LEGAL ASSISTANT STUDIES MINOR
18 hours including Legal Assistant Studies 101 and 210, and 12 hours of legal assistant studies electives (excluding LAS 325, 401, 470, 497, 498 and 499). At least nine (9) of the 12 hours must be at the 300-400 level.
Minimum 2.0 average required in all courses attempted for the minor.
LEGAL ASSISTANT STUDIES COURSES (LAS)
001 Legal Assistant Professional Experience (0)
Registered course for no credit to acknowledge employment as a full time legal assistant for at least one year in the past five years.
101 Law and The Legal Assistant (3)
Introduction to the study of law and the legal system the legal assistant in the legal system; an overview of the skills of the legal assistant including legal interviewing, investigating and professional ethics. Fall semester.
170 Introduction to Criminal Law (3)
An overview of both substantive and procedural law related to the definitions, investigations, processing and punishment of crimes, providing students with an overall understanding of the articulation between law and the criminal justice system. It also reviews the historical foundations of criminal law, elements of crime, purposes and functions of law, limits of the law, and the function of law in American society. Formerly Criminal Justice 170.
199r Special Projects (1-4)
Individual or group projects. Every semester. Prerequisites: approval of instructor.
210 Legal Research and Writing (3)
Introduction to primary and secondary legal sources including federal and state court reports; legal digests and Shepard's annotated law reports; federal administrative law; legal periodicals with indices; treatises and restatements; and research aids. Fall semester.
220 Real Property Law (3)
Review of substantive law relating to real estate transactions. On demand.
225 Commercial Law (3)
Introduction to the execution, validity and enforcement of contracts, mortgages, pledge assignments and other security devices. Overview of federal and state law regulating consumer credit and collection procedures. On demand.
230 Estate and Trust Law (3)
Introduction of Tennessee substantive law of successions and dominions, including wills and estate administration. On demand.
235 Litigation I (3)
Introduction and analysis of the litigation process in federal and state courts. Lectures are supplemented with drafting practice. Fall semester.
240 Business Organizations (3)
Analysis of sole proprietorship, partnerships and corporations from a legal perspective. On demand.
245 Family Law (3)
Review of substantive law relating to marriage, children and property. On demand.
250 Personal Injury Practice (3)
An examination of tort, worker’s compensation and insurance law as it relates to personal injury. On demand. Prerequisite: LAS 210.
300 Interviewing and Investigation (3)
An in-depth study of principles, methods and investigative techniques utilized to locate, gather, document and disseminate information The emphasis will be on developing interviewing and investigating skills intended to prepare the legal assistant to communicate effectively. On demand.
325 Legal Aspects of Non-Profit Management (3)
The course examines the emerging legal issues facing nonprofit agencies by studying pertinent constitutional, statutory and case law. Moreover, students will be exposed to case studies to assist them in connecting law and agency practice. Fall Semester. May also be registered as PANM 325. No credit for both LAS 325 and PANM 325.
350 Law of Evidence (3)
Introduction to the law of evidence in Federal and State (Tennessee) Courts including the purpose and construction; burden of proof; admissibility and presumptions; relevancy; privileges and hearsay. On demand. Prerequisite: LAS 235.
360 Law Office Management and Computer Applications (3)
A study of the techniques and approaches for the efficient operation of a law office through the utilization of computer software programs. Fall semester. Prerequisites: LAS 101 and Computer Science 110.
390 Advanced Legal Research and Writing (3)
Utilization of traditional and computerized legal research methods in written assignments. Emphasis is on the analysis of fact situations, methods of effective research and use of legal materials in working practical problems; examination of basic and advanced search techniques using the major legal databases Lexis and Westlaw. Spring semester. Prerequisites: LAS 210 and Computer Science 110.
400 Intellectual Property Law (3)
The law of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets including the search, selection, registration and transfer process. United States and International intellectual property laws discussed. On demand. Prerequisites: LAS 101 and 225 or approval of instructor.
401 Constitutional Law (3)
An examination of the leading constitutional principles pertaining to modern criminal procedure. Fall semester. Prerequisites: Criminal Justice 110 or LAS 101. Formerly Criminal Justice 400.
406 Juvenile Law (3)
Statutory and case analysis of judicial decisions, substantive juvenile law and procedures significant to practices of various agencies in juvenile justice. Spring semester. Prerequisites: Criminal Justice 110 or LAS 101. Formerly Criminal Justice 406.
410 Employment Law (3)
A study of employer/employee law in the United States discussing the National Labor Relations Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, unfair labor practices, unions, strikes, discrimination, sexual harassment, and employee privacy. On demand. Prerequisites: LAS 101 and 235 or approval of instructor.
420 Legal Issues in Health Care (3)
Study of the laws applicable to health care including access to health care services, the organization of health care, medical malpractice, and current issues in the medical field. On demand. Prerequisites: LAS 101 and 235 or approval of instructor.
435 Litigation II (3)
Detailed analysis and practice of pretrial discovery, pretrial motions, evidence, trial preparation, assistance at trial motions and post-trial motions. Spring semester. Prerequisite: LAS 235.
470r Legal Assistant Internship (3-6)
Internship to give the student experience in a selected area of legal specialization under the supervision of an attorney. Students with credit for LAS 001 may substitute 2 legal specialty courses for these hours. Students who have completed a prior legal assistant internship for credit hours may substitute 1 legal specialty course for 3 hours of LAS 470. Students cannot exceed 6 hours of internship credit toward the degree. Every semester. Prerequisite: senior standing or approval of coordinator.
471 Legal Ethics and Professionalism (3)
An integrative seminar emphasizing ethical and related issues common to legal assistant theory practice and procedures. Spring semester. Prerequisite: senior standing or approval of coordinator.
495r Departmental Thesis (1-3 hours per term, 4 hours for the two terms)
Every semester. See Departmental Honors. Student must submit an Individual Studies/Research Contract to the Records Office at the time of registration.
497r Independent Research (1-4)
Every semester. Prerequisite: approval of department head. Student must submit an Individual Studies/Research Contract to the Records Office at the time of registration.
