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updated: 7/26/00
David C. Jordan, Esq. Attorney at Law (SBN # 69052)
Director-Paralegal Studies Program
Telephone: (Campus) 818/364 -7720
Voicemail & Pager 818/546-7060
E-Mail: abogado@pacbell.net
Monday-Thursdays 4:00 to 5:45 PM or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Catalog: Paralegal Internships is a "hands on",
practical work experience with a California Attorney who monitors
the work product of the intern. Although there is class work,
the main emphasis of this course is to provide "actual work
experience to the paralegal. "The primary concern of legal
assistance education is to develop occupational competence"
states the ABA, and the Paralegal Internships is one important
aspect of the Mission College Paralegal Studies Program to accomplish
this goal of "occupational competence."
The Paralegal Internship provides "hands on" work experience
for the Mission College Paralegal Student to better prepare him/her
to enter the paralegal job market.
The student will learn to perform basic legal work and tasks under
the supervision of both a faculty member and an assigned practicing
attorney. The student will participate in both classroom work
including related textbook readings, classroom participation &
instruction, written projects, quizzes, written assignments and
discussions, along with meeting and conferring with both the faculty
member and assigned attorney to discuss the scope, nature, and
content of work, to review rough and final drafts of assigned
work projects, and then to give a final evaluation of the work
product of the student.
COURSE TEXT
Paralegal Internship Manual - by Charles P. Nemeth, JD, LLM 2nd Edition, Pearson Publications Company, Dallas, Texas, ISBN 0-929563-32-8, Copyright, 1995, 1996. Available at the Campus Bookstore or directly from Pearson Publications (972) 661-8800 · Fax (972) 661-8701 e-mail address: pearsonpub@aol.com
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. The student will be introduced to a "hands on work
experience" which will include both classroom instruction,
and "experiential learning and work" through the exchange
of work product between student and an assigned supervising mentor
practicing attorney.
2. The student will learn to "think critically" in law,
to learn to work in the paralegal work force, to become sensitive
to legal ethics, to handling attorney-client confidential work
materials, to time management, office politics, and performing
the role, tasks and obligations as an "paralegal employee
in the paralegal work force".
The classroom work will include quizzes,
related textbook readings, the postings to "threaded
discussions", and assignments.
The assignments require the student to take a preliminary self-assessment
about their skills, and abilities, to prepare a resume, to set
out specific internship objectives, and to define their role,
tasks, and obligations during the paralegal internship experience.
3. The student will learn how to do legal
research in the area of law assigned to by the faculty member
and the assigned participating attorney.
4. The student will
improve his/her writing skills and legal
drafting/writing skills.
5. The student will improve
their study skills and will improve
how they study law.
GRADING & EVALUATION
The class will be composed of quizzes, postings to an "electronic
bulletin board"
threaded discussions, and written projects, including the preparation
of documents related to the assigned work project, and use of
the new posting called "cyberdocs"
utilized to transfer work projects between the paralegal intern
and the attorney.
Grades will be posted on the internet using Microsoft excel. There
will be a column for each quiz, project, and posting. Grades will
be posted for each student under their last four numbers of their
social security number in order to preserve confidentiality.
The due date for each posting, project, and assignment, will be stated, verbally in class, by posting to the class bulletin board, or calendar, or by emailing through the Class Listbot. Students are required to join the Class Listbot at the beginning of the class. The student is held responsible and accountable for checking regularly the web "calendar", "updates", archive of listbot messages, and extra credit is given for participating in the "one minute paper" after each assignment, and/or posting.
Note: Many students ask about the point grade. It is calculated by taking the total number of actual points earned to date, divided by the total amount of possible points to date and multiplying it by 100 to give a percentage grade. At the upper left column, under "perfect student", SS#, the actual total possible points (to date) are listed for the use in calculating the students grade.
The "letter grade" scale is as follows.
A = 90-100 percent of total points
B = 80-90
C = 65-80
D = 55-65
F = Below 55
Attendance: It is essential that you attend class. It is not an optional requirement. You are allowed ONLY three (3) sick days, or absent days, and no more. Part of your grade will consist of your attendance record. Students who do not attend regularly will be excluded by the instructor. It is the responsibility of the student to drop the class if they cannot attend the classes and it is not the instructor's responsibility. Many students expect the instructor to drop them when they do not show up for class. Students who fail to continue attending class, and who do not drop the class, and who are not excluded by the instructor, will receive a letter grade of "F" at the end of the semester.
STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS & TESTS
1. LECTURE NOTES
2. QUIZZES
3. ASSIGNMENTS
4. DISCUSSIONS
5. POSTING WORK
PROJECTS TO "CYBERDOCS"
COMPUTER POLICY
This class frequently uses materials which are posted on
the world wide web. Students are encouraged to learn
computer skills, including word processing, and use of the
internet. No computer skills are required for this class. The
student will learn, and will be taught the necessary skills to
access materials for this class from the class webpage. The first
time student is encouraged to take
a tour of the web page, and then to test their knowledge of
our webpage by taking the
quiz on the tour of our webpage.
The primary web address for this class is http://internships.itgo.com/class.
The secondary site (only if the primary site is not work - which
is rare) is http://missionlaw.itgo.com/internships
All materials for this class may be printed from the web
site. If the student does not have access to a computer at home
or at work, the materials may be printed out (at $.10 -ten cents
per copy) in the Learning Resource Center. The student should
obtain print cards for $1 or $5 purchased on the 2nd Floor of
the Learning Resource Center, for from the Business Office during
regular business hours.
All quizzes, assignments, and postings may be submitted, in writing,
by the student, at the time and dates due. Students are not required
to purchase or own or use a computer for their assignments. The
use of the web site for the class is in conjunction with the lectures,
class attendance and participation, and is intended to supplement
the learning of the assignments, and to provide easier access
for students.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Spring
2001 Paralegal Classes
You may register for your Fall Classes at LACCD.
*syllabus is subject to change. Please note revision dates ("last
updated") above. Students are responsible for the most recent
updated version of this syllabus. Prof. Jordan