Paralegal Specialization - Core Paralegal plus Estate Planning: Wills, Trusts, and Probate

Paralegal I| Paralegal II | Estate Planning

Students have 21 weeks to complete the online course (7 weeks for Paralegal I, 7 weeks for Paralegal II, and 7 weeks for Estate Planning).

Note: All three sessions must be taken consecutively.

Paralegal Certificate Course: Part I

Welcome to Paralegal Part I, the first half of the Paralegal Certificate Course^© offered online. This online course represents the culmination of thirty (30) years of “live” classroom instruction of this course for liberal arts and pre-law students at major universities across the United States. To serve foreign students and law firm employees overseas, as well as people residing far from our live classroom lecture locations, we began offering this course in a video format in 1987. Now, with this interactive online format, we are overcoming the boundaries of distance and time by bringing the classroom into your office or living room. This interactive Paralegal Certificate Course^© provides guided instruction and, in some cases, credit hours with which to work toward a degree. Plus, students successfully completing both halves of the course will receive a Paralegal Certificate of Completion from their chosen, sponsoring university.

Once registered, your password and access information will be emailed to you in time for the start of class.

This course will provide you with comprehensive knowledge of the American judicial system. It will also teach you practical skills including how to assist trial attorneys, interview witnesses, investigate complex fact patterns, research the law, and assist in preparing cases for courtroom litigation.

Paralegal I:

Introduction to Paralegal Studies provides the foundation for the study of paralegalism. During the first seven weeks of the course, you will gain an understanding of the American legal system and learn how you can be of assistance in the exciting field of law. Coursework in Paralegal I is equivalent to 45 class hours of study.

This course is the first of two courses leading to a Paralegal Certificate. Successful completion of both halves of the Paralegal Certificate Course^© will result in a Paralegal Certificate issued from the sponsoring university of your choice. (California paralegals may need to complete Advanced coursework to meet the requirements of new legislation, California Business and Professional Code §6450. Please click here for more information. New Mexico paralegals need to fulfill additional education requirements as set forth in Rule 20-115 NMRA. Please click here for more information.) The course is designed to train students to work as paralegals, provide advanced legal workers with additional skills, and educate students in the American legal system.

Paralegal I Objectives:

After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this seven week course, you will know:

The origins and history of the American legal system
The meaning and application of important legal terminology
Attorney and paralegal ethics
Techniques of jury selection and the jury selection process
How to prepare legal documents including demand letters, pleadings, discovery documents, motions and memos
Significant elements of the substantive law of torts, contracts
The important rules of civil procedure and evidence
How to conduct a legal interview
How to conduct legal investigation
How to conduct legal analysis and perform legal problem solving

Expectations

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of 8-12 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments. Assignments are due once a week.

Please note that no extensions will be granted for this online course.

70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course. Students may consider working ahead in the curriculum if they have the time. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course.

The entire course, Paralegal I, Paralegal II, and Estate Planning runs 21 weeks; seven weeks for Paralegal I, seven weeks for Paralegal II, and seven weeks for Estate Planning. NOTE: To receive your Paralegal Certificate, students must enroll in, and successfully complete all three sections of the course (Paralegal I, Paralegal II). Paralegal I is a prerequisite for Paralegal II.

Course Books

The following texts are available to order from CLS by BARBRI. Some of the texts may be available in libraries, but most students prefer to own these texts because they are great references even after the course has ended. Please note that these same texts will also be used for the second section of the course: Paralegal II.

Paralegal Career for Dummies, 2nd Edition. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2019 by Scott A. Hatch and Lisa Zimmer Hatch.
Paralegal Certificate Course© Workbook, Golden: CLS by BARBRI, 2010 by Margaret J. Kirk.
Legal Document Preparation Manual for the Paralegal Certificate Course©, Golden: CLS by BARBRI, 2013
Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 8th Edition. Clifton Park: Cengage Learning, 2016 by William Statsky.
Federal Civil Rules Booklet, most recent edition, Dahlstrom Legal Publishing, Inc.
Uniform System of Citation (aka “The Bluebook”), most recent edition, Harvard Law Review.

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

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

WESTLAW, legal research access, available during the online session (maximum of seven weeks) for only $89. Order Online Now

For more information, call CLS by BARBRI at 888-407-5138, or visit our Online Store to order.

Paralegal Part I: Reading Assignments for Lesson Topics:

Lesson One: Legal Terminology, Legal Process, and Rules of Civil Procedure

Read Chapter 6 in Introduction to Paralegalism (“Statsky”).
Read Chapters 4 & 6 in Paralegal Career for Dummies (“PCD”).
Read Chapter 7 pages 101 up to and including Rule 56 on page 111 in PCD (pages 99-108 if you have the first edition).
Review the legal terms on pages 315-336 of PCD (pages 309-334 if you have the first edition).
Read Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, concentrating on Rules 1-56.

Lesson Two: Ethics, Torts, and Contracts

Read Chapter 5 in Statsky.
Read Chapters 5, 15, & 19 in PCD.
Read Chapters 1 & 2 in Legal Document Preparation Manual (“Legal Doc Prep”)

Lesson Three: Legal Documents and Legal Analysis

Read Chapters 7 & 12 in Statsky
Read Chapters 10 & 16 in PCD
Read Chapter 3 in Legal Doc Prep

Lesson Four: Discovery Documents and Legal Interviewing

Read Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, pages 401-423 in Statsky
Read Chapter 12 in PCD
Read Chapter 4 in Legal Doc Prep
Review Chapters 10 & 16 in PCD

Lesson Five: Evidence

Read the rest of Chapter 9 & all of Chapter 10 Statsky
Read Chapter 11 in PCD
Review Chapter 7 pages 111 – 116 in PCD (pages 109-114 if you have the first edition)
Read Federal Rules of Evidence

Lesson Six: Legal Investigation

Review Chapter 11 in PCD
Review Chapters 7 & 9 Statsky
Review “Introduction to the Law” Chapter 6 pages 287-293 Statsky

Lesson Seven: Course Wrap-up

Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4 in Statsky.

Tests:

Each lesson you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay test covering the topics in that lesson’s reading. You will not have a test on the last week of class.

Writing Assignments:

Your writing assignment is to prepare two interoffice memos in which you analyze legal issues. Each memo is worth 100 points.

Bulletin Board Assignments:

You will also post your responses to six class participation assignments. These assignments are referred to as Bulletin Board Submissions and will be submitted by either selecting Bulletin Board Submission from within the lesson material, or by selecting ‘Forums’ under Activities in the course.

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

Grading

Your grade will be based on your completion of six tests, two memos, and class participation assignments /Bulletin Board Submissions. The tests and writing assignments can be accessed from within the lesson material, or by selecting ‘Assignments’ under Activities in the course. 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. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all assignments.

Your final grade will be figured as follows:

The six tests are 50 points each and comprise 60% of your grade.
Two interoffice memos are 100 points each and comprise 30% of your grade.
Your participation in bulletin board assignments comprises 10% 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.

Paralegal Certificate Course: Part II

Welcome to Paralegal Part II, the second half of the Paralegal Certificate Course^© (Core Courses) offered online. This online course represents the culmination of twenty (20) years of “live” classroom instruction of this course for liberal arts and pre-law students at major universities across the United States. To serve foreign students and law firm employees overseas, as well as people residing far from our live classroom lecture locations, we began offering this course in a video format in 1987. Now, with this interactive online format, we are overcoming the boundaries of distance and time by bringing the classroom into your office or living room. This interactive Paralegal Certificate Course^© provides guided instruction and, in some cases, credit hours with which to work toward a degree. Plus, students successfully completing both halves of the course will receive a paralegal certificate from their chosen, sponsoring university.

Once registered, your password and access information will be emailed to you in time for the start of class.

This course will provide you with a working knowledge of legal authority: how it is used in the litigation process and how to locate it through legal research. You will also learn the basics of law office management, substantive law (such as criminal law, domestic relations, real property law, and bankruptcy), and informal and formal advocacy.

Prerequisites:

Successful completion of Paralegal I.

Paralegal II:

The second half of the course builds on the skills learned in Paralegal I. You will learn the advanced skills of legal research and writing, formal and informal advocacy, and appellate procedure. Coursework in Paralegal II is equivalent to 45 clock hours of study.

This course is the second half of the course leading to a Paralegal Certificate. Successful completion of both halves of the Paralegal Certificate Course^© will result in a Paralegal Certificate issued from the sponsoring university of your choice. (California paralegals may need to complete Advanced coursework to meet the requirements of new legislation, California Business and Professional Code §6450. Please click here for more information. New Mexico paralegals need to fulfill additional education requirements as set forth in Rule 20-115 NMRA. Please click here for more information.) The course is designed to train students to work as paralegals, provide advanced legal workers with additional skills, and educate students about the American legal system.

Paralegal II Objectives:

After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this seven week course, you will know:

The importance of precedence
What legal authority is, and which authority is the most important
How to conduct legal research and learn how to use the 4 most effective legal research tools found in virtually every law library
How to Shepardize your authority
How to properly cite your authority
How to conduct computerized legal research used extensively in law offices throughout the country.
Proper and effective legal writing style
The basic documents for several important substantive areas of law
Advocacy techniques for usage in formal or informal settings, and
How to begin your job search and perhaps begin a freelance paralegal business after your education

Prerequisites

Paralegal I

Expectations

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of 8-12 hours per week reading and completing writing and research assignments. Assignments are due once a week. Please note that no extensions will be granted for this online course.

The entire course, Paralegal I and Paralegal II, runs 14 weeks; seven weeks for the first half (Paralegal I) and seven weeks for the second half (Paralegal II). NOTE: To receive your Paralegal Certificate, students must enroll in, and successfully complete both halves of the course (Paralegal I and Paralegal II). Paralegal I is a prerequisite for Paralegal II.

Course Books

The following texts are available to order from CLS by BARBRI. Some of the texts may be available in libraries, but most students prefer to own these texts because they are great references even after the course has ended. The following texts are required: Please note that these are the same texts you used for the first half of the course (Paralegal I).

Paralegal Career for Dummies, 2nd Edition. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2019 by Scott A. Hatch and Lisa Zimmer Hatch.
Paralegal Certificate Course© Workbook, Golden: CLS by BARBRI, 2010 by Margaret J. Kirk.
Legal Document Preparation Manual for the Paralegal Certificate Course©, Golden: CLS by BARBRI, 2013
Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 8th Edition. Clifton Park: Cengage Learning, 2016 by William Statsky.
Federal Civil Rules Booklet, most recent edition, Dahlstrom Legal Publishing, Inc.
Uniform System of Citation (aka “The Bluebook”), most recent edition, Harvard Law Review.
WESTLAW, legal research access, available during the online session (maximum of seven weeks) for only $89. Order Online Now

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

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

For more information, call CLS by BARBRI at 888-407-5138, or visit our Online Store to order.

Paralegal II: Reading Assignments for Lesson Topics:

Lesson One: Legal Authority

Read Chapter 11 in Introduction to Paralegalism (“Statsky”).
Read Chapter 8 in Paralegal Career for Dummies (“PCD”).

Lesson Two: Introduction to Legal Research, Secondary Sources, and Finding Tools

Review Chapter 11 in Statsky
Read Chapter 13 in PCD

Lesson Three: Citation Format and Appellate Procedure

Review Chapter 11 in Statsky, concentrating on Citation on pages 506-513
Review Chapter 13 in PCD, concentrating on pages 214-216 (pages 208-210 if you have the first edition)
Read Chapter 12, Appellate Brief section on pages 542-546 and Chapter 10, Litigation Assistant: Appeal Section on pages 483-484 in Statsky
Read Chapter 5 in Legal Document Preparation Manual (“Legal Doc Prep”)
Review “Appealing the decision” in PCD on pages pages 87-89

Lesson Four: Legal Research and Analysis

Read Chapter 13 in Statsky
Read Chapter 17 in PCD

Lesson Five: Legal Writing and Analysis

Read Chapter 12 Statsky
Read Chapter 16 in PCD

Lesson Six & Seven: Law Office Administration & Informal and Formal Advocacy , Job-Hunting Techniques & Course Wrap-up

Read Chapters 14 & 15 in Statsky
Read Chapter 18 in PCD
Read Chapter 1, 2, & 3 in PCD
Review Chapter 2 in Statsky

Tests:

Each lesson you will submit a 50-point short answer/essay exam covering the topics in that lesson’s reading. You will not have a test on the last week of class.

WESTLAW Research Exercises:

You will complete 3 WESTLAW Research exercises to hone your research skills and help you prepare to research your appellate brief assignment. Each exercise is worth 10 points. Deadlines are posted within your course.

Writing Assignments:

Your writing assignment for this course is to complete an Appellate Brief based on a hypothetical case. This assignment is worth 100 points.

Bulletin Board Assignments:

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

Grading

Your grade will be based on your completion of six tests, two memos, and class participation assignments /Bulletin Board Submissions. The tests and writing assignments can be accessed from within the lesson material, or by selecting ‘Assignments’ under Activities. 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. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all assignments.

Your final grade will be figured as follows:

The six tests are 50 points each and comprise 60% of your grade.
The research assignments are 10 points each and comprise 15% of your grade.
The appellate brief is 100 points and comprises 15% of your grade.
Your participation in bulletin board assignments comprises 10% of your grade.

Withdrawal Policy

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.

Estate Planning Specialization

About This Course

This portion of the course explores the paralegal’s role in estate planning. The requirements of creating enforceable wills and trusts will be covered, and study of resulting and constructive trusts will be provided.

Instructor:

David P. Dougherty, J.D.

Objective

Upon completion of this course, students will:

Be familiar with the important probate and estate planning terminology.
Recognize legal issues and where there may be estate or tax problems which need further research and/or investigation.
Make general recommendations regarding case situations and understand when you need to do further research.
Have a general familiarity with some common estate planning documents and forms.
Draft common estate planning documents such as a will, revocable living trust and durable power of attorney.

Expectations

You will be expected to spend an average of 8 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this online course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course. Students may consider working ahead in the curriculum if they have the time. Coursework in Estate Planning is equivalent to 45 clock hours of study.

Course Books

Required textbooks for this course:

Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates, 5th edition, by Gordon Brown and Scott Myers. Delmar Cengage Learning, 2013

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

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

For more information, call CLS by BARBRI at 800-522-7737, or visit our Online Store to order.

Reading Assignments

Lesson One:
Read Chapters 1 through 3 in Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates (Admin)

Lesson Two:

Read Chapters 4-6 in Admin

Lesson Three:

Read Chapters 7-10 in Admin

Lesson Four:

Read Chapters 11 & 12 in Admin

Lesson Five:

Read Chapters 13 & 14 in Admin

Lesson Six:

Review any chapters in your texts on subject areas that you feel you need additional instruction taking notes as you read. Send any questions you have to your instructor.

Writing Assignments:

There are two 100 point writing assignments due using standard form books such as West’s Legal Forms or American Jurisprudence Legal Forms: the preparation of a Simple Will and a Revocable Living Trust for hypothetical clients. The writing assignments are due by the end of the course.

Tests:

For lessons 1 through 5, you will submit your answers to a 100 point test covering the topics in that lesson’s reading.

Bulletin Board Assignments:

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

Grading

Your grade will be based on your completion of two writing assignment assignments, five tests, and class participation/Bulletin Board Submissions. The tests and writing assignments can be accessed from within the lesson material, or by selecting ‘Assignments’ under Activities on the Right Side Bar. 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 two writing assignments are worth 50 points each and comprise 30% of your grade.
The five tests are worth 100 points and comprise 60% of your grade.
Your participation in class participation assignments comprises 10% of your grade.

Withdrawal Policy

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.