Legal Studies Courses
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Paralegal Certificate Course
Advanced Paralegal Certificate Course
Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course
Legal Secretary Certificate Course
Legal Investigation Certificate Course
Offered in Live, Online and Correspondence Formats
INTRODUCTION

Tammy Anhalt-Warner
Assistant Director of Training
Center for Continuing Studies
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University
Distinctions
 2nd
largest university in Minnesota
 Offers
more than 200 academic programs
 Over 17,000 students
 Nearly 60,000 additional people served
through the Center for Continuing Studies
Center for Continuing Studies

We bring students to the university by taking the
university to students.

Corporate Education & Outreach provides professional
development training to upgrade skills to stay
competitive in today's aggressive job market.
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Examples: Certificate Programs, Workshops and
Seminars, Test Preps, Senior to Sophomore Program
(youth), Online Learning, Summer Programs,
Conference Planning, etc.
PARTNERSHIP WITH CLS
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St. Cloud State University has partnered with The
Center for Legal Studies (CLS) to deliver these
nationally acclaimed Certificate Programs.
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CLS brings decades of experience in the delivery of
online coursework with a focus on curriculum for
the legal profession.
MESSAGE FROM CLS
 Since
1980, CLS has educated thousands of
students through colleges and universities
around the country who wish to pursue work
as legal support professionals.
 Programs
are designed to meet the highest
state requirement for working paralegals in
the country, currently California (California
Business and Professions Code § 6450).
JOB PROSPECTS
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, job projections
for the paralegal profession continue to show faster-thanaverage employment growth.
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Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of
paralegals is expected to grow 28% between 2008 and
2018.

Findings show that the demand for paralegals is increasing
as employers, in an effort to reduce costs, hire paralegals to
perform tasks that have traditionally been carried out by
attorneys.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Paralegal & Advanced Paralegal Certificates
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Students are trained to perform legal research and are
taught the writing skills necessary to become a successful
paralegal.
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After completing both certificates, students who hold a
Bachelors degree in any subject may choose to take the
voluntary NALA CLA exam to receive the title of Certified
Legal Assistant – Paralegal from the National Association of
Legal Assistants.
MEETS NALA EXAM
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The St. Cloud State University paralegal programs meet the
requirements for taking the voluntary Certified Paralegal exam
(in 2 ways):
A
A
post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies
bachelors degree in any field plus one year of experience
as a paralegal – Successful completion of at least 225 clock
hours of substantive paralegal courses are considered
equivalent to one year of experience as a paralegal. This
program is 360 clock hours which exceeds the requirem ent.
PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE
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Complete 90 clock hours - gain an overview of the
legal system, legal research, legal writing, civil
procedure, ethics, criminal law, criminal procedure,
criminal evidence, torts and contracts
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Grades are based on:
• completion of weekly tests
• participation in classroom or online forum discussion
• writing assignments
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Locate commonly used legal reference materials
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Explain how the sources of law research materials are
used, their hierarchy, and the difference between
primary, secondary, and finding tool resources
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Identify and frame a simple legal issue; identify the
facts that relate to it
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Conduct legal research using a computer-assisted legal
research tool, such as WESTLAW
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Articulate the parts of a well-written legal opinion
and formal legal memorandum and the purpose each
serves
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Prepare a formal legal memorandum dealing with a
simple legal issue
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Use citations in written legal material
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Articulate the significant differences between an
objective memorandum and persuasive writing
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Brief a case
ADVANCED PARALEGAL
CERTIFICATE
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Complete 270 clock hours - choose six (6) required
topics to build upon the Paralegal Certificate that is a
prerequisite for the course
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Specialized online classes extensively build upon
students’ knowledge of law and paralegal studies,
with content that focuses on specialized facets of
contemporary law
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Each course topic is offered in a 7-week online
session, and students may take up to 3 topics per 7week session (14 weeks total)
ADVANCED PARALEGAL:
ADVANCED TOPICS
• Bankruptcy Law
•Advanced Legal Research
•Victim Advocacy
•Mediation / ADR
•Criminal Law
•Business Law and Practices
•Family Law
•Immigration Law
•Water Law
•Education Law
•Criminal Procedure
•Intellectual Property
•Real Property Law
•Estate Planning: Probate, Wills, and Trusts
•Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties
COURSE OFFERINGS
Legal Nurse Consultant Training Certificates
Builds on your medical education and clinical
experience
 Provides the fundamental skills necessary to advise
law firms, heath care providers, insurance
companies and government agencies regarding
complex legal/medical issues.
 Training to become an expert witness providing
testimony in a court of law.
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COURSE OFFERINGS
Legal Secretary Certificate Course
 Designed for beginning and experienced secretaries
who are interested in improving their skills and
working more efficiently within a law office.
 Topics: legal terminology; legal process; jurisdiction
and venue; ethics; written communications including
letters, pleadings, discovery, notices and motions;
filing procedures, billing and accounting; time
management; record management; an overview of
commonly used word and data processing programs;
legal research; memoranda preparation; and citation
format.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Legal Investigation Certificate Course
Designed for those interested in pursuing a new career and those
presently working in the legal field.
Will be qualified to assist attorneys, paralegals, insurance
companies, private businesses, and state & federal government
agencies in the process of civil and criminal investigation.
Students will be taught how to create a freelance investigation
business.
Subject areas: arson investigation, products liability investigation,
personal injury and traffic accident forensics, employment accidents,
investigation of financial and equity matters, professional
malpractice and negligence, skip-tracing, and the role of a legal
investigator in preparing for civil and criminal litigation.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
• Adult Learners - as affordable and convenient
credentialing options that meet their academic and
job-seeking goals in a short span of time
• Current College Students - students who need to fit
this additional credentialing coursework into their regular
credit-bearing course schedule during any academic
semester
• College Graduates - students who seek
work in the legal profession even while pursuing
graduate or law school
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
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Live sessions are typically 6 weeks long.
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Online sessions are 7 weeks each
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Paralegal and Advanced Paralegal Courses: 2 sessions
each (14 weeks to complete each course)
LNC, LS, LI courses: 1 session each
Online participants should expect to spend at least
8-15 hours/week
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Reading
Preparing and Writing Assignments
Preparing For and Taking Tests
PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS
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Students consent to a Course Use and Plagiarism Policy
whereby they agree that they will submit only their own
work and that they will cite additional sources used.
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Students must have access to the Internet for live lecture
and online formats.
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The Paralegal Certificate is the prerequisite for the
Advanced Paralegal Certificate.
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RN certification is required for the Legal Nurse Consulting
certificate course.
CLS INSTRUCTORS
 Per
contract with St. Cloud State University,
The Center for Legal Studies hires instructors
who are highly qualified attorneys and
paralegals with years of relevant experience in
the legal field.
 Online
Students have access via email to their
CLS instructor throughout the online course.
Online Log-In / Support
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Students receive a personal course username and password via
email from CLS at the start of each session
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CLS posts six (6) online sessions throughout the year.
Students may log into the CLS Web site to begin their courses
at the start of any session and course content is available 24
hours a day for the duration of the course.
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In addition to students having access via email to their CLS
instructor throughout the online course, CLS provides ongoing
administrative and technical support for students.
Granting of Certificate
 Upon
CLS notification of successful
course completion, St. Cloud State
University awards the Certificate
directly to the student.
2012 COSTS
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Paralegal Certificate
•$1189 tuition
•Approximately $360 for required books
•$89 for online WESTLAW legal research access
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Advanced Paralegal Certificate
•$1650 tuition ($275 per topic for six topics)
•Required books (minimal)
•$89 for online WESTLAW legal research access
*Books/WESTLAW Access: Students order books and gain WESTLAW access by
phone or online. Students may order books/WESTLAW access via their own
resources or from the CLS Web site.
2012 COSTS

Legal Nurse Consultant Course
•$849 tuition
•Approximately $175 for required books
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Legal Secretary Certificate Course
•$575 tuition
•$50-$75 for required books (depending on format)
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Legal Investigation Course
•$575 tuition
•$20-$60 for required books (depending on format)
2012 – 2013 SCHEDULE
 Live
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October 13 – November 18, 2012
 Six
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Lecture: (Paralegal only)
Online Sessions per Year:
October 15 – November 30 (next start date)
January 14 – March 1, 2013
March 11-April 26, 2013
May 6- June 21, 2013
July 1 – August 16, 2013
August 26 – October 11, 2013
HOW TO REGISTER
WWW.SCSUTRAINING.COM/legal
(320) 308-4723
WWW.LEGALSTUDIES.COM
(800) 522-7737
CONTACTS
Tammy Anhalt-Warner
Corporate Education & Outreach
St. Cloud State University
320-308-4252
www.scsutraining.com/legal
Center for Legal Studies
800.522.7737
info@legalstudies.com
Q&A
Thank you!