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Course Description
If you are currently pursuing or are interested in working in areas of law, this course will provide you with the background information you will need to get started. The increasing demand for paralegals, legal secretaries, and law clerks to help attorneys gather and evaluate evidence offers many job opportunities. This course will equip you with basic skills to more effectively deal with the gathering, preparation and presentation of evidence in both civil and criminal cases.
In today's modern American society, it seems that there is an ever-increasing amount of litigation in the United States court system.The act of filing a lawsuit for an increasing number of grievances, whether real or imagined, has become quite easy.And, as a consequence of less restrictive tort regulations, it becomes more and more likely that most Americans will spend at least some time in court at some point in their life.
While most experiences with court will be routine and mundane civil actions (i.e., without any criminal implications), evidence is still required to substantiate the claims of the parties involved.For criminal cases, the need for a solid understanding of what is admissible evidence becomes increasingly important.It can be seen that, in either of these situations, it is important to have a basic understanding of evidence law and how it works.In cases of life and death, an understanding of evidence is critically important.It can literally mean the difference between a guilty party being punished and being set free.It can also exonerate those falsely accused, thereby preserving the reputation of those truly innocent.
This introductory course is designed to familiarize the student with the basic concepts of United States law, the admission of evidence, different types of testimonies, burdens of proof, and more.
Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Law and Evidence
The different types of laws and trials.
Lesson 2: Lawsuits & Civil Procedure
The five stages of filing a civil suit.
Lesson 3: Evidence Law & Types of Evidence
This lesson describes the different types of evidence that may be presented in court and it's relevance.
Lesson 4: Opinions, Witnesses, and Expert Testimony
The difference between fact and opinion, and the importance of expert witnesses in their specialized field.
Lesson 5: Hearsay
The definition of the Hearsay Rule, and the exceptions to the rule.
Lesson 6: Illegally Obtained Evidence
How evidence is obtained and introduced and the exclusionary rule.
Lesson 7: Burden of Proof & Privileges
This lesson describes how evidence is used in a courtroom and the burden of proof. Privileged information which is off limit to prosecutors.
Lesson 8: Other Types of Evidence and the Future of Evidence Law
This lesson discusses additional categories of evidence and the changes to come.
Glossary of Terms
Important terminology of the court system.
Optional Certificates Awarded
Certificate of Merit
Certificate of Outstanding Achievement
In addition to the standard Certificate of Course Completion, Merit Awards may be issued by the instructor at his/her own discretion and are based on student achievement. Merit awards also incur an additional $30.00 processing fee that covers the customization, printing, and delivery of the award, as well as access to the UniversalClass™ Portfolio Service that documents your achievements online. Official Merit Awards have a serial number that verifies the authenticity of the award (great for employers to verify your achievement).
This is a non-credit course, and is provided for your personal enrichment.
This course is not intended to be a substitute for any state, government, licensing, or educational requirements.
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