Paralegal Studies Certificate Curriculum

Required Courses (Civil Litigation Emphasis)

Students are required to take five three-unit courses that develop the following paralegal skills:

• interviewing clients and others involved in legal matters
• performing legal research, including checking the validity of authority and cite-checking
• performing legal research electronically through computerized legal systems and the Internet
• gathering and analyzing legal and other documents
• drafting internal memoranda, correspondence, and legal forms
• drafting legal memoranda reflecting the results of research
• drafting a variety of litigation-related documents
• assisting in the preparation of cases for trial
• resolving ethical dilemmas by applying rules and law to determine the appropriate ethical conduct
• making effective oral presentations.

Prerequisites

PLS 300 and PLS 320, which may be taken concurrently, must be completed with a grade of C or better before a student may take any other class in the Paralegal Certificate program. These prerequisites will be strictly enforced. Students who receive an Incomplete in either PLS 300 or PLS 320 must clear that Incomplete before attempting to register for any other course in the Paralegal Studies program.

PLS 395: Pleadings & Motions must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better before a student may take PLS 305: Investigation, Discovery, Trial Prep.

Required Courses

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Introduction to Law/Civil Procedure	•	•	•
Legal Research & Writing	•	•	•
Communication Skills & Legal Ethics	•	•	•
Pleadings & Motions	•	•	•
Investigation, Discovery, & Trial Prep.	•	•	•
Computer Applications in Law Practice*	•	•	•
Introduction to Professional Legal Writing**	•	•	•

*required for students not working in a legal setting
**required for students who do not have a BA

Elective Courses

Students may choose any electives to complete the 30-unit program. Elective courses offer in-depth instruction in a variety of practice areas and advanced skills in litigation and research. The range of elective options allows students to gain exposure to several different areas of law practice or to concentrate their studies in a cluster of courses that prepare them for a particular kind of employment.

The electives listed below are grouped according to the kind of practice for which these courses are most relevant. Students may concentrate in one area or take any combination of electives suited to their particular interests.

All electives are offered on a rotating basis. Some electives are offered once a year and some are offered less frequently. Electives are three units.

1 - Corporate & Business Practice:
These electives relate to corporate and business practice areas typically handled by large, mid-sized and specialized "boutique" law firms serving the business sector and by in-house counsel of corporations.

2 - Advanced Litigation:
These electives enhance the skills provided in the required core courses with more sophisticated and complex skills in civil litigation. Specialties: More than 70 percent of paralegals work in litigation, usually focusing in one or two particular areas, such as Tort or business litigation. Students interested in litigation should also take some specialized practice courses to complement their general litigation skills. Note: Those interested in large law firms should take business-oriented courses; those interested in small firm practice should take Family Law, Criminal Law, and Evidence.

3 - Estate Planning:
Some attorneys, in both large and small law firms, specialize in the planning and handling of wills, trusts, and estates. Students interested in this area should take Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning, and Probate Procedures; also of particular value in this area are Real Estate Practice and Torts, Contracts, & Elder Law.

4 - Recommended for all areas, particularly for those without prior legal experience:
Two courses are highly recommended regardless of the chosen area of law practice. Field Experience/Internship gives students practical on-the-job work experience in a supervised setting and makes a valuable addition to a résumé. Computer Applications in Law Practice enhances the student's basic computer skills with hands-on instruction in specific legal applications and is required for students who are not already working in a legal setting.

Electives & Their Specialty Areas

Specialty Areas
Electives	1	2	3	4
Administrative Law	•	•
Advanced Legal Research	•	•	•
Bankruptcy	•		•	•
Computer Applications**	•	•	•	•
Computer Applications II	•	•	•	•
Contemporary Legal Issues	•	•	•	•
Contracts	•		•	•
Corporations Law	•
Criminal Law		•
Elder Law	•	•	•	•
Employment Law	•	•
Environmental Litigation & Compliance	•	•	•	•
Evidence	•	•
Family Law		•
Paralegal Internship	•	•	•	•
Immigration Law	•	•
Intellectual Property	•	•
Introduction to Professional Legal Writing	•	•	•	•
Probate Procedures			•
Real Estate Practice			•	•
Torts		•	•	•
Trademarks & Patent	•	•	•	•
Wills, Trusts, & Estates			•

** required for students not working in law; elective for other students.

Certificate Requirements & Award

An academic certificate is awarded after successful completion of 30 units (including all required courses and elective courses). At least 21 units must be graded on an A-F basis. Required courses, PLS 300, 305, 310, 320, and 395 must be completed with a letter grade. See Grades for information on registering for courses on a credit/no credit basis. Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses and have a cumulative average of C+ to earn the certificate. All coursework must be completed within a four-year period and financial obligations to the University must be cleared. Students who graduate with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher will have honors identification on their certificates.

Download the Certificate Application.
(You will need Adobe Reader to view this PDF file.)

Summer 2012 Graduation Application Deadline:
August 3, 2012

An application for the certificate must be submitted no later than the date stated above in which a student intends to graduate. Application not received by the deadline will not be processed until the following semester. Please submit application to the front desk to the attention of the Paralegal Studies Program. Note: Those who do not have baccalaureate degrees must attach proof of passing PLS 414 to their graduation applications.

Register for Courses Early

Admission to the Paralegal Studies program does not guarantee a seat in class. Registration for individual courses is on a first-come basis. Early registration is strongly advised. See the Register pages.

Certificate Student Early Registration

Early registration for the summer semester for Paralegal Students is April 12, 2012.

Early registration will be available online 8:00am-12:00 midnight.

Early registration will be available, by staff and by phone, 9:00am-6:00pm at 415.405.7700.

Continuing Education Courses

These courses are offered for continuing education units and are graded on a credit/no credit basis. Evaluation criteria will be based on participation in class discussion. SF State certifies that an application is pending for re-approval of these activities for MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.

Continuing Education Courses are open to all legal professionals, current students and paralegal graduates. Graduate discounts do not apply to Continuing Education Course fees.

Summer 2012 CEU Courses

PLS 9007: Ethics Issues
PLS 9011: Cite-Checking
PLS 9019: International Law
PLS 9120: Summation
PLS 9165: CA State Notary
PLS 9178: E-Discovery/Evidence