PARALEGAL STUDIES · COURSE OVERVIEW

Your 45-week learning path

Academic review edition. Proposed 900-clock-hour program: 45 instructional weeks at 20 hours per week. Delivery-hour validation and applicable authorization are pending. No transferable college credit or guaranteed NALA examination eligibility is represented. The existing 45-chapter sequence is retained; the expanded activities supplement it. The planned completion/access window remains 60 calendar weeks, subject to the final enrollment agreement. Proposed tuition: $3,495. Subject to final program authorization and enrollment terms. Planned inclusions are digital course materials, instruction and feedback, academic records, certification preparation, and the initial external exam application and first Knowledge and Skills appointments for eligible applicants. Voucher arrangements and fee coverage require confirmation before enrollment. Retakes, optional printed books, a computer and internet are not included; paid research-platform access has not been contracted.

Course purpose

Develop foundational skills for legal-office and supervised paralegal support. Practice clear communication, accurate records, ethical information handling, legal research, source checking, document drafting and professional judgment using fictional exercises.

Learning outcomes

Organize a fictional client or case file with accurate records and deadline controls.
Draft and revise professional communications and legal-support documents for review.
Locate legal sources, validate authority and explain research findings with citations.
Recognize confidentiality, professional boundaries and situations requiring attorney supervision.
Apply research, writing and organizational skills in designated capstone work.

Study guide

Each week combines six existing core hours with three hours of guided instruction, three hours of source-based workshop activity, two hours of feedback and revision, and six hours of applied work. Existing drafting labs and capstone work occupy part of that six-hour applied-work block; they are not added again. This totals 900 planned hours across 45 weeks. See the weekly workload schedule and expanded activity and evidence plan. Hours are proposed allocations, not automatically earned attendance or approved clock hours.

A typical week

Read the lesson and open the chapter reading, complete the assignment, answer the discussion question and reply to two different classmates, attempt the knowledge check, and reflect on feedback. Complete drafting labs where assigned. The instructor supplies an equivalent discussion activity when two classmates are unavailable.

Assessment and support

Assignments, quizzes, discussions, reflections and the capstone help you apply your learning. Review your class syllabus for grading weights, deadlines, rubrics and completion requirements.

Reading and activity sequence

Chapter titles are listed for orientation. Protected readings and weekly activities remain inside your student course.

Week 1: Professional Roles and Workplace Judgment
Week 2: Business Communication
Week 3: Digital Documents and Accessibility
Week 4: Scheduling and Deadline Controls
Week 5: Records and Information Handling
Week 6: Spreadsheets and Billing Basics
Week 7: Client Intake and Service
Week 8: Office Workflows
Week 9: Meetings and Coordination
Week 10: Quality Assurance
Week 11: Career Preparation
Week 12: Administrative Capstone
Week 13: Legal Office Roles and Ethics
Week 14: Legal Terminology and Court Systems
Week 15: Legal Intake and Case Organization
Week 16: Legal Document Production
Week 17: Docketing and Procedural Research
Week 18: Legal Administrative Capstone
Week 19: Legal Research Foundations
Week 20: Research Validation And Legal Citation
Week 21: Legal Analysis And Writing
Week 22: Civil Litigation Foundations
Week 23: Discovery And Evidence Organization
Week 24: Contracts And Business Records
Week 25: Family-Law Support
Week 26: Estates And Probate Support
Week 27: Practice Technology And Responsible AI
Week 28: Professional Responsibility Workshop
Week 29: Supervised Paralegal Project Development
Week 30: Paralegal Capstone Review
Week 31: U.S. Legal Foundations, Remedies & Administrative Law
Week 32: Federal Civil Procedure
Week 33: Evidence & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Week 34: Contracts
Week 35: Business Organizations & Commercial Law
Week 36: Criminal Law & Criminal Procedure
Week 37: Real Estate & Property Law
Week 38: Torts
Week 39: Estates, Trusts, Wills & Probate
Week 40: Debtor/Creditor Law & Bankruptcy
Week 41: Professional & Ethical Responsibility
Week 42: Legal Writing Under Time Constraints
Week 43: Critical Thinking & Integrated Legal Analysis
Week 44: Knowledge-Exam Simulation & Remediation
Week 45: Skills Simulation & Final Readiness

Materials and technology

Four coursebook volumes and 18 drafting labs are planned. Digital readings and practice forms are included as described in your course agreement; an optional printed book is not a required purchase unless expressly disclosed before enrollment. Use a current browser, reliable internet, email, a PDF reader and a compatible document editor. A computer is recommended for drafting.

Open My courses Return to catalog