LA 248 Business Law I
A study of the rights and relationships involved in the laws of contracts, sales and agency, including the Uniform Commercial Code. Prerequisite: MGT 123. (3)
LA 249 Business Law II
A study of the law relating to the development and operations of partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations, and of the government agencies that regulate business. Prerequisite: LA 248. (3)
LA 280 Introduction to the Legal System
A study of various sources of law and federal and state court systems. Survey of various kinds of law practices, role of attorneys and paralegals, ethics, and legal research. Offered fall semester only. (3)
LA 301 Civil Litigation
An introduction to the rules governing lawsuits, the jurisdiction of federal and state courts, and the procedures in preparing materials for trial. Emphasis on techniques of client interview, information gathering, organizing, and retrieval. Offered spring semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 302 Criminal Litigation
An introduction to the rules governing criminal procedure from indictment, pretrial motions, plea bargains, jury selection, through prosecution by the trial court, emphasizing the role of the paralegal in the process. Offered fall semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 303 Litigation Support Technology
An introduction to current litigation software products and instruction on database creation, management, and use; deposition management; courtroom presentations; and overall case management. See department chair for course offering schedule. Prerequisite: LA 301. (3)
LA 305 General Practice I
An introduction to the laws of estates and trusts, bankruptcy, and legal ethics. Practice in preparing materials for probate, estate planning, and bankruptcy filings. Offered fall semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 306 General Practice II
An introduction to the laws of partnerships, limited liability companies, family law, corporations, and legal ethics. Emphasis on preparation of documents and materials for filing. Offered spring semester only. Prerequisite: LA 305. (3)
LA 391 Legal Research and Writing
A study of the terms and research tools used in legal research. Presents a clear understanding of legal terminology and its use in the preparation of legal briefs, memoranda, and opinions. Develops students’ legal-research skills and gives students legal-writing experience. Offered fall semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 408 Real Estate Practices
A study of real estate documents and financing instruments with emphasis on their preparation, abstracting, and recording. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 409 Public Law and Procedure
An introduction to the federal legislative process, the federal regulatory process, and federal administrative agency procedures, as well as state legislative and regulatory procedures. Offered fall semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 430 Legal and Current Issues in Human Resource Management
A study of current trends, issues, recent legislation, court decisions, and regulations as they affect the human resource function. Offered spring semester only. Prerequisite: LA 280. (3)
LA 433 Research
A student in this course will conduct collaborative research (scholarly work leading to new knowledge) under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisite: application and approval of department chair. (1-6)
LA 490 Internship
Senior students receive field experience in a cooperating corporation or law firm in the Washington metropolitan area. The experience is monitored by the program director and an attorney in the cooperating corporation or firm. Prerequisites: permission of program director, senior status, minimum of 90 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better, and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in all Business Law/Paralegal Studies courses. (3-6)
LA 491 Computerized Legal Research
An introduction to the use of Lexis, Westlaw, and the Internet in the legal environment, and their use in the preparation of research documents in various areas of the law. This course is a continuation of LA 391. Offered spring semester only. Prerequisite: LA 391. (3)