Legal Assistant (Secretary)

Legal Assistant (Secretary)

Category: 
Course Hours: 
270
Price: 
$1,500.00
Course Type: 
Mentor Supported
  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Outline
  • Materials
  • Certification
  • System Requirements
  • Watch a Demo

Looking for a challenge? Do you like research and staying organized? Do you enjoy the excitement of a busy office? If so, then you should consider becoming a legal assistant or legal secretary. Legal assistants/secretaries perform clerical duties at law firms and other legal offices. Unlike regular assistants/secretaries, legal assistants require extensive knowledge of legal proceedings and documentation. They may do factual or legal research at all levels of a case and will often organize meetings, appointments and dates for attorneys. Our Legal Assistant/Legal Secretary course will introduce the basic duties of the job and the knowledge necessary to be successful in the field. 

Prerequisite & Recommendation: Student needs to have general secretarial training or experience. We highly recommend that the student also take a course in Understanding the Law to have a very solid background in the legal system. 

After completing this course you should be able to:

  • Define the job description of a legal assistant/secretary
  • Identify correct billing, accounting and written communication methods
  • Recognize types of contracts and torts and how to prepare legal documents
  • List the basics of business partnerships, family law and litigation
  • Recall the principles of estate planning and guardianship

 

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 1
The Law Office

  • The Lawyer’s Assistant
  • The Career of a Lawyer’s Assistant
  • NALS Certification
  • Ethical Considerations
  • Client-Lawyer Relationship
  • Law Firms and Associations
  • Public Service
  • Maintaining Integrity
  • Office Organization
  • Interoffice Relationships
  • Client Relations
  • Public Relations

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 2
Computers, Billing and Basic Accounting Procedures

  • Computers in the Law Office
  • Operating Systems
  • Document Management
  • Understanding Billing
  • Debits and Credits
  • Time Entries
  • Cost Entries
  • Handling the Firm’s Checking Account
  • Payroll
  • Computing Interest

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 3
Written Communication

  • The Basics of English Grammar
  • Review of Sentence Structure
  • Punctuation
  • Capitalization
  • Abbreviations
  • Number Usage
  • Word Division
  • Writing Letters, Memos, and Messages
  • Parts of a Business Letter
  • Forms of Address

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 4
Legal Documents, Law Library and The Courts

  • Preparing Legal Documents
  • Legal Citations
  • Legal Research
  • Hierarchy of Legal Authority
  • Legal Texts
  • History of the Law
  • The American Judicial System
  • Dual System of Courts
  • Terminology of the Court
  • Court Officers

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 5
Administrative Agencies and Litigation

  • Federal and State Agencies
  • Opening the Litigation File
  • Before the Suit is Filed
  • Pleadings
  • Request for Jury Trial
  • Mediations
  • Stipulations
  • Trial Notebooks
  • Settlement
  • Appeals 
  • Billing

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 6
Contracts, Torts and Criminal Law Procedures

  • The Statute of Frauds
  • Types of Contracts
  • Discharge of Contracts
  • Kinds of Torts
  • Initial Client Interview
  • Sources of Criminal Law
  • Classes of Crime
  • Misdemeanor Cases
  • Felony Cases
  • Post-trial Proceedings

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 7
Family Law and Business Organizations

  • Influence of Uniform Acts
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Procedures of Termination of Marriage
  • Uncontested Proceedings
  • Corporations
  • Corporate Structure and Operation
  • Incorporation Process
  • Partnerships
  • Limited Liability Company

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 8
Real Estate and Estate Planning

  • History of Real Estate Law
  • Evidence of Title to Real Estate
  • Instruments of Conveyance
  • The Real Estate Transaction
  • Preparation of Deeds
  • Terminology in Estate Planning
  • Characteristics of a Will
  • Types of Wills
  • Preparation of Wills

Legal Secretary / Legal Assistant Module 9
Guardianships and Bankruptcy 

  • The Uniform Probate Code
  • Functions of Estate Administration
  • Identification of Assets
  • Personal Representative
  • Probate Procedures
  • The Bankruptcy Code
  • Bankruptcy Courts and Jurisdiction
  • Filing a Bankruptcy
  • The Debtor’s Estate
  • Discharge of Debts

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Ed4Career is committed to being both environmentally conscious and making it easier for you to study! We’re making your education mobile! All of our textbooks are now provided as eTextbooks. You can access them on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device and can study anytime, anywhere.

The move away from physical books to eTextbooks means you get the latest, most up-to-date version available. This also makes your training more accessible, so you can study anywhere you have your phone or tablet. The best part is that all materials are included in your training cost so there are NO extra fees for books!

Upon successful completion of our Legal Secretary course, students will be prepared for an entry-level position as a Legal Secretary in a Law office setting and will be prepared, in part, to sit for the NALS national certification exam to become an Accredited Legal Professional (ALP). This exam also requires that you have one year of general office experience. Each state has specific requirements, we highly recommend you check with your state.

**Certification exams are not included in the cost of the course.**

Internet Connection

  • Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections

*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.

Hardware Requirements

  • Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
  • Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended

 

PC Software Requirements

  • Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
  • Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
  • Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
    • Cookies MUST be enabled
    • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
  • The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
  • PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
  • Adobe PDF Reader
  • QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player

 

MAC Software Requirements

  • Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
  • Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
  • Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
    • Cookies MUST be enabled
    • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
  • The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
  • PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
  • Adobe PDF Reader
  • Apple QuickTime Media Player