Legal Studies

Legal Studies offers professional certificates in several legal subject areas to help students gain the skills and knowledge to advance their careers. No matter where in the world you are located, you can enroll in our online study programs and earn your professional certificate.

Top reasons to enroll in our courses

  • Affordable programs with flexible payment options
  • Flexible course schedules
  • Online courses make it easy to learn from anywhere
  • Courses are taught by practicing lawyers and paralegal's

Payment Plan Options

The Center for Legal Studies is now offering flexible monthly payment financing options with no hidden costs or fees. The application process is quick and easy, and students will learn up front what they will owe.

Online Legal Studies Courses

Advanced and specialized approaches to utilize the legal resources available in a law library, and elsewhere, will be examined. The conceptual differences between computer-assisted legal research and hard copy research will be taught. You will also learn how to formulate WESTLAW search queries and effectively and efficiently use WESTLAW and other online legal research methods as time-saving devices in legal research and legal writing. This course is designed to examine more thoroughly advanced and specialized approaches to utilizing the legal sources available in the law library and online.

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View Advanced Legal Research and Writing Syllabus

Students are required to complete six Advanced Paralegal Course topics to complete the requirements for the online Advanced Paralegal Course. Each course topic is offered in a seven-week online session. Students must successfully complete the Core Requirements before they take the Advanced Paralegal Course. More than one Advanced Paralegal Course topic may be taken during a seven-week online session and Advanced Paralegal Course topics do not have to be taken in any particular order. Online participants should expect to spend at least 45-50 hours reading and preparing assignments and tests for each course. Participants who successfully complete six of the topics required of the Advanced Paralegal Course will earn up to 24 CEU's and will receive a certificate of completion from the college or university with which they have registered.

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Participants will learn negotiation skills and how to select the most cost-effective and least intrusive Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) method to achieve the most positive result for both parties. Students will understand the processes and methods of ADR techniques; learn the proper application and limits of ADR techniques; appreciate the ethical considerations involved in ADR; and develop a basic ability to apply ADR methods.

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Employment law is a branch of contract law that deals with relationships between employers and employees. This course will cover statutes such as the National Labor Relations Act, the Railway Labor Act, and other various statutes dealing with public employees. Topics to be included are master and servant, wages and hours, anti-discrimination in employment and minimum wages and maximum hours, as well as regulation of working conditions.

This is an accelerated course. You will be expected to spend an average of at least 8 hours per week reading and completing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this online course. This course is the equivalent of at least 45 clock hours of study.

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This intensive online program is designed to teach legal investigation to those interested in pursuing a new career and those presently working in the legal field. Students will also be taught how to create a freelance investigation business. Included subject areas are: arson investigation, product 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.

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This six week, 45 hour course will provide a comprehensive analysis of the principles and practices of legal nurse consulting (LNC), with an emphasis on law and expert witness testimony. The course content will also provide a systematic review for those preparing to take the Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC) examination. While most of the main subject matter will pertain to legal nursing standards, professionals in other health care disciplines (pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistants, etc.) may gain increased skills and knowledge of the medical legal system to enhance their roles as service providers and functions as expert witnesses, but participants without an RN background might not be able to take the LNCC exam after graduation. For more information about the LNCC exam, please contact the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants at (877) 402-2562 or Aalnc.org.

This exciting program prepares Registered Nurses and Physician's Assistants for a career in the legal field as legal nurse consultants. Building on the medical education and clinical experience of RNs and PAs, this course provides the RN and PA with fundamental skills necessary to advise law firms, health care providers, insurance companies, and governmental agencies regarding medically-related issues and to appear in court as expert witnesses. The curriculum of this course is designed to comply with the educational guidelines specified by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. Successful graduates will be awarded a Certificate of Course Completion from the university.

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This intensive online program is designed for both beginning and experienced secretaries who are interested in improving their skills and working more efficiently within the law office. After successfully completing the tests and assignments for this seven week course, you will know:

  • the origins and history of the American legal system
  • the meaning and application of important legal terminology
  • ethics for the law office
  • the elements of tort law and contract law
  • the important rules of civil procedure
  • how to conduct a legal interview and maintain good client relations
  • how to use some of the common word processing features specifically for the law office
  • how to prepare legal documents including letters, pleadings, discovery documents, motions and memos
  • the basic rules of citation format
  • the elements of law office management

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View Legal Secretary Syllabus

This course consists of two parts: Paralegal One and Paralegal Two.

Paralegal One: Introduction to Paralegal Studies provides the foundation for the study of paralegalism. During the seven week course, you will gain an understanding of the American legal system and learn how you can be of assistance in the exciting field of law. Coursework in Paralegal One is equivalent to 45 class hours of study. This course will provide you with comprehensive knowledge of the American judicial system. It will also teach you practical skills including how to assist trial attorneys, interview witnesses, investigate complex fact patterns, research the law, and assist in preparing cases for courtroom litigation.

Paralegal Two: Advanced Paralegal Concepts takes over where part one leaves off. You will learn the advanced skills of legal research and writing, formal and informal advocacy, and appellate procedure. Coursework in Paralegal II is equivalent to 45 class hours of study. This course will provide you with a working knowledge of legal authority: how it is used in the litigation process and how to locate it through legal research. You will also learn the basics of law office management, substantive law (such as criminal law, domestic relations, real property law, and bankruptcy), and informal and formal advocacy.

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Informational Webinar

Students will review the negligence theory of torts upon which many personal injury claims are based. Students will discuss interviewing, investigating and other case building techniques vital to a personal injury paralegal’s success in the law office.

Class discussions and lesson material will include the different kinds of personal injury claims including (but not limited to): car accidents, slip and falls, medical negligence/malpractice, manufacturer product defects, and class-action lawsuits. Discover the basic categories of damages recovery, statutes of limitations, and schemes for liability.

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Participants will be prepared to work in victim advocacy arenas, such as domestic violence shelters, crisis centers, crisis hotlines, and with state and county governments to assist crime victims in progressing through the criminal justice system and toward successful recovery. Course topics include legal terminology, legal process, legislation regarding victims rights, jurisdiction and venue, ethics, effects of victimization on the victim, victim advocate skills, guardianships and crisis intervention. It also covers counseling skills for victims of assault, battery, robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, murder and homicide. Successful graduates of our training program will be eligible at minimum for the NACP Provisional Credential and possibly for the Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Credential based upon their experience in the field.

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Please refer to the NACP link for additional information: Trynova.org