Paralegal Studies

Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal
The Paralegal Associate's Degree program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions as paralegals or legal assistants by providing a broad college-level curriculum. The program also serves to meet requirements for promotions and additional careers, while providing a strong foundation for further training.

Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to...

• Demonstrate effective written and interpersonal communication skills
• Demonstrate a high level of inquiry, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrate effective quantitative skills
• Demonstrate computer and information literacy
• Demonstrate an understanding of the liberal arts, natural sciences, and social sciences
• Discuss the legal system in the United States, including the origins and history of the law and the development of common law, statutory law, and constitutional law
• Understand when communications with clients and others are privileged and how to avoid conflicts of interest
• Recognize and use legal terminology appropriately
• Recognize ethical violations and understand ethical rules that regulate conduct of lawyers and paralegals
• Identify the paralegal's role in the interview process and discuss proper investigation techniques, including interviewing clients and witnesses and understanding types of testamentary evidence
• Discuss torts and defenses to tort actions and understand negligence, liability, and workers' compensation
• Describe different forms of business organization, the elements of contracts and rules pertaining to contracts, ownership of property, creditors and bankruptcy, and the law of agency
• Write an effective legal memorandum; state and characterize facts and legal arguments to best advance a legal position
• Research primary and secondary sources to determine relevant case law, find statutes and other information from appropriate sources using Lexis.com and other Internet sources, and correctly cite sources Understand jurisdiction, venue, and evidence law; describe some important hearsay exceptions
• Understand how to prepare, file, and serve complaints and motions
• Explain criminal law and procedure, the elements of crimes, criminal defense, and the role of the Constitution
• Discuss the fundamental principles of law dealing with marriage, divorce, and parenthood
• Understand the paralegal's role in real estate transactions, including contracts, title abstraction, deeds, mortgages, closing documents, and leases; prepare preliminary drafts of commonly used documents
• Discuss the responsibilities of practicing paralegals in the field of wills, trusts, and estate administration, including preparing preliminary drafts of wills and trusts

Semester 1

Basic Skills Assessment
All degree applicants are required to complete two Basic Skills Assessments, one in reading and one in math, to determine the level of readiness for beginning their selected program. Additional studies may be required.

Introduction to Paralegal Studies (1 credit)
Succeed by learning how to use your Penn Foster program, and learn the fundamentals of the paralegal field.

Objectives:

• Understand how to use your Student Portal.
• Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
• Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.
• Describe typical duties carried out by paralegals and how to work with attorneys.
• Understand the laws and regulations governing paralegals.
• Know the education and licensing required.
• Obtain practical information concerning your career goals.
• Locate potential employers in your area.

Information Literacy (1 credit)
Get better at finding and using information!

Objectives:

• Search the Internet more effectively.
• Get tips about search engines and reliable websites.
• Learn how to search libraries and other information centers for important, useful information.
• Legal Terminology and Critical Thinking (2 credits)
• Familiarity with common legal words and phrases is required when creating and interpreting legal documents. This lesson will introduce you to a broad range of basic legal terminology and documents.
• Strong critical thinking skills improve your own arguments and your ability to evaluate the arguments of others.

Legal Terminology

Objectives:

• Define and understand common Latin legal terms and terms associated with litigation.
• Compare the various types of jurisdiction and kinds of documents used in litigation.
• Understand criminal procedure and common criminal defenses.
• Recognize the elements commonly included in contracts.
• Describe the ways in which contracts may be terminated.
• Explain the various legal actions associated with family law.
• Understand the terminology used in recording ownership of real property.

Additional Course Materials:
Downloadable audio files: Legal Terminology 1
Downloadable audio files: Legal Terminology 2

Critical Thinking

Objectives:

• Assess strength of logic, reasoning, and conclusions.
• Recognize the elements of propaganda and emotional manipulation.

Ethics (2 credits)
Paralegals are responsible for maintaining confidentiality and competence; handling fees and funds; avoiding potential malpractice of law; and preventing conflicts of interest.

Objectives:

• Understand the guidelines that regulate lawyers’ and paralegals’ conduct.
• Identify rules concerning confidentiality and attorney-client privilege.
• Conduct financial billings.
• Recognize potential malpractice and conflict of interest issues.

Computer Applications (3 credits)
Microsoft® Office allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach you how to use three popular tools from the Microsoft® Office Suite — Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®. In this course, you'll learn how to use Word™ to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. You'll then learn how to use Excel® to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables. Next, you'll learn how to use PowerPoint® to create and deliver slide shows. Finally, you'll complete a graded project, which will test the skills acquired in Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

Objectives:

• Create various Microsoft® Word™ documents.
• Produce a thorough Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet.
• Identify the basic skills needed to use Microsoft® PowerPoint®.
• Synthesize what you’ve learned by integrating Word™, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

English Composition (3 credits)
This course teaches the skills and techniques of effectively developing, drafting, and revising college-level essays toward a specific purpose and audience: active reading, prewriting strategies, sentence and paragraph structure, thesis statements, varied patterns of development (such as illustration, comparison and contrast, and classification), critical reading toward revision of structure and organization, editing for standard written conventions, and use and documentation of outside sources. Students submit two prewriting assignments and three essays (process analysis, comparison and contrast, and argumentation).

Objectives:

• Use writing skills to construct well-written sentences and active reading skills to understand and analyze text
• Develop paragraphs using topic sentences, adequate detail, supporting evidence, and transitions
• Contrast the revising and editing steps of the writing process
• Distinguish between different patterns of development
• Write a process analysis essay using prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing skills
• Recognize how to determine the reliability of secondary sources and to give proper credit to sources referenced in an essay
• Write a comparison and contrast essay by using persuasive writing techniques to defend a claim
• Create a sound written argument using techniques of drafting and evaluating sources

Courts (2 credits)
This course looks at the relationship among the judiciary, defense, and prosecution involved in the United States Courts system. Your studies start with an overview of the basic structures of courts. You’ll also look to the successive steps involved in prosecutions and cover topics such as plea bargains, trials, juries, sentencing, and appeals.

Objectives:

• Point out the structure and working process of the legal system in the United States
• Analyze the emergence of law in the different systems of litigation in the United States
• Distinguish between the civil and criminal litigation in state and federal courts in the United States
• Analyze articles relating to the United States court system

Investigations and Interviews (2 credits)
Many paralegals spend a great deal of time talking with clients and/or witnesses. This course will teach you how to effectively interview people and conduct legal investigations.

Objectives:

• Understand the ethical considerations and responsibilities of the paralegal and the attorney in interviewing.
• Prepare for and conduct an interview and investigation.
• Use different types of questions to elicit responses from a variety of people.
• Summarize the information discovered during the interview and investigation process.

Additional Semester Materials
Learning Aids

• Legal Specialties lists some of the typical duties of a paralegal in various fields. It also contains two self-assessment quizzes to help you determine in what field of law you might like to work when you finish your program.
• Legal terminology audio files to help you learn the language of the law—including pronunciation! Download mp3 files from your online student account.
• Barron’s Dictionary of Legal Terms contains nearly 3,000 legal terms translated into simple English. This reference book will help you throughout your career.
• Custom edition of the Little, Brown Essential Handbook customized for Penn Foster students.

Textbook: Successful College Writing

Proctored Examination
You will be required to complete a proctored exam on selected courses each semester. These assessments will evaluate the knowledge and skills that you learned during the semester. You choose the time, the location, and the qualified exam supervisor.

Semester 2

Math for Business and Finance
This course will provide the student with a foundation in basic mathematical operations. Topics covered include percentages; discounts; interest; present worth; sinking funds; installment buying; pricing; depreciation; investments; insurance; use of symbols and their applications, equations and formulas; and the importance of statistics.

Objectives:

• Analyze functions of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents
• Show calculations involved in simple interest, compound interest, and time value of money
• Prepare various business math applications involving financial reports, installment buying, and depreciation
• Analyze various financial concepts related to taxes, insurance, financial investments, and basic business

Torts (3 credits)
A tort is essentially any action that causes harm to a person or property. A good deal of law involves torts, so as a paralegal, you’ll be constantly exposed to tort actions. Your textbook provides many interesting real-life examples of cases involving injured parties. Discover how these cases travel through the legal system, beginning with filing a complaint and ending with settlement, arbitration, or trial.

Objectives:

• Understand the fundamentals of legal analysis and how to prepare a legal memorandum.
• Outline an investigative strategy for a personal injury case.
• Draft a complaint.
• Understand the tests that establish causation.
• Characterize strict liability in tort and the defenses to liability in tort.

Business and Technical Writing (3 credits)
This course provides an introduction to the various methods of organizing material for a professional setting. Students will compose business documents using the ABC method. These include memos, emails, outlines, reports and proposals, descriptions, and organizing materials. Students also work on honing their grammar skills.

Objectives:

• Describe the basics of the writing process and the ABC method of organizing material for a document
• Identify the parts of speech in a sentence
• Demonstrate correct pronoun use
• Choose proper and effective words for writing documents
• Identify the elements of a well-written sentence
• Demonstrate how to use length, directness, emphasis, and variety to craft impactful sentences
• Explain how to construct a coherent paragraph
• Describe how to write an effective cover letter and resume
• Format and write an interoffice memorandum, a routine business letter, and an effective email
• Identify the different ways to write for blogs, the Internet, and social media
• Describe how to create an organized formal outline
• Identify the types of research and methods of documentation used in business and technical writing
• Explain how to create visual interest and clarity in reports with illustrations, tables, graphs, charts, and overall design
• Explain the purpose and importance of various types of informal reports
• Describe the nature of formal reports and identify their components
• Differentiate among external, internal, informal, and formal proposals
• Describe an object or a process and prepare a set of instructions
• Describe the preparation and submission of professional and technical articles and manuals

Economics 1 (3 credits)
Analyze economy-wide phenomena through the study of macroeconomics, including inflation, unemployment, and trade deficits.

Objectives:

• Identify the basic function of economics in our society
• Examine various economic tradeoffs that people face
• Explain the laws of supply and demand
• Use the concept of elasticity to explain changes in a market
• Discuss the pros and cons of trade restrictions
• Calculate and interpret the unemployment rate and the labor-force participation rate
• Describe the notion of deadweight loss and its relevance to taxes
• Draw and interpret short-run and long-run Phillips curves
• Explain why economists focus on GDP, inflation, and unemployment when assessing economic health
• Describe how comparative advantage and specialization affect international trade
• Describe how differences between world prices and domestic prices prompt exports and imports
• Describe how changes in income affect consumption and saving

Science Elective (3 credits)
(Choose one) ...

SCI110 - Earth Science
This course will allow you to learn about planet Earth and the various aspects of the environment.

Objectives:

• Describe specific characteristics of Earth.
• Describe different types of rocks and minerals.

SCI120-Introduction to Biology
An introductory course that explains the origin of life and the relationships between all living things. It describes how a significant number of organisms are structured and how they work, in order to enable students to discuss intelligently the various forms of life and their processes.

Objectives:

• Analyze cells and their processes for obtaining energy and reproducing.
• Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next.
• Explain how different species of living things have evolved and are classified.
• Write responses to fundamental biology essay prompts.
• Identify the characteristics and behavior of plants and animals.
• Diagram the anatomy and physiology of the human body.
• Describe the ecology of living things.

Textbook: Essentials of Biology

SCI140-Nutrition
Nutrition is the science that investigates how the body takes in, breaks down, and uses foods. The course will provide you with basic information on how these processes take place, including information about nutrients and how they contribute to the way the body functions. This will help you to have a better understanding of your decisions about food and diet. You’ll also learn about physical activities that can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Because a central focus of nutrition studies is on health promotion, suggestions for individual nutrition choice will be discussed, as well as tactics for maintaining a healthy weight and keeping food supplies safe.

Objectives:

• Describe how nutrition supports a body's wellness
• Recognize the body's use of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
• Identify the body's use of water, minerals, and micronutrients
• Discuss what nutritional needs are for a healthy weight and for an athletic lifestyle
• Define food safety and the nutritional needs of humans over a lifetime
• Prepare a research paper on a nutritional topic

Digital Textbook: Nutrition for Healthy Living

HUM102 - Art Appreciation
In this course, you will gain an understanding of artistic media, historical periods and artistic movements, the roles of the artist and the viewer, and the principles of art criticism.

Objectives:

• Define the language, visual elements, and principles of design of art
• Identify two-dimensional media
• Identify three-dimensional media
• Explain the evolution of art from ancient Mediterranean cultures through eighteenth century Europe
• Identify features and popular examples of art throughout the history of African, Asian, Pacific, and American cultures
• Compare the genres of the Modern and Postmodern eras of art from around the world

Textbook: Living with Art, 11th Edition

Additional Semester Materials
Learning Aids: Voice and Diction audio files will help you learn to speak clearly and effectively. Download mp3 files from your online student account.

Textbooks:

• Torts Personal Injury Litigation, Fourth Edition, by William P. Statsky
• Business Law with UCC Applications, Twelfth Edition, by Gordon W. Brown and Paul A. Sukys
• Practical Business Math Procedures, Ninth Edition, by Jeffrey Slater

Proctored Examination
You will be required to complete a proctored exam on selected courses each semester. These assessments will evaluate the knowledge and skills that you learned during the semester. You choose the time, the location, and the qualified exam supervisor.

Semester 3

Legal Research and Writing (4 credits)
This course will introduce you legal writing and to the great number of tools that can be used in legal research. You will practice these skills through three writing and research projects.

• Objectives:
• Explain the importance of preci­sion, purpose, and audience in legal writing, and the need to be aware of ambiguity in language
• Identify the kinds of writing you’ll do in the law office
• Explain the interrelationship between clear writing and clear thinking
• Describe the basic process of legal reasoning by applying rules to facts to arrive at a logical answer to a question posed
• Explain the importance of following form, format, and custom in legal writing
• Construct an effective legal memo­randum that formally answers questions of law and supports a motion
• Explain how local rules of court affect the documents you file with that court
• Describe the sources of law and the concept of jurisdiction
• Describe how to use basic proce­dures for citations
• Explain how to look up cases and statutes using the appropriate sources
• Explain how to read and brief a case
• Describe how to research statutes using appropriate sources
• Describe how to approach a research problem from different access points
• Describe hierarchy within law
• Describe the research process
• Explain how to use Lexis Advance to formulate search requests, and verify accuracy of legal sources
• Describe how to perform factual, business, and legal research on the Internet

Social Science Elective (3 credits)
(Choose one) ...

SSC125 - Introduction to Sociology
This course is designed to introduce you to social structure and social interaction through groups, networks, and organizations. Study politics, the economy, population, social movements, technology, and social change.

Objectives:

• Describe deviance, crime, and social control.
• Discuss the effects of stratification, racial and ethnic inequality, sex, gender, and sexuality.
• Examine the role of health, family, education, and religion in human behavior.

SSC130 - Essentials of Psychology
This course will introduce you to the relationship between biology and behavior. You will learn about human development throughout the life span.

Objectives:

• Identify major psychological theories.
• Discuss consciousness, memory, thought, and language.
• Define intelligence, personality, and stress.
• Analyze the role of gender in psychology.
• Explain how community influences behavior.

SSC105 - World Civilizations
This course serves as an introduction to many of the major events of the fifteenth through twenty-first centuries. It also examines the causal relationships between events and trends all across the globe.

Objectives:

• Identify the causes and consequences of global trade and its conflicting worldwide impact
• Describe the impact of social and industrial revolutions, fifteenth century onward, on various nations
• Recognize the conditions that led to the World Wars, decolonization, and the Cold War
• Summarize post–World War II effects on the economic and political structures around the world
• Discuss an event that occurred after the fifteenth century and had an impact on a world civilization
• Explain the effects of World War II on the world population

Textbook: A History of World Societies, Volume 2 

Civil Litigation (3 credits)
Litigation involves the use of the court system to resolve disputes. Increasingly, paralegals are involved in litigation support.

Objectives:

• Explain the purpose of litigation and the differences between civil and criminal litigation.
• Know the role of court system personnel in litigation.
• Prepare and file a complaint.
• Define evidence law and the requirements to make evidence admissible.
• Describe hearsay and some important hearsay exceptions.

Arts & Humanities Elective (3 credits)
(Choose one) ...

HUM104 - Music Appreciation
In this course, you'll practice the skill of active listening. Learning to listen differently will allow you to experience all kinds of music in a new way. Most listeners are familiar with how music makes them feel, and we often say we like a particular piece of music because it has a "good beat" or a beautiful melody. This course will allow you to go deeper. You'll identify what the composer might have been trying to convey and listen for the way elements of musical composition and performance make each piece unique.

Objectives:

• Identify the building blocks of music a composer can use to create a piece, such as rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form, and timbre
• Differentiate between the music of the baroque era and the musical styles of previous time periods
• List the major characteristics of classical music, including form, melody, and instrumentation
• Describe the musical trends and innovations that occurred during the romantic era
• Relate musical styles of the early twentieth century to comparable movements in art and literature
• Explain the evolution of American popular music in the twentieth century
• Describe the influence of world music on modern western composition
• Synthesize research comparing composers' influence in their respective genres

Textbook: Experience Music

ENG115 - Introduction to Literature
This course will allow you to develop your critical thinking skills and broaden your knowledge of literature.

Objectives:

• Identify themes and forms of literature.
• Define the main genres of literature - poetry, fiction, and drama.

Intermediate Algebra (3 credits)
Algebra is the mathematical language used to interpret and represent patterns in numbers by using variables, expressions, and equations. Algebra is an essential tool used in business, science, and computer technology. Throughout this course, you’ll be introduced to algebraic concepts, along with real-world application problems from a variety of fields. In addition to providing a springboard to the discovery of underlying mathematical properties, these applications illustrate the importance of mathematics in your world.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate effective quantitative skills
• Solve algebraic equations, linear equations, inequalities, and absolute value equations
• Solve and graph linear equations and inequalities
• Solve polynomials
• Apply algebraic operations to rational expressions and rational equations
• Solve problems involving radicals and complex numbers
• Solve quadratic equations, rational inequalities, nonlinear equations, and nonlinear inequalities
• Calculate exponential and logarithmic functions
• Solve binomial expansions, sequences, and arithmetic and geometric series
• Prepare for the final exam

Additional Course Material:
Textbook: Intermediate Algebra

Additional Semester Materials:

Textbook: Macroeconomics by Campbell R. McConnell, Stanley L. Brue, and Sean M. Flynn

Learning Aid: Online Resource: Access to Lexis.com,® one of the premier providers of online legal research

Supplement: Selected Federal Civil Rules

Proctored Examination
You will be required to complete a proctored exam on selected courses each semester. These assessments will evaluate the knowledge and skills that you learned during the semester. You choose the time, the location, and the qualified exam supervisor.

Semester 4

Criminal Litigation (3 credits)
This course provides you with an introduction to the practice and theory of criminal law.

Objectives:

• Point out the various sources of criminal law and elements of a crime
• Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge related to crimes against the person
• Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge related to non-personal crimes
• Identify defenses and rights prior to arrest
• Identify rights after arrest, during trial, and at postconviction
• Apply knowledge of criminal law to details about a criminal case

Legal Environment of Business (3 credits)
The nature and sources of law, the U.S. court systems, litigation and alternative methods of dispute resolution, constitutional and administrative law; tort law and product liability; contract law; agency law; business organizations; business ethics and social responsibility; and property rights for both personal and real property.

Objectives:

• Analyze the sources and structure of the U.S. legal system, and the business laws and organizations
• Point out the purpose, requirements, and criteria needed for contracts
• Distinguish between real and personal property and the relationship between principal and agent
• Analyze the principles of sales, goods, and services and laws by UCC that governs them
• Distinguish between the role of insurance, transactions, and bankruptcy in business law
• Create a case brief by following the instructions and procedure
• Prepare a written memorandum by applying your knowledge and following the instructions

Family Law (3 credits)
This course will provide you with a solid foundation in the basic legal principles that apply to family law.

Objectives:

• Explain the elements of family law practice and of marriage
• Define the fundamental principles of law with annulment and the divorce process
• Identify the role of a paralegal with cases involving parenthood, child custody, child support, and adoption
• Identify the proper forum and procedural requirements for spousal support, property division, separation agreements, and family violence

Real Estate Law (3 credits)
The real estate industry - real estate development, construction, sales, leases, and financing-generates a great deal of work for law firms. Paralegals often work with real estate law, and this course is designed to teach you the basics. Real estate law varies some from state to state, but most of the principles are the same in all states.

Objectives:

• Understand the types, content, and preparation of deeds.
• Understand how real estate is described in deeds.
• Define and give examples of encumbrances, easements, and licenses.
• Describe some of the ways government regulates the use of real estate.
• Describe the components of a real estate purchase contract and the real estate closing process.
• Explain the role of lawyers and paralegals in the process of real estate financing.
• List the provisions of a standard lease and explain their purpose.

Wills and Estates (3 credits)
Paralegals often handle matters dealing with wills, trusts, and/or estate administration.

Objectives:

• Understand statutes and statutory language.
• Draft a preliminary will for the supervising attorney’s review.
• Prepare preliminary drafts of the various kinds of trusts.
• Prepare legal forms to create an estate plan.
• Apply the procedures and prepare the legal forms used in probate and estate administration.
• Prepare the tax returns of a decedent’s estate.

Speech
This course provides students with a foundation in the basic concepts of public speaking. Students will learn how to research, organize, and write effective speeches; incorporate presentation aids; and rehearse and deliver speeches effectively. Students will prepare, rehearse, record, and submit speeches in a number of rhetorical styles to be graded.

Objectives:

• Analyze the different methods and principles required for effective public speaking
• Point out the principles, methods, and skills required to rehearse and deliver effective public speaking
• Prepare and record a narrative or speech on personal experience
• Prepare and record an informative podcast for a website
• Create and record an infomercial by using one of the mentioned methods
• Prepare and present a motivational or reasoning speech to persuade your audience
• Develop a speech by using key information delivery of a speech

Proctored Examination
You will be required to complete a proctored exam on selected courses each semester. These assessments will evaluate the knowledge and skills that you learned during the semester. You choose the time, the location, and the qualified exam supervisor.