Paralegal Ethics & Professional Responsibility: Comprehensive Course Outline, Lab Reports of Business and Labour Law

Download Paralegal Ethics & Professional Responsibility: Comprehensive Course Outline and more Lab Reports Business and Labour Law in PDF only on Docsity! 1 RARITAN VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACADEMIC COURSE OUTLINE LEGL-132 LEGAL ETHICS & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY I. Basic Course Information A. Course Title and Number: LEGL-132 Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility B. Date of Revision: May 2006 C. Sponsoring Department: Business & Public Service D. Semester Credit Hours: 3 E. Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture: 3 Lab: 0 F. Prerequisites: None G. Laboratory Fees: None II. Catalog Description This legal specialty course introduces the student to the types of ethical situations and dilemmas they may encounter in the legal workforce. Students will learn applicable disciplinary rules for both the lawyer and the paralegal, in order to understand how to function responsibly as a legal professional. The content and course work is geared not only to the paralegal student, but also to the practicing paralegal and other legal professionals. III. Statement of Course Need Reliance on paralegals to handle many aspects of law office and litigation procedures is widespread among practicing lawyers and among institutions that employ persons with paralegal training. Therefore, this course is designed to provide students with an understanding of basic ethical principles that govern all legal professionals, as well as the ability to translate these rules into the concrete skills needed to function ethically in a legal setting. The successful student will come away with knowledge that is not only valued by a wide variety of potential employers, but also required by NJ State rules and American Bar Association accreditation as an essential part of a paralegal's professional education. 2 IV. Place of Course in College Curriculum A. • The course is an elective in the following programs: Paralegal Studies, AAS Degree and Certificate. B. Course transferability; this course will transfer to any school with a Paralegal Studies four year degree, which includes Montclair, Thomas Edison, and St. Elizabeth College in New Jersey. It will also transfer to any four year institution offering an ABA approved paralegal program of study. V. Outline of Course Content A. Introduction 1. Legal Ethics Defined (3 hours) 2. Regulation of Attorneys (3 hours) a. ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility b. ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct c. N.J. Rules of Professional Conduct d. Supreme Court Advisory Opinions & Relevant Case Law 3. Regulation of Paralegals (3 hours) a. History of the Paralegal Profession b. Supervision/Liability as Attorney’s Agent & Employee c. Growth of Certification & Licensing d. Role of National Professional Paralegal Organizations 4. Existing Regulatory Codes (3 hours) a. ABA Guidelines for Utilization of Paralegals b. N.J. Proposed Code of Paralegal Conduct c. Permissible Functions of Paralegals by Practice Areas B. Unauthorized Practice of Law (6 hours) 1. Statutory & Case Law History 2. Attorney Responsibility to Prevent 3. Specific Practice Areas constituting Unauthorized Practice 4. Disclosure of Paralegal Status 5. Paralegals as Independent Contractors C. Confidentiality 1. General Principles (1 hour) 2. Attorney/Client Privilege (1 hour)