Legal Studies Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (27 credits)

The American Bar Association (ABA) approved Legal Studies Certificate is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree and want to pursue a career in the law. The certificate will prepare students to successfully transition to law school or to immediately perform the duties required of a paralegal, through studies that focus on effective communication skills, critical thinking, litigation procedures, computer applications for the law offices, ethics, and various legal specialties. Although the paralegal plays a key role in providing legal services to clients, only attorneys may accept cases, give legal advice, represent clients in court, or provide other direct legal services to clients. The courses of the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Legal Studies is an excellent pre-law degree and provides valuable preparation for careers in law firms, corporations, government agencies, the judiciary, non-profits and other law-related settings.

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Major		27-33 Credits
LEGL101	Introduction to Legal Studies	3
LEGL215	Litigation	3
LEGL216	Legal Research	3
LEGL220	Technology in the Law Office This course provides an opportunity for students to use computer technology and its application within law firms and other entities engaged in the practice of law. It covers the use of technology in, e-discovery, office management, case management, litigation presentation and billing. Co-requisite(s): LEGL101 for students seeking the Post-Baccalaureate only Prerequisite(s): BITS211 (required for associate?s and bachelor?s degree seeking students) and LEGL101.	3
LEGL415	Advanced Litigation This is an advanced course in trial practice. Particular emphasis will be given to discovery and trial preparation. There is a $55.00 fee for the Peregrine assessment In this course. Prerequisite(s): LEGL215 and LEGL218 are the required prerequisites for bachelor?s degree seeking students. LEGL215 and LEGL216 are the required prerequisites for the students in the post-baccalaureate certificate program.	3
LEGL490	Legal Studies BS & Cert Intern Contact Regional Internship Manager at least two semesters prior to enrolling. This course will provide an on-the-job experience in the day-to-day routine and operation of a law office or other legal setting. To receive 3 credits, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate students will be required to complete 150 hours of work at an approved internship site. To receive 4 credits, the Bachelor degree student will be required to complete 200 hours of work at an approved internship site. A $30.00 internship management fee is charged in this course. Note: Any unexcused non-attendance or dismissal from an internship will result in a grade of F. A criminal background check and drug screen may be required by the Internship site. A grade of C or better is required to pass this course successfully. Prerequisite(s): All required law classes in the major completed or taken concurrently; minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and minimum major GPA of 2.3.	3 - 4

Choose 9 credits from the following courses:		(9) Credits
LEGL204	Family Law	3
LEGL211	Criminal Law	3
LEGL213	Torts	3
LEGL218	Legal Writing	3
LEGL300	Evidence & Criminal Procedures	3
LEGL301	Business Organizations	3
LEGL303	Bankruptcy Law	3
LEGL305	Real Estate Law EL	3
LEGL308	Estate Plan & Probate Law EL Students are introduced to the process of estate planning, from initial client contact to asset identification and appraisal through drafting of estate planning documents, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney and medical advanced directives. Students also learn about estate administration, guardianships and conservatorship through the drafting of petitions and other court documents. Prerequisite(s): LEGL101	3
LEGL384	Comp Lgl Analy/Study Abroad EL	3
LEGL386	Study Abroad-Spec Lgl Topic EL	3
LEGL401	Employment and Labor Law This case study course focuses on the managing of employer/employee employment related issues through an examination of the major federal laws governing the employment relationship such as: National Labor Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Dis-crimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Emphasis is placed on the critical thinking and problem solving skills required of business managers responsible for the hiring, directing and terminating of workers in both non-union and union environments. Prerequisite(s): BUSN210, ENGL311, LEGL210, and MGMT211	3
LEGL496	Legal Ethics & Cert Review This class provides an extensive review of all previous course work in order to prepare the student for the National Association of Legal Professionals or NALS, ALS examination, the basic certification for legal professionals. At the completion of the course work, the ALS examination will be administered. In addition to standard tuition fees for this course, there is an additional $105.00 examination fee and NALS membership fee that must be paid to NALS prior to taking the examination. These additional fees are set by NALS and may be subject to change by NALS. Prerequisite(s): All required law classes completed or taken concurrently.	3

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Classes are being offered on-campus and online for the fall semester

Legal Studies Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Legal Studies Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Major

Choose 9 credits from the following courses:

Which class should I take? When should I take it?

Course Description