Paralegal Suite

Learn about the paralegal profession and understand the tools and techniques needed to succeed in the field.

SHARE
96 Course Hrs
Currently Enrolling
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

University of the District of Columbia

Change School
Learning method

Course code: B9730

Careers in the legal field often require years of training, but paralegals can enter the job market quickly. This online course bundle will introduce you to the basics of the paralegal profession. You will understand what paralegals do and learn what skills are needed to work in the field, such as business writing and using Microsoft Office 2019.

Suite bundles are not eligible for partial drops or refunds. Transfers to other open sessions of the same course are available. Please refer to your school for additional details regarding drops, transfers, and refunds on Suite bundles.

What you will learn

  • Discover what paralegals do and what you'll need to know to begin your paralegal career
  • Understand how to sequence your ideas to be more effective
  • Learn the important skills of revising, formatting, editing, and proofreading
  • Learn to get the tone right and take negative emotions out of your writing
  • Skills and tools needed to adjust margins, spacing, layout, and design of any Microsoft Word document
  • Techniques for modifying the appearance of your documents in order to suit your needs

How you will benefit

  • Determine how to best begin your paralegal career
  • Gain a solid understanding of good writing and how to produce it
  • Take charge of your career and gain confidence by developing a skill you will use every day
  • Gain the confidence needed to make the most of this indispensable software application
  • Become more proficient with one of the most widely used software programs in history
  • Utilizing Microsoft Word 2019 as a basic desktop publishing tool adds value to your professional profile

How the course is taught

  • Instructor-led online course
  • 96 course hours
  1. Explore a Career as a Paralegal
    1. What is a Paralegal
    2. How Do Paralegals Integrate into a Law Practice
    3. Legal Terminology
    4. Contract Law
    5. Tort Law
    6. Analyzing and Drafting Legal Documents
    7. Investigating Legal Matters
    8. Legal Interviewing
    9. Conducting Legal Research
    10. Writing Legal Briefs
    11. Appellate Procedure
    12. Job Hunting
  2. Effective Business Writing
    1. Writing as Problem Solving
    2. Why Write and Who is Your Reader?
    3. Benefits You Can Offer Your Reader
    4. Sequencing Your Ideas and How to Write Your Ending
    5. Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading
    6. What Words to Take Out
    7. What Words to Put In
    8. Strategies for Good Spelling and Punctuation
    9. One Easy Grammar Lesson
    10. Getting the Tone Right
    11. When You Have to Say No
    12. On Email
  3. Introduction to Microsoft Word 2019/Office 365
    1. Getting Started
    2. Typing and Navigation
    3. File Management
    4. Editing Text
    5. Working With Multiple Documents
    6. Text Formatting and Alignment
    7. Printing
    8. Margins, Tabs, and Page Numbering
    9. Paragraph Formatting
    10. Language Tools
    11. Customizing Word
    12. Making a Word Document Pretty and Organized
  4. Intermediate Microsoft Word 2019/Office 365
    1. Timesavers in Word 2019
    2. Methods to Streamline Text Formatting
    3. Working with Templates
    4. Adding Graphics to Your Word Documents
    5. Creating Text-Based Graphics in Word
    6. Organizing Your Text with Columns and Sections
    7. Creating Tables in Word
    8. Creating Stationary in Word
    9. Creating Business Stationary in Word
    10. Desktop Publishing
    11. Merging Data with Documents
    12. Creating Summative Lists of What's in Your Document

Sam Germana

Sam Germana is General Counsel for a New Jersey hospital and previously worked for a private law firm representing physicians and hospitals. He has taught paralegal studies online and in the classroom since 1997, and he is an adjunct faculty member at the College of St. Elizabeth.

Ann Linquist

Ann Linquist is a continuing education instructor on college campuses, at corporations, and with non-profit organizations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters, articles to ad copy, Linquist is able to address the writing needs of each individual. The breadth of her background ensures a powerful, involving learning experience that builds on the strengths of each participant.

Wallace Wang

Wallace Wang is the author of over 40 computer books including "Microsoft Office 2019 For Dummies." In addition to writing computer books, he has also co-authored "Breaking Into Acting for Dummies" and ghost written several books about investing in real estate, day trading stocks, and becoming an entrepreneur. Some of his past jobs have included teaching computer science courses at the University of Zimbabwe, performing stand-up comedy, and appearing on a weekly radio show.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Prerequisites:

Completion of Introduction to Microsoft Word 2019 or basic familiarity with Microsoft Word's word processing and editing.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course must be taken on a PC. Macs are not compatible.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
  • Microsoft Word, a subscription to Office 365, or Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019 (not included in enrollment)

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

A new session of each course opens every month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!

Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.

The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks plus 10 days (24 days total) to complete the final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

;