Legal Assistant
Overview
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.
Program Objectives
After completing this program, learners will be able to:
- Analyze ethical issues commonly encountered by a paralegal
- Articulate the legal principles of tort law
- Describe elements in preparing for trial
- Prepare for a client interview
- Describe the authority and functioning of administrative agencies
- Describe the classifications and elements of contracts
- Describe the primary forms of business
- Describe the process of becoming a paralegal professional
- Describe the sources of American law
- Examine the state and federal court systems
- Describe the types of alternate dispute resolution
- Distinguish among various environments that may use the services of a paralegal
- Draft legal documents
- Examine estate planning and probate
- Examine how the paralegal profession is regulated
- Examine the legal principles of family law
- Explain criminal law and procedure
- Explain the appellate process
- Explain the investigation process
- Explain the trial process
- Explore styles and formats used in legal writing
- Outline the basic principles of property law
- Prepare a resume for a paralegal position
- Research legal matters
- Summarize the role of the paralegal in the American legal system
- Use Microsoft Office®
Certification
There is a National Certification exams that is available to students who successfully complete this program:
- NALS Accredited Legal Professional Exam
Note: To be eligible for the Accredited Legal Professional Exam, NALS requires candidates have at least 1 year of general office experience.
Note: Inclusion of National Certification exam vouchers vary from school and payment / finance method. To check if they are included, you may message any of our advisors through any of our available channels here
Financial Aid
Grants (Military)
- MyCAA for Eligible US Military Spouses
MyCAA is a $4000 education grant for spouses of service members on active duty in paygrades E1-E5, W1-W2, O1-O2. Spouses married to members of the National Guard and Reserves in the same paygrades, in title 10 orders, are also eligible.
MyCAA covers: tuition, externship and national certification exam vouchers
Our university partners provide, as job aids, at no extra cost: books / workbooks, laptop, mentor support, 12 mos subscription to CampusEd, job placement assistance.
To see if you qualify, message us here
- Army Credentialing Assistance
The Army Credentialing Assistance (CA) program is a government-instituted training and education program that provides a grant of up to $4,000 to eligible soldiers. The grant can be used to enroll in more than 1,600 industry-recognized off-duty career-training certificate programs, licensure exams, and academic or vocational credentials, and even re-certification. It was first made available in October 1, 2019 to the Fort Hood, Fort Campbell, Fort Carson, Fort Drum, Fort Riley, and JBLM bases. As of January 1, 2020, the program is available to all installations.
To see if you qualify, email us here
Grants (Non Military)
- Workforce Grant
We have partnered with private institutions to provide assistance to qualified students. The Workforce Grant is in place to help reinvigorate the workforce amidst the ongoing pandemic. If qualified, a student may receive up to 50% of tuition assistance.
To see if you qualify, message us here
Payment Plans
- Zero Interest Monthly Payment Plans
Payment plans are available for any student at zero interest. This option is available for every university partner. Click here for a complete list.
See where this program is available
Auburn University
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No Grant options for this school yet.
Clemson University
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Fresno Pacific University
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No Grant options for this school yet.
Louisiana State University - Shreveport
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No Grant options for this school yet.
University of Texas at El Paso
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No Grant options for this school yet.