MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

PAR106  2009 Fall – 2012 Spring

Legal Foundations for Paralegals

1.          Identify sources of federal and state law. (I)

2.          Explain responsibilities of the various court systems. (II)

3.          Review various types of limitations on courts. (II)

4.          Describe roles of various members of the legal community. (II, III)

5.          Describe responsibilities of the paralegal. (III)

6.          Explain the interaction between various members of the legal community. (III)

7.          Review issues facing the legal community. (III)

8.          Distinguish between primary and secondary legal research sources. (IV)

9.          List and define components of case law. (IV)

10.        Identify elements of statutes. (IV)

11.        Compare and contrast basic principles of tort, contract and criminal law. (V)

12.        Distinguish between criminal and civil litigation. (VI)

13.        Review responsibilities of the paralegal in the various stages of litigation. (VI)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

PAR106  2009 Fall – 2012 Spring

Legal Foundations for Paralegals

I.          Sources of Law

            A.        Federal

                        1.         U.S. Constitution

                        2.         Common Law

                        3.         Federal Cases

                        4.         Federal Statutes

                        5.         Administrative Regulations

            B.        State

                        1.         State Constitution

                        2.         State Cases

                        3.         State Statutes

                        4.         Administrative Regulations

            C.        Local Ordinances

II.        American Legal System

            A.        Federalism

            B.        Branches of Government

                        1.         Executive

                        2.         Legislative

                        3.         Judicial

            C.        Courts

                        1.         Types

                        2.         Functions

                        3.         Limitations

III.       Legal Community

            A.        Law Office

                        1.         Role

                        2.         Responsibility

                        3.         Regulations

                        4.         Ethics

            B.        Court

                        1.         Judges

                        2.         Administrator

                        3.         Judicial Assistants

                        4.         Clerks

                        5.         Interpreters

            C.        Law Enforcement

                        1.         Role

                        2.         Responsibility

                        3.         Regulations

                        4.         Ethics

            D.        Paralegal

                        1.         Role

                        2.         Responsibility

                        3.         Regulations

                        4.         Ethics

            E.         Interaction

                        1.         Roles

                        2.         Limitations

                        3.         Ethics

            F.         Issues

IV.       Legal Research

            A.        Sources

                        1.         Primary

                        2.         Secondary

            B.        Procedures

            C.        Case Law

                        1.         Federal

                        2.         State

            D.        Statutory Law

                        1.         Federal

                        2.         State

            E.         Analysis

            F.         Writing

                        1.         Case Brief

                        2.         Legal Memorandum

V.        Types of Law

            A.        Tort

                        1.         Definition

                        2.         Types

                        3.         Principles

                        4.         Damages

            B.        Contract

                        1.         History

                        2.         Uniform Commercial Code

                        3.         Fraud

                        4.         Breach of Contract

            C.        Criminal

                        1.         Definition

                        2.         Purposes

                        3.         Principles

                        4.         Elements of Crime

VI.       Path of Litigation

            A.        Civil Vs Criminal

            B.        Pre-Trial

                        1.         Analyze the Case

                        2.         Summons and Complaint

                        3.         Answer

                        4.         Discovery

                        5.         Negotiations

                        6.         Default and Summary Judgments

                        7.         Settlements

                        8.         Alternative Dispute Resolution

            C.        Trial

                        1.         Jury Selection

                        2.         Opening Statement

                        3.         Direct Examination

                        4.         Cross-examination

                        5.         Closing

            D.        Post-Trial

                        1.         Motions

                        2.         Appeals

                        3.         Writ of Habeas Corpus

                        4.         Documentation Procedures