Course Descriptions
LEGL 241 Law Office Management (3 units)
This course provides an overview of law firm management administration. Topics include case management, filing systems, calendaring, indexing and summarizing pleadings and discovery, timekeeping, billing, fees, intra- and inter- office communication, client interviewing, conflict checks, and office policies.
LEGL 249 Introduction to the Legal System (3 units)
Overview of the U.S. legal system introducing the procedural and substantive areas of law taught in the paralegal program as well as constitutional law, comparative law, and methods of legal analysis.
LEGL 250 Legal Research and Writing (3 units)
Introduction to reading and briefing legal cases, legal writing, primary and secondary sources of law, and conducting legal research in state and county law libraries.
LEGL 251 Torts (3 units)
Study of the substantive law of torts including tort liability, actionable torts, remedies, and procedures.
LEGL 252 Civil Litigation and Trial Preparation (3 units)
Introduction to the basics of trial practice and civil litigation procedures. Students learn how to conduct client intake, evaluate cases, conduct informal investigation and discovery, prepare pleadings and motions, complete discovery and fact investigations, engage in pretrial alternative dispute resolution procedures, identify pretrial considerations, preserve facts and prepare for trial, and complete post-trial motions and appeals.
LEGL 254 Family Law (3 units)
Lecture and project-based course in legal principles and practical matters in family law. Includes drafting family law pleadings, dissolving marital status, the court process, child and spousal support, child custody and visitation, and the characterization and division of marital property.
LEGL 260 Advanced Legal Research and Writing (3 units)
Develop and refine legal research and writing skills by preparing a series of projects including drafting legal documents. Included is the efficient use of law libraries and legal databases.
LEGL 261 Legal Ethics (3 units)
Paralegal regulations, ethics, and professional responsibilities, including those regarding the unauthorized practice of law, advertising, solicitation, legal advice, attorney-client relationships, conflicts of interest, legal competency, and due diligence.
LEGL 263 Intellectual Property Law (3 units)
An overview of U.S. and foreign intellectual property laws including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets as well as an examination of the role of the paralegal in this area.
LEGL 264 Contracts (3 units)
Examination of the theory and practice of contract law, including the formation and performance of contracts, the statute of frauds, third-party rights and remedies, liability for breach of contract, and the Uniform Commercial Code.
LEGL 267 Animal Law (3 units)
An introductory course covering the statutory, regulatory, and common law principles affecting non-human animals in substantive areas of law including criminal law, torts, contracts, consumer protection, First Amendment and Constitutional issues, wills and trusts, and family law.
LEGL 269 Elder Law (3 units)
This course covers state, federal, and administrative laws and regulations affecting older adults. Topics include client interviewing, Social Security, SSI, Medicare, Medi-Cal/Medicaid, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, funding sources, residential long-term care, and elder abuse.
LEGL 272 Immigration Law (3 units)
A hands-on introduction to the legal principles related to immigration law, including non-immigrant visitor, student, and business visa options, immigrant business visa options, family immigration, asylum, criminal aspects of immigration law, and employer sanctions. Students will learn how to interview clients, prepare immigration forms used in an immigration law practice, and prepare immigration cases for trial.
LEGL 276 Electronic Litigation and Investigation (3 units)
This course is an introduction to the technology used in a law firm environment. Topics include computers, peripherals, software, backup programs, troubleshooting, e-filing, e-discovery, legal research databases, online investigation, evidence gathering and preservation, digital forensics, and the power of the Internet in litigation.
LEGL 672 Cooperative Education: Internship (1- 3 units)
Supervised internship in cooperation with private or public sector employers. Designed to apply knowledge and learn new skills, directly related to the student’s program of study, outside of the normal classroom environment. Students must attend one orientation which is offered the first three weeks of each semester. Each unit requires 60 hours per unit for unpaid work or 75 hours per unit for paid work during the semester. May be repeated for credit up to 16 units. The unit limitation applies to any Cooperative Education Work Experience (any combination of 670, 671 and/or 672 courses) offered within the SMCCCD.
LEGL 695 Independent Study (0.5- 3 units)
Designed for students who are interested in furthering their knowledge via self-paced, individualized instruction provided in selected areas or directed study to be arranged with instructor and approved by the division dean using the Independent Study Form. Varying modes of instruction can be used -- laboratory, research, skill development, etc. For each unit earned, students are required to devote three hours per week throughout the semester. Students may take only one Independent Study course within a given discipline.