Legal Assistant

Legal Assistants play one of the most important roles in the legal industry. Though individual attorneys are ultimately responsible for the legal work they produce and the strategies they devise, many tasks – from legal research and writing, source citing, filing, and others – are delegated to legal assistants. As such, it is imperative for successful Legal Assistants to have a fundamental understanding of the primary substantive and procedural elements applicable to the practice of law so that they can support the attorneys as best as possible. To be as successful as possible on the job, Legal Assistants require a broad understanding of the law, various civil litigation principles where Legal Assistants are used most often as well as the ethical considerations that affect every aspect of the job.

This program offers an in-depth view of the role of legal assistants and paralegals play as an essential part of the overall profession. Examining the myriad of skills used by legal assistants everyday alongside the typical legal working environment, learners will explore the common areas of law in which they’ll likely be working, the various ethical considerations that may arise as well as the sources of law they’ll reference every day. Learners will also be introduced to various career opportunities available to trained legal assistants. This program also provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of professional responsibility in the legal field and how these laws apply to all legal staff, specifically. In addition to the general legal ethical concepts presented in the course, learners will research individual state professional responsibility rules as they apply to the overall field and to the paralegal role.

Certifications

This course assists learners in preparing for the following certifications.
Note: Learners must pass a certification exam and, in some case, document a specified amount of work experience, in order to be eligible for certification.

• National Association for Legal Support Professionals (NALS) Accredited Legal Professional (ALP)
• National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) Legal Assistant (L-ASST) Certification (The NWCA exam can be offered both in groups of students in the classroom or individually online.)

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Understand the Historical Basis and Current Structure of the American Legal System.
• Describe courts and legislation.
• Determine the Law of Ethics.
• Analyze torts.
• Describe family law.
• Examine property law.
• Describe the law of contracts.
• Appraise criminal law.
• Determine legal principles and authorities.
• Examine case law.
• Analyze the writing process for effective legal writing.
• Appraise the legal team, law practices, and law firm governance.
• Describe legal administration and technology.
• Understand client relations and communication skills.
• Examine legal fees, timekeeping, and billing.