Legal Secretary Certificate Program: Online Courses from the School of Legal Studies

Law firms are increasingly relying on trained secretaries and assistants to handle day-to-day operations-such as preparing legal correspondence, summonses, motions, and subpoenas so that lawyers and paralegals can focus on preparing cases. An increasing number of large and small businesses and government agencies are trying to save money by performing routine legal processes in-house. As a result, new opportunities are arising for qualified legal secretaries who have strong secretarial skills and essential legal knowledge.* If you would like to become a valuable member of a legal team, Kaplan University offers a convenient, flexible program through which you can earn your Legal Secretary Certificate online.

| Curriculum | Tuition and Fees

Program Highlights

This program is designed to help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and work habits employers seek when hiring legal secretaries or legal administrative assistants. Through interactive Web-based courses, you will have an opportunity to:

Interact with instructors who are practicing professionals in the fields they teach and are dedicated to helping you achieve your academic goals at Kaplan University
Gain a greater understanding of the civil litigation process and fundamentals of the U.S. legal system, including contracts, torts, employment law, and debtor/creditor relations
Improve your ability to effectively communicate in the legal environment-verbally and in legal correspondence and documentation-using the appropriate legal terms, phrases, abbreviations, symbols, and reference sources used in the legal industry
Explore basic concepts of hardware, software, and the Internet and develop skills in the use of current software applications including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook^†

What are the Career Opportunities?

This program provides you with the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to seek employment as a legal secretary or legal administrative assistant in a variety of settings. You may qualify to work in a law firm, government agency, and legal departments of organizations in the profit and nonprofit sectors. When you are ready to further your education, credits earned in fulfillment of this certificate may be transferred to other Kaplan University associate's and bachelor's degree programs.

Curriculum for the Legal Secretary Certificate

Course #	Course Title	Credits
CM 104	COLLEGE COMPOSITION I- EFFECTIVE WRITING I FOR LEGAL STUDIES MAJORS	5 COLLEGE COMPOSITION I- EFFECTIVE WRITING I FOR LEGAL STUDIES MAJORS Students will learn how to communicate effectively in their professional field using various writing styles. Students will also identify and further develop their own writing process. Grammar and mechanics will be reviewed, helping students focus on the areas that will improve their writing.
CM 222	COLLEGE COMPOSITION II FOR LEGAL STUDIES MAJORS	5 COLLEGE COMPOSITION II FOR LEGAL STUDIES MAJORS This course helps students apply research and critical thinking skills to develop effective arguments. Students will create professional writings, incorporating post-draft revision strategies, working constructively with colleagues.
PA 101	THE PARALEGAL PROFESSIONAL	5 THE PARALEGAL PROFESSIONAL This is an introductory course that will familiarize students with the role of the paralegal in both the workplace and the American legal system. The course is designed to expose students to current trends and issues in the profession, the regulation of the profession, the professional associations available to the paralegal, as well as the ethical considerations associated with the legal profession. Students will also receive basic introductions into the various areas of legal practice, such as law office organization, legal research, and litigation and advocacy. This course will provide students with a good introductory overview of the paralegal's role and contribution to today's legal system.
PA 106	LEGAL TERMINOLOGY AND TRANSCRIPTION	5 LEGAL TERMINOLOGY AND TRANSCRIPTION This course is a comprehensive study of documents used in the legal field. Students will learn the basic procedures for transcribing, formatting, and processing legal correspondence and documents and the appropriate use of legal terms, phrases, abbreviations, symbols, and reference sources used by attorneys' paralegals and the courts.
PA 230	INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL TECHNOLOGY	5 INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL TECHNOLOGY Technology is pervasive and the modern law office is chock-full of technological appliances, tools, and applications that the paralegal must be able to master. At the core of most software applications are the basics-word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and tools for presentations. Of course, the ubiquitous communication tool, email, is the center of modern electronic communications. This course will explore the most common tools and applications found in law firms and those that every "technology-literate" paralegal must know. Word processing, document-assembly programs, and tools for case management, time and billing, calendaring, electronic communications, and creating presentations are a few of the topics explored in this course. Students will leave this course with a solid foundation of the basics in legal technology.
PA 305	LAW OFFICE MANAGEMENT	6 LAW OFFICE MANAGEMENT Legal professionals are oft en called upon to handle office management functions. Effective law office managers save their offices time and money and become valuable members of the legal team. The management skills covered in this course can be applied to any office. This course guides students in creating a procedures manual that can be used at the office and as a portfolio of their work.

Total Program Requirements	31 Total Program Requirements

Certificate
Total Program Requirements

You Could Save Time and Money on Your Kaplan University Degree

Credit for Prior Learning

Our undergraduate degree programs feature large pools of open electives designed to offer greater flexibility when applying transfer credits toward program requirements. In addition, you can enroll in our portfolio development course, which helps you document your work and life experience in a portfolio you can submit for consideration for college credits. Qualifying transfer credit may reduce your total costs for undergraduate programs. Refer to the University Catalog for our transfer of credit policy.

Students in the Military

Kaplan University is proud to support our military and veterans in their educational pursuits by offering significantly reduced tuition. Undergraduate program tuition is reduced up to 55 percent for active-duty servicemembers and up to 38 percent for veterans. In addition, Kaplan University participates in the Yellow Ribbon program for all of our graduate programs, and both active-duty servicemembers and veterans are eligible for special tuition rates for these programs. A 10 percent tuition reduction is also available to spouses of active-duty servicemembers. For more information, call 866.583.4412 (Toll Free) to speak to a military Admissions Advisor or visit the Kaplan University military site.

Tuition and Fees

Cost per credit hour	$371.00
Total program requirements Legal Secretary Certificate	31
Total cost of tuition	$11,501.00
This program requires a $100 technology fee per term (online students only). A nonrefundable application fee, depending on your program and as described in the Tuition and Fees Supplement, may be required at the time of enrollment. We encourage you to explore the availability of financial aid and scholarships.

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*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-2013 Edition, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Office-and-Administrative-Support/Secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm (accessed April, 2012). National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.
^†Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.