Introductory online course focusing on the responsibilities of legal support personnel. Students will identify professional responsibility, unauthorized practice of law, and required ethical standards and behavior. Students will format legal documents using MS Word with emphasis on correct formatting using Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and supplemental Local Court Rules (SLCR).

Identify the roles and duties of paralegals including regulations, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. Develop workplace success skills including tracking billable hours, professionalism, and etiquette. Identify sources of American Law and the civil and criminal law systems. Identify state and local court rules. Learn the different levels of federal, state, and municipal court systems

This course emphasizes developing an understanding of legal terminology through study in all areas of law and on using legal terminology in many different ways. Focus will be on legal definitions, usages, spelling, and pronunciations

This course will focus on the various stages of the civil litigation process, including the initial client interview, process leading to the filing of a civil lawsuit, its resolution by settlement or trial, and a brief review of the appellate process. Emphasis will be on the actual preparation of the documents, with a major focus on the discovery phase of the civil litigation process. This course will demonstrate how each stage of civil litigation builds, relates to, and is dependent upon the others.

This course helps students learn the importance of correctly applying court rules while preparing and formatting legal correspondence and documents using MS Word in a variety of different areas of law. Students develop decision making skills based on instructions provided which simulate real world law office situations. Registration-Enforced Prerequisites: LA 100 and LA 102

This course covers the study of ethics as it relates to the legal profession. Students will study the concepts of ethics and being ethical, explore the differences between morality and rules of ethics, and study the rules of professional responsibility as they pertain to legal support staff (and lawyers). Discussions and opinions of ethical issues in real-world situations will help facilitate the learning process on this topic. Students will study the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct, ABA Rules, and Oregon State Bar’s Statement of Professionalism and their practical application. Scope of practice for Oregon licensed paralegals and regular paralegals will be discussed.

Introduction to the techniques of legal research and writing with emphasis on understanding, locating, analyzing, applying, and updating sources of law; effective legal writing, including proper citation; and the use of electronic research methods. Upon completion, students should be able to perform basic legal research and writing assignments using techniques covered in this course.

Advanced course to cover topics in legal research and writing, including more complex legal issues and assignments involving preparation of legal memos, briefs, and other documents and the advanced use of electronic research methods. Upon completion, student should be able to perform legal research and writing assignments including memorandum of law, persuasive writing, motions, and legal correspondence using techniques covered in this course.

This course presents fundamental concepts of family law with emphasis on the paralegal’s role. It will cover Oregon specific scope of practice, e-filing, and ethical obligations. Students will also follow a hypothetical divorce case that they create documents from initial filing to final judgment. Topics include court jurisdiction, prenuptials, divorce, annulment, marital property, custody, parenting time, and child support

An introduction to estates, trusts, probate, and the laws of testate and intestate succession. Covers procedures in probate court, including opening, administration, and closing of probate estates. Identify various tax laws governing trust estates and the passing of estate property through probate proceedings.

This course introduces paralegals to the principles of business law as applied to real estate. The topics covered include ownership rights and limitations, transfer and reservation of ownership rights, brokerage relationships, laws of agency, contracts, fair housing, owner/tenant relationships, and other topics illustrated by case law and practice.

Introduces the theory and practical application of the law of torts. The fundamentals of drafting legal documents normally associated with torts are addressed with application of state and local rules of civil procedure.

Introduces criminal law and procedure with an emphasis on the legal assistant’s role in the criminal justice system. Learn procedural rules, including the right to counsel, search and seizure, interrogation, and self-incrimination. Cover the stages of prosecution, pre-trial motions, jury selection, document preparation, trial practice, verdict, sentencing and judicial review, and sources of criminal law.

Qualified students work at training sites that provide experience appropriate to their major. These experiences will provide the opportunity for students to gain knowledge of the various tasks performed in their career field. (A maximum of 12 credits may be applied towards a Paralegal Associate Degree).