Paralegal Studies
4 Credit Hours
An introduction to the legal system and the legal process, particularly as it operates in the state and federal courts. Topics include ethical considerations; computer applications; research in law; and specific paralegal skills in law office management, interviewing, investigation, and advocacy.
3 Credit Hours
Examines contracts and the intricacies of the Uniform Commercial Code. Topics include private agreements; the roles of the parties and the court; the failure of performance and the rights and remedies of parties upon breach; express and implied warranties and disclaimers; and security agreements, commercial paper, and negotiability.
Prerequisite: LEG105
3 Credit Hours
An introduction to office management programs, word processing for the law office, and practice-specific programs. Course provides an introduction to the Internet for legal use. Students also gain hands-on instruction in several software programs that are used in the legal environment.
Prerequisites: CIS115, LEG105
4 Credit Hours
An introduction to civil wrongs. Topics include negligence, intentional torts, strict liability, products liability, defamation, and toxic torts. Students will examine relevant statutes as well as case law regarding various areas of torts.
Prerequisite: LEG105
3 Credit Hours
An introduction to litigation. Students learn the structure of the court system, the methods and procedures employed in litigation, and the various stages of litigation, such as trial preparation, rules of evidence, and trial and appeal procedures.
Prerequisite: LEG105
3 Credit Hours
Students locate and identify primary and secondary sources of law using traditional and computer-assisted research techniques. Includes structuring and drafting of legal case briefs and memoranda of law. Stresses various methods of computer-based legal and factual research with hands-on applications.
Prerequisites: ENG105, ENG106, LEG105
3 Credit Hours
Continuation of Legal Research and Writing.
Prerequisite: LEG231
1 Credit Hour
An introduction to computerized legal research using LEXIS and WESTLAW. Topics include using the databases, formulating searches, retrieving and displaying documents, validating findings, and advanced research techniques.
Prerequisite: LEG105 or Corequisite: LEG231
4 Credit Hours
Covers individual, partnership, and corporate forms of business organizations. Topics include formation; implementation; rules governing operations and decision-making; duties and liabilities of corporate actors; and mergers, acquisitions, and dissolutions of corporations.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Topics include the hiring process, legal regulation of benefits, employee privacy, expression and association, health and safety, organization and representation, union collective action, collective bargaining, termination of employment, restrictive covenants, wrongful discharge, plant closing, and retirement.
Prerequisites: LEG105, LEG120
4 Credit Hours
Covers preliminary problems leading to bankruptcy, eligibility for bankruptcy, collection of the debtor’s estate, the trustee’s avoiding powers, distribution of the estate, and discharge of the debtor under the federal bankruptcy and related state law.
Prerequisites: LEG105, LEG120
4 Credit Hours
Covers the sale and transfer of real property interests. Students learn about real property interests and their methods and forms of petition, ownership, and transfer. Other topics include rules and procedures involved in real estate closings and functions and forms of real estate financing, mortgages, and insurance.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Examines forms and procedures in divorce actions from client interviews to settlement agreements and formal adjudication; resolution of family disputes involving annulments, separations, parenthood, support, alimony, and parent-child relationships; family support services and non-judicial dispute resolution; and juvenile protection and agencies.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Covers the regulation of criminal versus civil activity and criminal trial preparation and procedures. Topics include indictment and arraignment procedures, pretrial motions, defenses, discovery, burden of proof, and post-trial disposition.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Includes the study of each field of law that typically falls under the umbrella of intellectual property, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, and unfair competition. Methods by which each is created, procedures to register or protect each, duration of rights, protection from infringement, and new and international developments are discussed for each of the intellectual property fields.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Involves planning, formation, and administration of property-interest transfer instruments; preparation and execution of estate and trust instruments; probates and estate administrations; handling an elective; and accounting for income or asset accumulation, administration, and distribution.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Involves readings and discussions organized around selected topics. Topics will vary each quarter.
Prerequisite: LEG105
4 Credit Hours
Allows students to work in a position related to their course of study. Students integrate the skills and knowledge learned through their academic experiences and participate in focused online discussions and special online projects.
Prerequisite: BUS225
4 Credit Hours
Allows students to work in a position related to their course of study. Students integrate the skills and knowledge learned through their academic experiences and participate in focused online discussions and special online projects.
Prerequisite: BUS225
