Program Overview

Introduction to the Paralegal Program

The Paralegal Certificate program, offered by Emory Continuing Education (ECE), is Georgia's longest-running post-baccalaureate paralegal program. This comprehensive program prepares college graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the legal profession.

Program Overview

The program consists of Introduction to Law, Civil Litigation, Legal Research & Writing, and Contract Law, totaling 75 classroom hours. Students will learn about state and federal court systems while conducting research using Westlaw, writing memos, and creating discovery documents. Areas of study also include attorney/paralegal ethics, contracts, and additional legal terms and court procedures.

Certificates

Paralegal Certificate

The Paralegal Certificate program prepares college graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the legal profession.

Legal Specialization Courses

These courses are not scheduled regularly and instead are offered based on popular interest.

• Criminal Law: Learn the fundamental concepts basic to an understanding of criminal law and criminal procedure.
  • Course details include learning the complexities of criminal law.
• E-Discovery: Learn the complexities and challenges of electronic discovery and apply industry best practices for managing e-discovery projects.
  • Course details include learning the best practices for e-discovery.
• Family Law: Learn about the areas of family law including: marriage, pre-nuptial agreements, divorce, child custody, and adoption.
  • Students will create all forms required for a GA divorce.
• Immigration Law: Learn the terms, concepts, and practical applications of family, employment and litigation-based immigration law.
  • Topics include client intake and database/case management, as well as highly pertinent humanitarian/immigration issues.
• Intellectual Property: An examination of the four major areas of intellectual property law: trademark, copyright, patent, and trade secret.
  • Related topics including trade names, restrictive covenants and social media may be addressed.
• Medical Records And Terminology For The Legal Professional: Learn foundational skills for deciphering and understanding medical acronyms, symbols, and other critical terminology.
  • Additionally, successful participants will learn how to obtain medical records via the discovery process and label common parts of medical notes.
• Real Estate Law: Learn the basic principles involved in real and personal property law and gain a practical understanding of real estate transactions, landlord-tenant issues, and land use restrictions.
• Torts & Personal Injury Law: Learn about the legal system surrounding civil wrongs that do not arise from contractual relationships.
• Wills, Trusts & Estates: Learn the foundations of estate planning, wills, trusts, and the probate process.
  • Students will be exposed to the drafting of wills and the creation of trusts.