requisite skills needed to interview alien clients effectively.
• identify agencies involved in the immigration and naturalization process in the United States.
• prepare legal forms and documents related to administrative proceedings.
• differentiate between criteria for deportation and exclusion.
• identify various alien and immigrant categories.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify interview techniques appropriate to the type of information needed to assist the attorney handling the client's case
• apply the various interviewing techniques
• evaluate the source evidence
• classify evidence as to relevancy

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate and prepare evidence for trial under the supervision of an attorney.
• define admissibility of testimony, documents, and other evidence in federal and state courts.
• apply proper rules and forms to prepare objections and other responses to discovery requests.
• analyze ethical issues in evidence.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• differentiate between the role of the law office manager and the legal assistant.
• apply basic principles of time and records management.
• assess ethical requirements in various law office situations.
• evaluate the various associations for professional development.
• identify appropriate methods of communication in the law office setting.
• demonstrate an understanding of computer technology applications used in the practice of law.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify and describe the major technologies used in the practice of law as well as the role and importance of each.
• assess the ethical issues raised by new technologies in the legal field.
• demonstrate technology competence with industry leading electronic discovery platforms.
• analyze the opportunities technology literacy creates in the practice of law, as well as strategies for using technology literacy in practice.
• formulate best practices for electronic discovery.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify and apply the legal requirements for forming, operating, merging, and dissolving a corporation.
• identify the necessity for and write a board resolution.
• apply requirements to create corporate documents.
• maintain an orderly minute book.
• identify corporate equity, debt securities, and tax considerations.
• identify corporate distribution issues.
• identify the appropriate government agencies for filings.
• identify ethical issues that arise in a corporate law practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze cases in order to assist the attorney in meeting the immediate needs of the client.
• prepare and file appropriate forms and documents to transfer property.
• identify the need for additional professional assistance in such areas as taxes and accounting.
• identify and analyze ethical issues that arise in an Estates and Probate practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify, describe, and discuss the ethical rules of the American Bar Association (ABA) and California's Rules of Professional Conduct.
• compare and contrast the authorized work of lawyers with the authorized work of non-lawyers.
• describe the Duty of Confidentiality, including its length and the way it is affected by technology.
• explain how conflicts of interest arise and how paralegals can avoid such conflicts when changing jobs.
• demonstrate a satisfactory level of expertise for interviewing legal clinic clients and meeting with attorneys during consultation.
• identify, analyze, and research legal issues presented by clients.
• demonstrate appropriate use of forms for interviewing clients, fact gathering, and reporting.
• demonstrate an understanding of how paralegals are utilized in a professional setting.
• demonstrate knowledge of a case lifecycle such as initial client contact, interview, representation, and case closure.
• draft appropriate documents needed to assist a clinic client with their legal matter.
• synthesize essential facts of a case and communicate findings to a supervising attorney and/or clinic client.
• analyze legal issues and perform legal research accordingly.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify the law that governs landlord-tenant relations.
• select and complete the appropriate forms required by California law.
• create a plan to accommodate the various stages of the landlord-tenant relationship.
• analyze the facts to determine an appropriate course of action.
• analyze ethical issues that arise in a landlord-tenant law practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify, describe, and discuss the ethical rules of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Rules of Professional Responsibility for lawyers in California.
• compare and contrast the authorized work of lawyers with the authorized work of non-lawyers.
• describe the Duty of Confidentiality, including its length and the way it is affected by technology.
• explain how conflicts of interest arise and how paralegals can avoid such conflicts when changing jobs.
• demonstrate a satisfactory level of expertise for interviewing legal clinic clients and meeting with attorneys during consultation.
• identify, analyze, and research legal issues presented by clients.
• demonstrate appropriate use of forms for interviewing clients, fact gathering, and reporting.
• demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of how paralegals are utilized in a professional setting.
• understand and demonstrate knowledge of a case lifecycle such as initial client contact, interview, representation, and case closure.
• draft appropriate documents needed to assist a clinic client with his or her legal matter.
• synthesize essential facts of a case and communicate findings to attorney supervisor.
• analyze legal issues and perform legal research accordingly.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify fundamental aspects of bankruptcy.
• define the role of the legal assistant in a bankruptcy practice.
• manage document production for a typical bankruptcy filing.
• evaluate research needs and appropriate litigation support for potential bankruptcy action.
• identify ethical issues which may arise in a bankruptcy practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze the fundamentals of Workers' Compensation Law in relation to the legal assistant's role in the process.
• research California case law.
• formulate a discovery plan.
• analyze ethical considerations.
• prepare basic documents for a Workers' Compensation claim.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate application of industry knowledge and theoretical concepts in the field of legal assisting related to a transfer degree level career as written in the minimum three (3) learning objectives created by the student and their employer or work site supervisor at the start of the course.
• make effective decisions, use workforce information, and manage their personal career plans.
• behave professionally, ethically, and legally during work, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational norms.
• behave responsibly during work, exhibiting initiative and self-management in situations where it is needed.
• apply effective leadership styles during work, with consideration to group dynamics, team and individual decision making, and workforce diversity.
• communicate in oral, written, and other formats, as needed, in a variety of contexts during work.
• locate, organize, evaluate, and reference information during work.
• demonstrate originality and inventiveness during work by combining ideas or information in new ways, making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and reshaping goals in ways that reveal new possibilities using critical and creative thinking skills such as logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and problem-solving.