Legal Assistant

Your at-home learning course includes 13 Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you’ll employ in your new career as a Legal Assistant. Your first Instruction Set will be sent to you as soon as your enrolment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with.

It is strongly recommended that you have access to a computer to derive full benefit from this course. The computer must be IBM®-compatible, with the following minimum system requirements: Pentium 233 MHz, or faster, computer (Pentium® III or better recommended); Windows® XP operating system, or Windows® 2000 with SP3, 128MB RAM; 260MB available hard disk space; CD-ROM or DVD drive; Super VGA (800x600) or higher resolution monitor, dial-up or broadband, Internet access and Internet browser software.

Here is an overview of what you’ll learn and the order in which you’ll receive your learning materials:

Instruction Set 1

• Learning Strategies
  • The advantages of learning at home; Types of study materials; Types of examinations; Accessing and using the features of our website; Determining what kind of learner you are; Establishing a study schedule; Using study tips; Preparing for and taking examinations.
• The Nature of the Legal Profession
  • Rules and history of the legal profession; Ethics pursuant to the National Bar Association and Provincial Bar Associations; A philosophy of law.

Instruction Set 2

• Legal Structure
  • Federal and lower court structures; Duties of each court and types of cases handled in each court.
• Time and Stress Management
  • Setting up a time management program; Handling
    work overload; Setting priorities and goals; Effective stress-management strategies.

Instruction Set 3

• Written Communication, Part 1
  • Parts of speech; Common grammatical errors; Punctuation; Capitalization.
• Written Communication, Part 2
  • Qualities of effective correspondence; Types of business correspondence; Letter styles; Common business letters; Editing and proofing.
• Written Communication, Part 3
  • Writing and speaking vocabularies; Common spelling errors; Using a thesaurus; Plural and possessive nouns; Electronic spell checkers.

Instruction Set 4

• How the Law Works
  • Early history of law and enforcement; The legal assistant’s vocabulary; The Canadian court system.
• Public Resources and How to Use Them
  • How to obtain information from public records; How to obtain the required forms to complete investigations; Obtaining and using information in all areas of the law as a tool for discovery, or supporting documents required in most litigation; Locating witnesses and organizing the material and exhibits.
• Graded Project: Practicing Your Investigative Skills

Instruction Set 5

• Interpersonal Communication
  • Voice and diction; Listening; Speaking; Eye contact; Body language.
• Graded Project: Interpersonal Communication
• Learning Aid: Online Audio File - Voice and Diction

Instruction Set 6

• Developing Critical Thinking Skills
  • Putting your mind to work; Follow the logic; Time to think for yourself.
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility
  • Professional ethics; Unauthorized practice of law; Conflict of interest; Keeping the client informed.
• Graded Project: Thinking Critically About Ethics

Instruction Set 7

• Business Law, Parts 1 and 2.
  • Contract law; Business operations; Advertising and selling.
• Torts
  • Negligence - The unintentional tort; Intentional torts; Nuisance.
• Graded Project:
• Torts

Instruction Set 8

• Technologies in the Office
  • Telephone communications, technologies, and services; Personal computers; Scanners; Postage meters.
• PC Basics
  • The impact of the PC on the workplace; Input devices; Storage devices; Software applications.
• Software: Typing Instructor

Instruction Set 9

• Law Office Computing
  • Computers in the law office; Purchasing software for the law office; Client fee arrangements; Computer-Assisted Legal Research and how CALR works.
• Internet Basics
  • Types of browsers; Multiple Search or Metasearch engines; Search utilities.
• Issues in Technology
  • Legal ethic rules for cellular phone calls; unencrypted and encrypted e-mails.
• Supplement: Canadian Information Sources: Legal and Nonlegal Databases.

Instruction Set 10

• Microsoft® Word
  • Editing and formatting documents; Creating and formatting tables; Merging Word documents.
• Graded Project: Microsoft® Word
• Learning Aid:
  • Software: Microsoft® Office
  • Textbook: Microsoft® Word

Instruction Set 11

• Legal Research and Writing
  • Legal Research resources: finding and updating statues; regulations and cases; techniques of legal reasoning and legal analysis; problem analysis and solving; writing the memorandum of law.
• Textbook: Legal Research and Writing

Instruction Set 12

• Legal Documents: Form, Content, and Style, Part 1
  • Complaint for personal injury/accident cases; Example
    of a general complaint and subsections useful in the complaint to fit various situations; Workers’ compensation and industrial cases with outline and/or standard forms that are used; Criminal Law: Misdemeanors, pleas, motions, and dispositions without trial.
• Legal Documents: Form, Content, and Style, Part 2
  • Bankruptcy; Landlord-tenant Law; eviction complaints and follow-up documents; Real Estate Law; Deeds; Contract of Sale; Listing agreements; Lease agreements; Escrow instruction.
• Legal Documents: Form, Content, and Style, Part 3
  • General forms used in family law; Terminology in the pleadings; Modification orders; Paternity and enforcement of court orders; Adoptions: agency, step parent, intercounty, adult; Outline and subsections of petitions used in adoptions; Guardianship; Forms for estates, wills, and trusts; Outlines and subsections for a will.

Instruction Set 13

• Criminal Litigation
  • Finding legal information; Crimes against person, property, and the public; The Legal Assistant’s role in the criminal process.
• Contract Law
  • Contractual capacity; Transfer of rights; Illegal and unenforceable contracts.

Graduation Set

• Online Research Service Component

Note: The graduation set will be sent when all course requirements and financial obligations have been met.

Online Library and Librarian
Students in ICS Canada have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with ICS Canada.

In order to further enhance your performance in this field, ICS has researched and recommended specific practical activities designed to complement your course work.

To ensure that you acquire the manual skills which are important in this program area, we encourage you to follow all of the course instructions.

Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.

IBM is a trademark of IBM Corporation registered in the United States of America
and/or other jurisdictions.

Pentium is a trademark of the Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.