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Courses >
Law & Legal Careers > Paralegal Preparation 5
 This course explains how to use computers to assist in legal research. You will practice your legal writing skills by preparing a sample appellate brief.
Important: This six-course series will provide you with the skills and knowledge you will need to perform the basic duties of a paralegal. By the time you finish this series, you will have a solid understanding of what activities a paralegal must perform and how to perform them. If you are interested in becoming a paralegal, completing this program will take you one step closer to your goal. However, please understand that this is a non-credit program and it does not lead to any type of professional certification or a degree. Although there is no current requirement in any state other than California that a paralegal have any level of professional experience or hold any type of degree, most employers prefer to hire paralegals who have experience working in a law office and/or an associate's degree, in addition to the skills and knowledge taught in this program. If you have not already done so, we recommend that you consider working as an intern in a law office and/or enrolling in an accredited two-year college degree program while (or soon after) completing this series of courses.
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Scott and Lisa Hatch.
 Scott Hatch has presented paralegal courses since 1980. He is listed in Who's Who in California, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, and has been named one of the Outstanding Young Men of America by the United States Jaycees. He was a contributing editor to The Judicial Profiler (McGraw-Hill and the Colorado Law Annotated (West/Lawyers Co-op)series, and editor of several award-winning publications. He is author of Paralegal Procedures and Practices, published by West Publishing, as well as books on mediation and legal investigation.
Lisa Zimmer Hatch, M.A., has been teaching legal certificate and standardized test preparation courses since 1987. She graduated with honors in English from the University of Puget Sound, and received her master's degree from California State University. She is co-author of numerous law and standardized test texts.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). High School Diploma or equivalent, College experience and/or law office experience is helpful but not required. You will also need to purchase the following textbooks through Amazon.com before the course begins: - Basics of Legal Document Preparation, Robert R. Cummins, Albany: Delmar Publishers Inc., 1996
- Introduction to Paralegalism: Perspectives, Problems and Skills, 6th Edition, by William Statsky, Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1997
- Paralegal Procedures and Practices, by Scott A. and Lisa Zimmer Hatch. Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1993
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Computerized Legal Research
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Westlaw and The Internet
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Legal Writing
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Grammar, Sentence Structure and Punctuation
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Paragraph Organization
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
Appellate Procedure
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
Organization of the Appellate Brief
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Preliminary Pages, Argument and Conclusion
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Appellate Brief Research
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
Appellate Brief Research, continued
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Preparation of the Appellate Brief
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
Preparation of the Appellate Brief, continued
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"Great course and excellent instructor"
"I am now more familiar with the law libraries and can find my way around to do my own research. Thank you."
"I have found this series of courses very informative. All of the instructors have been helpful and knowledgeable. I would consider taking other courses over the internet."
"This was the toughest of the 5 so far, but needed to be. Less contact with instructor and others in class due to nature of assignments, etc."
"This was tough material for me because I do not have the background in this field. The instructor was very helpful and understanding! I would recommend this series of paralegal courses to anyone interested in this field of work. Although it is a lot of material to learn, it is very informative and the instructor is sympathetic to the problems and difficulties that you encounter! Thanks!"
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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