PLS 250 - Paralegal Communication Skills
This course provides basic communications skills needed by paralegals as perceived by both paralegals and the lawyers with whom they work. These skills include: listening, writing, speaking, conflict resolution, assertiveness, and nonverbal communications. Listening activities include: exercises which develop active listening strategies and notetaking. Writing activities include exercises to construct clear sentences, compose letters which obtain and transmit information, and summarize facts. Speaking activities include exercises to fully, clearly and effectively obtain and relay information. Nonverbal activities include strategies and tactics for effective law office communications. Students learn to identify their own communication styles and methods for improving their communication effectiveness. Must be matriculated into the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program. 1 Credit.

Prerequisite(s): PLS 260 or permission of program director.

PLS 255 - Law Office Technology
Provides students with an understanding of current trends in technology for use in various legal environments and commonly used software and applications. Students will learn about and evaluate different case management systems with functionality for timekeeping, accounting, administration, docketing, and litigation management and support. Additional topics covered include: ethical issues related to technology, cybersecurity, e-discovery, artificial intelligence and legal analytics. Students will gain hands-on experience with a number of tools that are available to assist with law office organization and case management. 2 Credits.

Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of PLS 260, or permission of program director.

PLS 256 - Criminal Law and Procedure for Paralegals
This course introduces students to criminal law and procedure, including an overview of the criminal justice system, basic principles of criminal law, types of offenses, legal defenses, discovery and disclosure, pretrial motions and plea bargaining, the trial, sentencing, and appeals. Students will learn how to prepare various pleadings and documents and the role of the paralegal in criminal law cases. 2 Credits.

Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of PLS 260 with a grade of C or higher, or permission of program director. PLS 260 can be taken concurrently.

PLS 260 - Introduction to Paralegal Studies
Introduces the student to the paralegal profession and the common core of legal knowledge and skills that all paralegals should possess. Areas covered include: what paralegals do, a history of the profession, the significance of paralegal professional associations, personal attributes of the professional paralegal, employment of paralegals, paralegal specialized practice areas, paralegal compensation, the organizational structure of law firms, the regulation of legal professionals, unauthorized practice of law, and contemporary issues. Aspects of these topics are also included in subsequent courses. This course also introduces students to sources of American law, the court system, and alternative dispute resolution. Emphasis is on the paralegal's participation on the legal team. 2 Credits.

PLS 263 - Contract Law for Paralegals
Provides paralegal students with the basic theory of contract law, sample contracts from a variety of specialized practice areas, supplemental cases, and the opportunity to draft simple contracts. Included in the course are the basic contract requirements, contract provisions in selected specialized practice areas, the Statute of Frauds, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Students learn key contract terms, sample clauses, perform exercises, draft simple contracts, and conduct case analysis. Since the substantive area of contract law underlies many other specialty areas it is important that the well trained paralegal can analyze the needs of the client both short term and long range. This class will also explore how paralegals can apply the elements of reasoning and thereby increase the effectiveness of the legal entity. In this area this course will draw on concepts from the domains of critical thinking and analysis, total quality management and closely allied philosophy of continuing quality improvement, communications which build trust, conflict management and resolution, and decision making. 2 Credits.

Prerequisite: PLS 260

PLS 264 - Administrative Law
This course introduces students to a rapidly expanding area of law. Students will learn how and why administrative agencies are created, how they establish rules, and how they investigate and enforce those rules. Students will also learn how to assist clients to obtain benefits under some administrative agencies, how to fill out administrative agencies' forms, and how to challenge administrative agencies' decisions. Some administrative agencies, including the Social Security Administration, permit non-attorney representatives, including paralegals, to represent clients. Federal and New York administrative agencies are covered. 1 Credit.

Prerquisite/Corequisite(s): Successful completion of, or concurrent enrollment in, PLS 260- Introduction to Paralegal Studies and PLS 266- Legal Research and Writing; or permission from the program director.

PLS 265 - Fact-Finding Research
Provides students with strategies for fact-finding and investigation. Included in the courses are interviewing techniques for gathering information from clients, witnesses and agencies. Also included are investigative techniques for determining what information is needed and finding, organizing, verifying and documenting the information. Fact-finding research is an important aspect of paralegal responsibility. Students will learn to develop critical thinking skills, communicate effectively while in pursuit of information, and apply good judgement and common sense when encountering ethical problems. 1 Credit.

PLS 266 - Legal Research and Writing
Students develop legal research and analysis strategies through lecture, library exercises, and computerized research. Understanding the structure of the sources of law and utilizing critical thinking skills equip students to undertake legal research systematically. Students use federal and New York State CD-ROM and law books consisting of substantive and procedural documents, digests, reporters, statutes, rules and regulations of administrative agencies, and the Internet to research databases and communicate with others. Writing exercises involve analyzing, summarizing, and synthesizing research in a clear, concise, accurate and timely manner based upon the procedural requirements of the law. 3 Credits.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of PLS 260, or permission of program director.

PLS 267 - Litigation and the Federal and NYS Procedural Laws
Provides students with the knowledge, skills and practice performing the duties of the litigation paralegal. Through the use of case simulations, students learn to gather, review, index and summarize documents, and to work with the lawyer and legal secretary to manage case files through pretrial, trial and post-trial stages. Guided by federal and New York State procedural laws, and rules and regulations of New York and local court rules, students learn to draft common litigation correspondence, notices and legal documents. These include summons, complaints, answers, motions, affidavits, subpoena, discovery documents, and orders. Students are introduced to the tools used in litigation: manual and computer-based document control systems, deposition exhibitions cross-reference mechanisms, trial notebook categories, trial witness coordinating forms, and trial exhibits tracking forms. Litigation tasks in this course form the foundation for paralegal litigation responsibilities in family law, real estate, debtor/creditor law, criminal law, and personal injury law. Also introduced in this course are automated litigation support systems and an overview of the potential areas for paralegal participation on document production. 3 Credits.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of PLS 260.