Paralegal Certificate Program Curriculum
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Curriculum Topics
Introduction to the Legal Field
Students will learn what kind of job opportunities exist and what tasks a paralegal may perform.
Legal Terminology
By presenting an actual legal matter and following it throughout the legal process, students are introduced to the most relevant legal terms. The case presented is tracked through both the civil and criminal court procedures.
Legal Analysis
It is critical for a paralegal to understand the process and structure of proper legal analysis. Students will develop the skills to analyze both case law and statutory authority.
Legal Memorandum Form
After learning the analytical process, students will analyze provided cases and statutes to prepare internal and external memoranda.
State Specific Instruction
Local and state trial and appellate courts specific to Georgia jurisdiction will be discussed. In addition, students will be provided with information related to researching the law within Georgia.
Federal Court Structure
Students will be instructed in the basic differences between state and federal jurisdiction, as well as the federal jurisdictions for the various federal courts in Georgia.
Stages of Litigation
To fully understand the litigation process, and the role a paralegal plays, it is helpful to understand the three stages of the litigation process, and the functions a paralegal may perform during each stage.
Government Structure
Each branch of government uses various forms of law. It is therefore important for a good paralegal to understand the structure of government and the laws that apply to each branch.
Ethical Considerations
Since a violation of an ethical rule may affect the supervising attorney as well as the paralegal, it is critical that students be familiar with the Rules of Ethics, and be taught to maintain a high ethical standard.
Court Rules
Court rules are the procedural requirements for trials. Students are not simply taught the most often relied upon court rules, but are taught the skills necessary to find any rule for specific procedural questions.
Discovery Preparation
Students will be taught form utilization, and will create sets of Interrogatories, Requests for Admissions, and Request for Production and Inspection of Documents. Students will be provided with templates, just as they would within a law firm environment.
Discovery Coordination
The discovery process is one of the most important aspects of a paralegal’s involvement in the litigation process. Students will learn the rules relevant to discovery.
Pleading Preparation
Pleadings are documents filed with the court asking the court to take a specific action. Students will study pleadings, and will prepare a complaint (with a summons) and an answer.
Utilization of Legal Forms
In a real law office environment, a paralegal would almost never prepare a document from scratch, but would rely on previously existing forms and templates. In this class, students will learn to manipulate templates and utilize formbooks to become more effective and efficient paralegals.
Preparing for Depositions
A deposition is the oral questioning of a witness under oath, usually outside a courtroom. Students will learn the considerations for deposition setup.
Deposition Digesting
Students will be provided with a deposition transcript, and will be taught to summarize that document, an important paralegal skill.
The Arbitration Process
Arbitration is the pre-trial process that encourages parties to avoid trial. The class will discuss how the arbitration system works. Application of Hearsay Rule and Rule “Elementization” The Hearsay Rule will be discussed, and students will utilize the developed skill of rule “elementization” to properly analyze and apply rules to facts. Index Research The foundation of all legal research is the ability to use indexes. Students will learn to efficiently utilize fundamental research tools.
Interviewing Clients
There are specific techniques that should be considered when interviewing a client. Those techniques will be discussed.
Law Office Investigation
Skip tracing involves locating a missing person. Witnesses may be interviewed by the paralegal. Formal or informal statements may be taken of witnesses. All of the above are elements of law office investigation. Students will learn techniques of in-office and out-of-office investigation.
Interviewing Witnesses
Interviewing witnesses can involve both ethical and strategic minefields. Students learn how to handle such situations, and will prepare interview questions for a witness.
Bluebook Citation Form
A citation is an address to a legal document. "Bluebook” is the most widely accepted form of citation. Paralegals should be thoroughly trained in citation form. It is one of the fundamental skills of a good paralegal.
Informal Advocacy
Advocacy is the process of acting on behalf of another’s interests. As a paralegal, being able to obtain information through informal techniques is an invaluable skill.
Authority Identification
Authority is anything a court can use to reach its decision. There are many kinds of authority. The class will learn to identify primary, secondary, mandatory, persuasive, and non-authority.
Strategies for Employment
Multiple strategies for seeking employment will be discussed, including traditional and non-traditional methods.
Resume Preparation
There are specific, unique considerations to preparing a resume for consideration by a law firm. Students will have the option of preparing a resume for evaluation.
Specific Substantive Skills
Students will be trained in litigation skills within the core program, and will learn the fundamentals of Contract Law, Tort Law, and Georgia Practices and Procedures in separate classes.
Legal Research Skills
Legal research is the cutting edge for today’s paralegals. No program offers a more comprehensive education in legal research. By using hands-on, interactive training devices, students will learn to use law libraries and online research tools to locate primary authority, use secondary sources, update research sources, and utilize specific legal materials, including American Law Reports, American Jurisprudence 2d, Corpus Juris Secundum, West Digests, Words & Phrases, Am. Jur. Proof of Facts, formbooks, treatise research, legal periodicals, Shepard's, and state and federal statutory research. Students will also be trained in the use of the two most important legal research systems, The Key Number System and the Total Client Service Library.
Online Legal Research Skills
Due to a special relationship between the Emory University Paralegal Certificate Program and Westlaw, enrolled students will be trained in and have access to Westlaw for the duration of their program.
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As you can see, the Emory University Paralegal Certificate Program is a skill-based educational experience...because it is the skills that will get you hired, and make you an excellent paralegal! We encourage you to compare the Emory University Paralegal Certificate Program to other paralegal courses. Afterward you will be able to make an informed decision on your future!
Partial list of class topics
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