Program Information
This exciting course is designed to teach advanced and specialized approaches utilizing the legal resources available in a law library and elsewhere. The conceptual differences between computer-assisted legal research and hard-copy research will be taught. You will also learn how to formulate WESTLAW search queries and effectively and efficiently use WESTLAW and other online legal research methods as timesaving devices in legal research and writing.
This course is designed to examine more thoroughly advanced and specialized approaches to utilizing the legal sources available in the law library and online.
Successful graduates of this non-credit course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from the University.
These advanced topics build upon the nationally acclaimed Paralegal Certificate Course© offered by over 100 colleges and universities nationwide. These classes are available to students who wish to extensively build upon their knowledge of law and paralegal studies with classes in specialized facets of contemporary law. Your study and concentration on substantively specific materials will give you a solid competitive edge over other paralegals. The additional training gained through participating in these advanced classes will embellish your legal knowledge and skills, increasing your salary and marketability.
Those who successfully complete at least six advanced topics will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.
Completing both the Core Requirements and the Advanced Requirements of the Paralegal Certificate Program provides comprehensive training and skills that should enable graduates to work in the quickly-growing paralegal profession. The two parts, in combination, have been designed to meet the requirements of the California Business and Professional Code §6450, legislation that took effect in California on 1/1/01.
This intensive course is designed to train and qualify students to develop or participate in conflict mediation processes. Participants will review the growth and application of settlement options in the United States. The course focuses on both traditional and non-traditional dispute resolution options. Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediation) is geared toward all professionals who are focused on “interest-based bargaining.” This course takes the mystery out of settlement processes and focuses on reaching reasonable solutions. Successful graduates of this non-credit course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.
Topics include: Why Conflicts Escalate, Why Mediation Works, The Mediation Process, The Role of the Mediator, Coming to an Agreement, Problems Encountered in Mediation, Developing ADR Programs for Government, Business, and Personal Disputes, and Divorce Settlement Mediation.
The eDiscovery for Paralegals course is an introductory course for persons entering the eDiscovery field, as well as professionals wanting to broaden their knowledge of the eDiscovery process. This 7- week course covers the entire eDiscovery process, from preparation to collection to review of Electronically Stored Information (ESI). Throughout the 17 online modules and tests, learners will progress through the basics of eDiscovery preparation, best practices for ESI collection, and, finally, the review process. The course is supplemented with a comprehensive textbook that covers the most relevant eDiscovery topics.
Employment law is a branch of contract law that deals with relationships between employers and employees. This course will cover statutes such as the National Labor Relations Act, the Railway Labor Act, and other statutes dealing with public employees.
Topics to be included are master and servant, wages and hours, anti-discrimination in employment and minimum wages and maximum hours, as well as regulation of working conditions.
Successful graduates of this course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from the University.
All engineers should be particularly concerned with patent law. This constitutionally-based discipline has to do with the process by which an invention, and its creator, are protected by the law from infringement and unfair competition. The class will deal with patent applications, research and prosecution, the law of infringement, and computer applications of software (protected by copyright) and hardware (by patents). We will also state what other concepts are patented, as well as machines, processes, mixtures, manufacturing, compositions of materials, and methods of doing business and research. We deal not only with utility patents but with design and plant patents.
Although we are primarily concerned with patent law, we also deal with copyright, trademark, trade dress, trade secrets, and business methods. The engineer must be at least conversant with the other forms of intellectual property. In a relatively short time, we will give you a survey of the rights of creative and ingenious people and provide you with the information to protect yourself and your ideas in Intellectual Property matters.
You’ve probably heard the horror stories about that grueling first year of law school. That’s likely the main reason you signed up for this course! Rest assured that you’ve done the right thing. The best way to avoid the pitfalls of the first set of courses is to prepare yourself for the unique way you’ll need to study in law school. And this course is designed to give you the tools you need to be ready for the first year of law school and beyond.
Since 1980 The Center for Legal Studies has demystified the study of law through this unique educational program that helps students to excel in, and not merely survive, their first year of law school. We’ll lead you through what to expect from the Socratic teaching method and show you how to master the casebook method of instruction used at nearly all law schools. We share with you a particularly effective method of case briefing that you can use throughout law school and your legal career. You’ll learn how to take notes effectively and turn those notes into course outlines that you’ll use to master your final exams. We help you to integrate law school into your life from day one so that you get more done in less time and have a chance to continue your friendships, hobbies, and relationships even while you excel in your classes. Finally, we show you how to start making the most of your legal career, a career that begins now.
This exciting course is designed to teach legal investigation to those interested in pursuing a new career and those presently working in the legal field. At the end of the course, students will be qualified to assist attorneys, paralegals, insurance companies, private businesses, and state and federal government agencies in the process of a civil and criminal investigation. Students will also learn how to create a freelance investigation business. Included subject areas are: arson investigation, product liability investigation, personal injury and traffic accident forensics, employment accidents, investigation of financial and equity matters, professional malpractice and negligence, skip-tracing, and the role of a legal investigator in preparing for civil and criminal litigation.
This exciting program prepares medical professionals for a career in the legal field as legal nurse consultants. Building on your medical education and possible clinical experience, this course provides the RN and PA with the fundamental skills necessary to advise law firms, health care providers, insurance companies, and governmental agencies regarding medically related issues and to appear in court as expert witnesses. The course teaches legal concepts related to the healthcare industry. A legal nurse consultant’s role might play in litigation areas such as medical malpractice, toxic torts, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, criminal law, and workers’ compensation. Any RN or PA interested in entering the legal field can benefit from the education provided by this course. The course is also open to anyone interested in the field of forensic testimony and medical-legal issues. Still, participants without an RN or PA background might be unable to take the LNCC exam after graduation. Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC) is a discretionary test separate from this training course that experienced registered nurses graduating from this course may decide to sit for. LNCC test eligibility requirements are discussed during this training course; however, RNs graduating from this course need not take the LNCC to practice as legal nurse consultants.
Successful graduates will receive a certificate for 42 contact hours of continuing nursing education from The Center for Legal Studies that they may be able to use to fulfill continuing education requirements.
The healthcare system has experienced an increase in the number of lawsuits, and medical professionals have stepped forth to expand their professional role within the legal system to educate attorneys, judges, and juries. Medical professionals have the knowledge, competency, credential, and expertise to judge whether the appropriate standard of medical care has been delivered. Medical professionals are consulting into an expanding area of medical-legal concerns such as personal injury, worker’s compensation, product liability, criminal custody cases, risk management, life-care planning, case management, healthcare licensing board issues, the insurance industry, as well as expert witness. While many medical professional legal consultants work in law offices and the insurance industries, they are also adopting an entrepreneurial spirit and starting their own businesses.
This exciting program prepares Medical Professionals for a career in the legal field as medical professional legal consultants. Building on the medical education and clinical experience of medical professionals, this course provides students with the fundamental skills necessary to advise law firms, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and governmental agencies regarding medically-related issues and to appear in court as expert witnesses. The curriculum of this course is designed to comply with the educational guidelines specified by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.
This six-week course is approved for 45 Category 1 continuing medical education (CME) hours by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). This course will comprehensively analyze medical professional legal consulting (MPLC) principles and practices, emphasizing law and expert witness testimony.
While most of the primary subject matter will pertain to legal nursing standards, professionals in other healthcare disciplines (pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistants, etc.) may gain increased skills and knowledge of the medical-legal system to enhance their roles as service providers and functions as expert witnesses.
Successful graduates will be awarded a Certificate of Course Completion from the university through which they are registered.
This intensive program is designed for both beginning and experienced secretaries interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within the law office. Students will study such topics as legal terminology; legal process; jurisdiction and venue; ethics; written communications including letters, pleadings, discovery, notices, and motions; filing procedures, billing and accounting; time management; records management; an overview of commonly used word and data processing programs; legal research; memoranda preparation, and citation format.
The Paralegal Certificate Course© is the cornerstone of The Center for Legal Studies programs. Para-legalism is one of the fastest-growing careers in the country.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of paralegals to increase by 28% between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the national average for all occupations.
The national median earnings for paralegals is currently $44,480.00/Year, and freelance paralegal professionals average significantly more across the board.
The Paralegal Certificate Course© is available in various formats to suit your schedule and is offered through colleges and universities nationwide. Successful graduates will receive a professional certificate from the college or university of their choice.
With this exciting, fast-paced class, you will learn many of the legal terms, causes of action, and remedies available to victims of personal injury accidents. We will review the negligence theory of torts upon which many personal injury claims are based. Students will discuss interviewing, investigating, and other case-building techniques vital to a personal injury paralegal’s success in the law office.
Class discussions and lesson material will include the different kinds of personal injury claims, including (but not limited to): car accidents, slip and falls, medical negligence/ malpractice, manufacturer product defects, and class-action lawsuits. Discover the basic categories of damages recovery, statutes of limitations, and schemes for liability.
Successful graduates of this course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from the University.
This dynamic course is designed for legal professionals interested in improving their skills and knowledge of commonly used computer technology and programs within the law office. Course topics include computer operating systems and peripheral devices; time tracking and billing software; database, case management, and docket control software; litigation support software; electronic discovery, and trial presentation and graphics software.
Hands-on exercises will prepare students to work with popular programs such as MS PowerPoint, AbacusLaw, CaseMap, Clio, DiscoverFY, HotDocs, Tabs3, TimeMap, and TrialDirector, as well as understand the common functions and purposes of similar programs.
Common billing procedures and payment agreements, accurate time tracking, proper calendar, and docketing procedures, and the processes involved in electronic discovery will be addressed through various exercises. In addition, students will be presented with real-life scenarios and asked to identify and examine ethical issues raised by using technology in legal practice.
Successful graduates of this course will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from the University.
Participants will be prepared to work in victim advocacy arenas, such as domestic violence shelters, crisis centers, crisis hotlines, and with state and county governments to assist crime victims in progressing through the criminal justice system and toward successful recovery. Course topics include legal terminology, legal process, legislation regarding victims’ rights, jurisdiction, venue, ethics, effects of victimization on the victim, victim advocate skills, guardianships, and crisis intervention. It also covers counseling skills for victims of assault, battery, robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, murder, and homicide.
