MyCAA-APPROVED CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM
LEGAL WRITING SPECIALIST
The Legal Research & Writing course is designed to introduce students to legal thought, writing styles and research methods used in the profession every day.
CERTIFICATION: MOS
PROGRAM COSTS: Varies
COURSE CONTACT HOURS: 375
PROGRAM DURATION: 6 Months
EXTERNSHIP AVAILABLE: Yes
COURSES AVAILABLE THROUGH
Tyler Junior College TJC-L-WRIT
Download TJC Course Outline
Texas A&M TAMIU-L-WRIT
Download TAMIU Course Outline

The Legal Writing Specialist
The Legal Research & Writing course is designed to introduce students to legal thought, writing styles and research methods used in the profession every day. Students will be introduced to various methods used to solve clients’ problems by using effective research techniques, accurate and in-depth legal analysis, and the clear and concise written and oral communication that are paramount to the legal profession. As these skills can only improve with a great deal of practice, this course offers the foundation from which students can build on these skills for years to come.
The Legal Writing Specialist Program
For those students looking toward law school or who are interested in the paralegal profession, this program offers an incredibly useful and realistic look into the actual work that lawyers and legal professionals do every day. Using a problem-solving approach, students will use the tools and techniques introduced to represent a fictional client and provide the clients with legal advice. Students will learn essential skills of successful lawyers, including researching legal authorities, applying the law to a client’s situation, and communicating that analysis both in writing and verbally.
This program is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge of the tools available in law libraries, including both state and federal primary and secondary materials. Students will find, analyze, and solve problems in the legal world. In addition, students will adapt the research material into legal memoranda, briefs and other useful work product while communicating the results in a competent and ethical manner.
Certification Opportunities
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Summarize research practices used by a paralegal
- Analyze ethical issues related to research
- Describe the main products of legal research
- Analyze the facts in a case
- Classify legal research sources
- Differentiate mandatory authority from persuasive authority
- Research enacted law
- Analyze enacted law
- Research case law
- Analyze case law
- Use secondary sources as part of legal research
- Compare researched cases with client cases
- Validate case law using a citator
- Apply professional writing styles appropriate for legal communication
- Write a case brief
- Write an internal memorandum of law
- Prepare other legal documents
- Use Microsoft Office
Technical Requirements
WINDOWS USERS
- Windows 7, XP or Vista
- 56K modem or higher
- Soundcard & Speakers
- Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer
MAC OS USERS
- Mac OS X or higher (in classic mode)
- 56K modem or higher
- Soundcard & Speakers
- Apple Safari
SUPPORTED BROWSERS
System will support the two latest releases of each browser. When using older versions of a browser, users risk running into problems with the course software.
- Windows Users: Firefox, Chrome, Explorer
- Mac OS Users: Safari, Chrome, Firefox
SCREEN RESOLUTION
We recommend setting your screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels.
SUGGESTED PLUGINS
- Flash Player
- Real Player
- Adobe Reader
- Java
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