Program Overview

University of La Verne Legal Studies Program

The University of La Verne offers a comprehensive Legal Studies program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the American legal system, its participants, and legal careers. The program introduces basic legal concepts, areas of law, ethical obligations, and the drafting of basic legal documents.

Program Courses

The Legal Studies program consists of a range of courses that cover various aspects of law, including:

• LS 301: American Legal Studies: Covers the American legal system, its participants, and legal careers. Introduces basic legal concepts, areas of law, ethical obligations, and the drafting of basic legal documents.
• LS 304: Legal Research and Writing: Introduces legal analysis and research methods for federal and state statutes and case law, using digests, encyclopedias, and other resources.
• LS 311: Law Office Computer Applications: Introduces law-office specific computer programs, such as time keeping, calendaring, and case management, as well as word processing, spreadsheet, and database systems.
• LS 321: Family Law: Covers marriage and marriage dissolution, including property rights, support, custody, and litigation.
• LS 328: Property and Real Estate Transactions: Examines property and title, transfer of title, acquisition and financing of real property, purchase agreements, escrows, and landlord/tenant rights and duties.
• LS 330: Business Organizations: Examines the nature, creation, and effect of the agency relationship; formation of partnerships and sole proprietorships, and characteristics and formation of corporations.
• LS 331: Bankruptcy: Examines debtors and creditor's rights, petitions, creditor claims, motions, stays, exemptions, and lien avoidance.
• LS 338: Intellectual Property: Covers trademarks, copyrights, and patents, and provides practical experience in each area.
• LS 340: Special Topics: Special topics in Legal Studies, which may be repeated twice with different topics.
• LS 345: Immigration Law & Procedure: Covers immigration and naturalization law and procedure in the United States.
• LS 350: Wills, Trusts, and Probate: Covers wills, trusts, and how they affect the transmission of family wealth; planning for property distribution and care of persons and assets after death; probate proceedings; and transfer of wealth without probate.
• LS 355: Advanced Research & Writing: Focuses on electronic legal research using Westlaw or Lexis and the internet, and includes the preparation of legal memoranda.
• LS 357: E Discovery: Covers the extent and value of electronic discovery, discovery methods and search goals for e discovery.
• LS 365: Litigation I: Covers civil litigation from investigation to discovery, including jurisdiction, standing, evidence, and court rules, and the drafting of complaints, answers, and other documents.
• LS 368: Litigation II: Covers civil litigation from discovery through trial and post-trial actions, including motions, points and authorities, summary judgment, and collection of judgments.
• LS 370: Criminal Law and Procedures: Examines crimes, defenses, procedural aspects in the criminal justice system, evidence rules, and rules to suppress evidence.
• LS 380: Torts: Studies tort law; bases of civil liability for harm caused another, including intentional torts, negligence, product liability, invasion of privacy, defamation, and misrepresentation.
• LS 390: Contracts: Covers general principles of contract, including formation, breach, defenses, and remedies.
• LS 399: Independent Study: Independent study in Legal Studies.
• LS 420: Critical Race Theory & the Foundations of Race and Law: Introduces students to the central tenets of Critical Race Theory, their application, and historic and modern-day examples.
• LS 425: The Economics of Racism: Examines racism and its intersection with law, policy, and economics.
• LS 490: Paralegal Internship & Ethics: Covers duties and responsibilities of attorneys and paralegals toward clients, public, courts, other attorneys, and paralegals; discipline of legal profession.
• LS 499: Senior Project: A culminating activity required by majors in all departments, which involves researching, preparing, and writing a paper or thesis under the guidance of a faculty member.