The program prepares graduates to enter the workforce as a legal
assistant, paralegal or other similar paraprofessional, and to
assist in the delivery of legal services to the public through the
effective use of critical thinking, organization, research,
writing, oral communication, and interpersonal skills.
The program will prepare graduates
to:
Demonstrate advanced critical thinking
skills.
- Analyze a problem by identifying factual and legal similarities
and differences to precedent.
- Formulate logical solutions to problems by constructing
reasoned arguments in support of specific positions and evaluating
alternate solutions and arguments.
- Identify interrelationships among cases, statutes, regulations
and other legal authorities.
- Determine which areas of law are relevant to a particular
situation.
- Apply principles of professional ethics to specific factual
situations.
- Recognize legal authorities and associate them to specific
factual situations.
- Analyze factual situations to determine when it is appropriate
to apply exceptions to general legal rules.
- Differentiate evidentiary facts from other material and/or
controlling facts.
- Identify factual omissions and inconsistencies.
- Apply knowledge of the various types of laws - international,
tribal, federal, state, criminal, civil, constitutional, statutory,
regulatory, and common - to factual situations to determine which,
if any, apply.
- Organize legal arguments logically by clearly stating the
applicable rule(s) of law and then applying the law to the
pertinent facts.
Goal II. Demonstrate efficient
organizational skills.
- Manage cases effectively.
- Manage documents and databases efficiently.
- Demonstrate efficient time management skills.
- Sort information categorically.
- Prioritize assignments and client needs.
- Identify information necessary for client’s legal work from all
information available.
Demonstrate effective communication
skills.
- Interact effectively in person, by telephone, and in written
correspondence with lawyers, clients, witnesses, court personnel,
co-workers, and other business professionals.
- Respond professionally to questions and unexpected
situations.
- Work effectively as part of a professional office team.
- Conduct effective interviews with clients, witnesses and
experts.
- Exhibit tact and diplomacy; distinguish between assertive and
aggressive behavior; apply assertive behavior techniques.
- Demonstrate the ability to know when it is appropriate and
necessary to ask questions and seek guidance
Demonstrate efficient legal research
skills.
- Prepare and carry out a legal research plan; analyze and
categorize key facts in a situation.
- Use both print and electronic sources of law to locate
applicable statutes, administrative regulations, constitutional
provisions, court cases and other primary source materials.
- Use both print and electronic sources of law to locate
treatises, law review articles, legal encyclopedias and other
secondary source materials that help explain the law.
- Read, evaluate and analyze both print and electronic sources of
law, and apply them to issues requiring legal analysis.
- Demonstrate proper citation of both print and electronic
sources of law.
- “Cite check,” i.e., use both print and electronic resources to
update and verify the reliability of cited legal authority.
Demonstrate effective legal writing
skills.
- Understand and apply principles of writing and rules of English
grammar to all writing tasks.
- Write in a style that conveys legal theory in a clear and
concise manner.
- Read and apply court opinions to factual situations.
- Report legal research findings in a standard interoffice
memorandum or other appropriate format.
- Cite print and electronic primary and secondary sources in
proper form.
- Draft client correspondence and legal documents, using proper
format and appropriate content.
- Locate and modify standardized forms found in formbooks,
pleadings files, form files, or a computer database to fit a
particular situation.
Demonstrate advanced skills in information
literacy.
- Access legal and non-legal data available on the Internet.
- Compare key-word and subject-oriented search engines.
- Evaluate Internet sites for reliability and validity of
information.
- Demonstrate the ability to use e-mail functions;
- Identify and analyze the ethical issues that arise as a result
of using e-mail and other electronic methods of communication.
- Perform computer-assisted legal research and Internet legal and
factual research.
- Identify factors and issues to consider when procuring legal
software.
- Use computer software to produce documents and other visual
displays of legal and non-legal information.
- Use computer software to produce spreadsheets and other records
for billing, case management and litigation purposes.
- Define and identify basic computer hardware components.
- Identify and describe software and information systems
typically encountered in the law office environment.
- Locate, read and comprehend software licenses and describe the
ethical implications and penalties for illegally copying or using
software.
- Demonstrate basic Microsoft Windows, Excel, and Access
competencies.
- Demonstrate word processing program competencies, including
preparing, editing, saving and retrieving documents.
- Describe spreadsheet program features and prepare a basic
database.
- Describe the features of a presentation software program
including slide components, graphics and sound and prepare a basic
presentation.
- Prepare time keeping and billing records and documents, using
typical law office time keeping and billing software
program
- Use computerized litigation support programs to manage a
typical civil or criminal case.
- Use the features of computerized docket control systems to
control the case docket of a law firm.
Demonstrate effective interviewing and
investigative skills.
- Identify and locate witnesses, potential parties to a lawsuit,
and experts.
- Obtain necessary information from clients, witnesses and other
parties.
- Interview clients and witnesses using appropriate demeanor,
voice modulation and body language.
- Prepare request documents to obtain information that is
commonly maintained by government entities, obtain, read and
interpret the information contained in such records and apply to a
given situation.
- Establish an investigation strategy for a particular situation
by listing potential witnesses, parties and lines of inquiry.
- Create a list of questions for an interview, conduct an
effective interview and record the interview accurately.
- Prepare releases and requests to obtain medical, corporate and
other government and non-governmental records.
Demonstrate efficient law office
management skills.
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of management.
- Demonstrate knowledge of administrative systems used in a law
practice, including client relation systems, conflict management,
personnel, docket/calendaring systems, billing systems, and risk
management systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of technology in the
management and administration of the law office.
- Demonstrate knowledge of issues relating to employment and
promotion of legal assistants and other law office personnel.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the different types of law offices by
organization, management and personnel structure.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the different management,
administrative and support roles performed by lawyers and
non-lawyers in the law office.
- Demonstrate knowledge of case management and “tickler” systems
used in law offices.
- Demonstrate knowledge of law office billing practices,
accounting systems and methods used for determining costs of legal
services.
Demonstrate a developed awareness and
sensitivity to the ethical obligations of the legal
profession.
- Demonstrate knowledge the legal process and the nature of law
practice and the role of the legal assistant in the delivery of
legal services.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the functions and tasks commonly
performed by lawyers and non-lawyers.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the evolving role of the legal
assistant and non-lawyers in the delivery of legal services and
increasing access to legal services.
- Identify the professional associations that serve and promote
the legal profession and understand the importance of participation
in professional activities and continuing legal education.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and resolve ethical
dilemmas that may be confronted in the workplace or in the delivery
of legal services for a client.
- Describe the legal and ethical principles that guide the
conduct of lawyers and non-lawyers, including but not limited
to: unauthorized practice of law, lawyer supervision of
non-lawyers, confidentiality and attorney-client privilege,
conflicts of interest, competence, advertising and solicitation,
handling client funds, legal fees, proper courtroom conduct,
honesty and candor, frivolous claims, and sanctions for
misconduct.
- Apply the legal and ethical principles that guide the conduct
of lawyers and non-lawyers to various situations likely to be
encountered by legal professionals and their staff.