Presentation Transcript

1. Legal Studies Courses Paralegal Certificate Course Advanced Paralegal Certificate Course Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course Legal Secretary Certificate Course Legal Investigation Certificate Course Offered in Live, Online and Correspondence Formats
2. INTRODUCTION Tammy Anhalt-Warner Assistant Director of Training Center for Continuing Studies St. Cloud State University
3. St. Cloud State University Distinctions 2nd largest university in Minnesota Offers more than 200 academic programs Over 17,000 students Nearly 60,000 additional people served through the Center for Continuing Studies
4. Center for Continuing Studies We bring students to the university by taking the university to students. Corporate Education & Outreach provides professional development training to upgrade skills to stay competitive in today's aggressive job market. Examples: Certificate Programs, Workshops and Seminars, Test Preps, Senior to Sophomore Program (youth), Online Learning, Summer Programs, Conference Planning, etc.
5. PARTNERSHIP WITH CLS St. Cloud State University has partnered with The Center for Legal Studies (CLS) to deliver these nationally acclaimed Certificate Programs. CLS brings decades of experience in the delivery of online coursework with a focus on curriculum for the legal profession.
6. MESSAGE FROM CLS Since 1980, CLS has educated thousands of students through colleges and universities around the country who wish to pursue work as legal support professionals. Programs are designed to meet the highest state requirement for working paralegals in the country, currently California (California Business and Professions Code § 6450).
7. JOB PROSPECTS According to the U.S. Department of Labor, job projections for the paralegal profession continue to show faster-than-average employment growth. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of paralegals is expected to grow 28% between 2008 and 2018.   Findings show that the demand for paralegals is increasing as employers, in an effort to reduce costs, hire paralegals to perform tasks that have traditionally been carried out by attorneys.
8. COURSE OFFERINGS Paralegal & Advanced Paralegal Certificates Students are trained to perform legal research and are taught the writing skills necessary to become a successful paralegal. After completing both certificates, students who hold a Bachelors degree in any subject may choose to take the voluntary NALA CLA exam to receive the title of Certified Legal Assistant – Paralegal from the National Association of Legal Assistants.
9. MEETS NALA EXAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS The St. Cloud State University paralegal programs meet the requirements for taking the voluntary Certified Paralegal exam (in 2 ways): A post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies A bachelors degree in any field plus one year of experience as a paralegal – Successful completion of at least 225 clock hours of substantive paralegal courses are considered equivalent to one year of experience as a paralegal.This program is 360 clock hours which exceeds the requirement.
10. PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE Complete 90 clock hours - gain an overview of the legal system, legal research, legal writing, civil procedure, ethics, criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal evidence, torts and contracts Grades are based on: • completion of weekly tests • participation in classroom or online forum discussion • writing assignments
11. LEARNING OUTCOMES Locate commonly used legal reference materials Explain how the sources of law research materials are used, their hierarchy, and the difference between primary, secondary, and finding tool resources Identify and frame a simple legal issue; identify the facts that relate to it Conduct legal research using a computer-assisted legal research tool, such as WESTLAW
12. LEARNING OUTCOMES Articulate the parts of a well-written legal opinion and formal legal memorandum and the purpose each serves Prepare a formal legal memorandum dealing with a simple legal issue Use citations in written legal material Articulate the significant differences between an objective memorandum and persuasive writing Brief a case
13. ADVANCED PARALEGALCERTIFICATE Complete 270 clock hours - choose six (6) required topics to build upon the Paralegal Certificate that is a prerequisite for the course Specialized online classes extensively build upon students’ knowledge of law and paralegal studies, with content that focuses on specialized facets of contemporary law Each course topic is offered in a 7-week online session, and students may take up to 3 topics per 7-week session (14 weeks total)
14. ADVANCED PARALEGAL:ADVANCED TOPICS • Bankruptcy Law •Advanced Legal Research •Victim Advocacy •Mediation / ADR •Criminal Law •Business Law and Practices •Family Law •Immigration Law •Water Law •Education Law •Criminal Procedure •Intellectual Property •Real Property Law •Estate Planning: Probate, Wills, and Trusts •Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties
15. COURSE OFFERINGS Legal Nurse Consultant Training Certificates Builds on your medical education and clinical experience Provides the fundamental skills necessary to advise law firms, heath care providers, insurance companies and government agencies regarding complex legal/medical issues. Training to become an expert witness providing testimony in a court of law.
16. COURSE OFFERINGS Legal Secretary Certificate Course Designed for beginning and experienced secretaries who are interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within a law office. Topics: legal terminology; legal process; jurisdiction and venue; ethics; written communications including letters, pleadings, discovery, notices and motions; filing procedures, billing and accounting; time management; record management; an overview of commonly used word and data processing programs; legal research; memoranda preparation; and citation format.
17. COURSE OFFERINGS Legal Investigation Certificate Course Designed for those interested in pursuing a new career and those presently working in the legal field. Will be qualified to assist attorneys, paralegals, insurance companies, private businesses, and state & federal government agencies in the process of civil and criminal investigation. Students will be taught how to create a freelance investigation business. Subject areas: arson investigation, products liability investigation, personal injury and traffic accident forensics, employment accidents, investigation of financial and equity matters, professional malpractice and negligence, skip-tracing, and the role of a legal investigator in preparing for civil and criminal litigation.
18. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? • Adult Learners- as affordable and convenient credentialing options that meet their academic and job-seeking goals in a short span of time •Current College Students- students who need to fit this additional credentialing coursework into their regular credit-bearing course schedule during any academic semester • College Graduates - students who seek work in the legal profession even while pursuing graduate or law school
19. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Live sessions are typically 6 weeks long. Online sessions are 7 weeks each Paralegal and Advanced Paralegal Courses: 2 sessions each (14 weeks to complete each course) LNC, LS, LI courses: 1 session each Online participants should expect to spend at least 8-15 hours/week Reading Preparing and Writing Assignments Preparing For and Taking Tests
20. PROGRAMREQUIREMENTS Students consent to a Course Use and Plagiarism Policy whereby they agree that they will submit only their own work and that they will cite additional sources used. Students must have access to the Internet for live lecture and online formats. The Paralegal Certificate is the prerequisite for the Advanced Paralegal Certificate. RN certification is required for the Legal Nurse Consulting certificate course.
21. CLS INSTRUCTORS Per contract with St. Cloud State University, The Center for Legal Studies hires instructors who are highly qualified attorneys and paralegals with years of relevant experience in the legal field. Online Students have access via email to their CLS instructor throughout the online course.
22. Online Log-In / Support Students receive a personal course username and password via email from CLSat the start of each session CLS posts six (6) online sessions throughout the year.Students may log into the CLS Web site to begin their courses at the start of any session and course content is available 24 hours a day for the duration of the course. In addition to students having access via email to their CLS instructor throughout the online course, CLS provides ongoing administrative and technical support for students.
23. Granting of Certificate Upon CLS notification of successful course completion, St. Cloud State University awardsthe Certificate directly to the student.
24. 2012 COSTS Paralegal Certificate •$1189tuition •Approximately $360 for required books •$89 for online WESTLAW legal research access  Advanced Paralegal Certificate •$1650 tuition ($275 per topic for six topics) •Required books (minimal) •$89 for online WESTLAW legal research access *Books/WESTLAW Access: Students order books and gain WESTLAW access by phone or online. Students may order books/WESTLAW access via their own resources or from the CLS Web site.
25. 2012 COSTS Legal Nurse Consultant Course •$849tuition •Approximately $175 for required books Legal Secretary Certificate Course •$575 tuition •$50-$75 for required books (depending on format) Legal Investigation Course •$575tuition •$20-$60 for required books (depending on format)
26. 2012 – 2013 SCHEDULE Live Lecture: (Paralegal only) October 13 – November 18, 2012 Six Online Sessions per Year: • October 15 – November 30 (next start date) • January 14 – March 1, 2013 • March 11-April 26, 2013 • May 6- June 21, 2013 • July 1 – August 16, 2013 • August 26 – October 11, 2013
27. HOW TO REGISTER WWW.SCSUTRAINING.COM/legal (320) 308-4723 WWW.LEGALSTUDIES.COM (800) 522-7737
28. CONTACTS Tammy Anhalt-Warner Corporate Education & Outreach St. Cloud State University 320-308-4252 www.scsutraining.com/legal Center for Legal Studies 800.522.7737 info@legalstudies.com
29. Q & A Thank you!