Career Focused Education

A 15-week course was developed by real-life attorneys who run a successful litigation practice and who have been teaching, hiring, and training paralegals for years. Drawing on years of feedback from paralegal students, full-time paralegals, attorneys, and others in the legal field, they have formulated this nearly perfectly balanced curriculum that combines the most relevant legal topics with the most practical skills used in real law firms.

15-Week Course

Proven Curriculum

Expert Instructors

Curriculum Overview

Our paralegal certification curriculum consists of the following two courses taught concurrently over a 15-week period.

Using AI in Paralegal Work

A Core Supplement to Our Paralegal Curriculum

Course A: The Practicum

In this course, you will be learning the skills a paralegal needs to fulfill their daily duties. As part of the class, you will be a part of the fictional “Almost Attorney Law Firm.” A hypothetical client will hire your law firm, and you will immediately be assigned to work on the client’s case. You will be given some case materials, but to get a complete picture of the facts of your case, you’ll have to write a demand letter, file a lawsuit, initiate discovery, and then get information via subpoena and written discovery. Once you have everything you need for your case, you will prepare a motion for summary judgment in hopes that you can bring an end to your client’s case without the need for trial.

At the same time, you will be paired with another student and act as the defense firm, responding to their discovery requests and providing them with information they need for their case.

The Practicum course will teach you three broad categories of skills: writing skills, legal skills, and law practice skills.

Writing Skills

Starting on day one, we disabuse you of the notion that writing like an attorney is a good thing. Instead, we focus on teaching you how to write clearly, simply, and most importantly—persuasively. We’ll cover the following topics related to legal writing:

• Legalese and why to avoid it
• Why typography matters
• Selecting the right word for persuasion
• Using real names to refer to parties
• Basics of type composition
• Structuring your argument to be persuasive: IRAC
• Basics of text formatting
• Simplicity in writing
• Advanced type composition
• Writing from the perspective of the defendant
• Words to avoid using
• Basics of page layout
• Writing a good heading
• Advanced text formatting
• Advanced page layout
• Summarizing witness testimony
• Gender and pronouns in writing
• When to use passive voice
  

Legal Skills

If you’re going to be working in a legal environment, you’re going to need to learn to use the tools of the trade:

• Introduction to the legal system
• Legal vocabulary
• U.S. Constitution and court structure
• Paralegal ethics
• Finding the elements of your claim
• Introduction to legal research
• Introduction to the law library
• How to use case law
• Litigation process
• Lexis Nexus and Westlaw
• Shepards and Key Cite
  

Law Practice Skills

This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. You’ll learn to create the very documents you’ll be creating in a law firm and understand where they fit in to the legal process:

• Screening cases
• Initiating a claim
• Drafting a letter of representation/preservation of evidence letter
• Drafting a demand letter
• Using the electronic filing system
• Drafting a complaint
• Calendaring
• Drafting initial disclosures
• Drafting a joint case conference report
• Billing for your time
• Using practice management software
• Managing a law firm
• Drafting written discovery
• Drafting a subpoena
• Responding to written discovery
• Drafting a motion
• Using etiquette in a law firm
• Creating a resume
• Learning how to interview
  

Course B: The Law

In this course you’ll be learning the actual law, including statutory, administrative, and common law. You’ll also be learning the rules that apply to litigation. The course will include the law of torts, contracts, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, and family law.

Torts

A tort is a civil wrong against a person or property. For each of the following torts, you’ll learn the elements (what must be proven to prevail) and the defenses:

• Negligence
• Battery
• Assault
• False Imprisonment
• Defamation (including libel and slander)
• Invasion of Privacy
• Appropriation
• False Light
• Public Disclosure of Private Facts
• Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
• Conversion
• Trespass to Chattel
• Product Defect
• Breach of express and implied warranties
• Trespass to Land
• Fraud
• Nuisance
  

Contracts

Whereas torts impose a legal duty to act in a certain way, contract law is the enforcement of those duties that people voluntarily assume. In this course, we’ll cover the following:

• Formation of a contract
• Protected classes
• Statute of frauds
• Uniform commercial code
• Parol evidence rule
• Contract construction and interpretation
• Impracticability of performance
• Frustration of purpose
• Material breach
• Promissory estoppel
• Novation
• Unjust enrichment
• Assignment of a contractual right
• Delegation of a contractual duty
• Justification for breach
• Conditions precedent
• Conditions subsequent
• Conditions concurrent
  

Criminal Law and Procedure

In this section we’ll cover the most common constitutional protections, the criminal legal system generally, and criminal procedure:

• Searches and seizures
• Cruel and unusual punishment
• Due process
• When a warrant is needed
• Standards of proof
• Habeus corpus
• Criminal intent and mental states
• Actus reus
• Indictments and grand juries
• Arraignment
• Bail
• Plea bargains and grants of immunity
• Brady material
• Sentencing
  

Civil Procedure

Civil procedure covers the rules that govern how a civil case may be pursued and includes the following:

• Filing v service
• Service of process
• Form of pleadings
• Representations to the court
• Motion practice
• Amending pleadings
• Mandatory disclosures
• Early case conferences
• Depositions
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Court-annexed arbitration
• Binding arbitration
• Trial
• Offers of Judgment
• Discovery objections
• Privilege
  

Family Law

Family law is the area of law that governs family relationships. In this course, you’ll learn the following:

• Separate v. community property
• Calculations of child support
• Determinations of child custody
• Paternity
• Grounds for divorce
• Grounds for an annulment
• Spousal support/alimony
• Dividing various types of property among divorcing spouses
  

Ready for a Career Change?

Attend Our 30-Minute Info Session Online and Receive a $500 Coupon Off of Your Tuition!

Come learn how to transform your interest in the law into a rewarding career! In this info session you will learn more about our program and have the opportunity to ask questions about the course, tuition, financing, and more. 

We're excited to help you begin your journey to learn the skills you need to confidently enter the legal field and launch your paralegal career.

Your Path to Success

Student Success

Our curriculum has a long track record of successfully landing our students in paralegal positions at law firms nationwide.

Meet Our Instructors

Learn from the best! Our courses are taught by seasoned legal professionals. They bring valuable insights and real-world perspectives to the classroom, providing you with a learning experience that goes beyond textbooks. Meet the current instructors at the Las Vegas Paralegal Institute campus:

Matthew began his legal career working in the field of Estate Planning immediately out of law school because he knew that this field was going to allow him help people in a way that would positively impact the remainder of their lives. 

Matthew now owns and operates a medium-sized law firm that hires numerous paralegals. Matthew’s experience hiring and training paralegals inspired his passion for teaching and also inspired the development of the Paralegal Institute curriculum. 

Mallory is passionate about imparting legal skills to her students and equipping them with the tools they need to excel in their careers. Mallory was hired by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to teach paralegals in their certificate program immediately after she graduated from the program due to her demonstrated proficiency. Mallory was also hired by a litigation law firm immediately after her graduation from UNLV’s paralegal program and quickly became the lead paralegal of that firm based on her demonstrated skill and knowledge. 

Career Outlook & Program

That Fits Your Life

Transform Your Interest in the Law into a Rewarding Career!

Don’t waste your precious time and money on courses that take years to teach you subjects that you will never use as a paralegal. The Paralegal Institute Curriculum teaches the skills and subjects paralegals need to find a job and then enter the legal field with well-earned confidence.