CERTIFICATE IN LEGAL PRACTICE VBS016

Take a first step toward working in the Law

This course can be valuable for anyone who needs to work within a Legal office, Paralegal or Legal Support situation (e.g. Law office staff, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, Solicitors, Law Professors, Legal Receptionists/Secretaries, Private Investigators, Authorised Government Inspectors and Officers, Law Enforcement Officers and many others.

Home Studies Course - Certificate in Legal Practices

  • Learn skills to work in business, politics, law, crime, police etc.
  • Learn from international experts in with a wide and diverse education and experience
  • Seek employment in support services, start a business, or strengthen your employability
  • Use this course as a foundation for further learning

 

COURSE STRUCTURE

Six modules (100 h each) need to be successfully completed, as follows:

Module 1:   Legal Terminology

There are eight lessons in this module as follows:

  1. Scope and Nature of Legal Terminology
  2. The Legal Workplace –People & Processes
  3. Legal systems –Australia, UK, International Law etc.
  4. Contract & Business Law
  5. Property Law - Buying & selling property, Conveyancing, Intellectual Property
  6. Wills, Probate, Estate Law
  7. Criminal Law
  8. Other –Tort law, Family Law, Civil Actions, Bankruptcy, Insurance, Accidents Compensation

Module 2:  Office Practices

The course covers the following in 8 lessons:

  1. The Modern Office: Scope of office work, procedures, the home office vs commercial premises, etc.
  2. Communication Systems: Using the phone, business letters, faxes, couriers, postage, etc.
  3. Interpersonal Communications
  4. Phone Skills
  5. Writing Letters and Other Documents:Writing Letters and Reports. Structure of a report, memos, business letters.
  6. Computer Applications: Scope & uses of computers, types of computers, software types, peripherals, word processing, CD Roms, Modems, setting up and care of a PC.
  7. Office Organisation and Procedures: Stationary, Office furniture, Paper specifications, Filing & record keeping etc.
  8. Health and Safety in the Office: Office layout and organization, security.

Module 3: Criminal Psychology

There are ten lessons consisting of -

Module 4:   Bookkeeping I

  1. Introduction – Nature and Function of Accounting for Service Firms
  2. Balance Sheet
  3. Analysing and Designing Accounting Systems
  4. The Double Entry Recording Process
  5. Cash Receipts and Cash Payments Journal
  6. Credit Fees and Purchases Journal
  7. The General Journal
  8. Closing the Ledger
  9. Profit and Loss Statement
  10. Depreciation on Non-current Assets
  11. Profit Determination and Balance Day Adjustments
  12. Cash Control: Bank Reconciliation and Petty Cash
  13. Cash Control: Budgeting

Module 5: Professional Practice for Consultants

  1. Determining If a Consultancy Practice is for You
  2. Planning a Consultancy Practice: Part 1
  3. Planning a Consultancy Practice: Part 2
  4. Knowing What to Charge
  5. Setting Up Your Consulting Practice
  6. Keeping Accounts and Records
  7. How to Generate Business & Keep It
  8. Maintaining Your Consultancy Practice

Module 6: Technical Writing

  1. Scope and Nature of Technical Writing
  2. Presentation
  3. Matching style and content to the audience
  4. Planning: Developing a Logical Structure or Format
  5. Collaborative Writing
  6. Writing Technical Periodicals
  7. Writing Manuals and Procedures
  8. Writing Project Proposals
  9. Writing Project Reports.


Course Duration:   600 hours


Scope and Nature of Law

Legal systems elaborate rights and responsibilities in a variety of ways. A general distinction can be made between civil law jurisdictions, which codify their laws, and common law systems, where judge made laws are not codified. In some countries, religion still informs the law e.g. Islam.

Legal Codes

Codification is the process of collecting and restating the law, usually by forming a legal code. So this is a systematic arrangement, where laws of a state or country, statutory provisions, rules and regulations that govern certain areas or practice of law are collected. Codification relates to the creation of codes – the compilation of rules, statutes and regulations that tell the public was is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of behaviour.

An example – In the United States, Acts of Congress are published in the chronological order that they become law. They are then grouped together in an official bound book chronologically and called session laws. Any act passed is therefore in this book. This includes public and private law. Each congressional act may contain laws on a variety of topics, so the acts are also rearranged and published due to subject matter – that is – codification. The official codification of Federal statutes is called the United States Code. Usually only public laws are codified. For example, tax evasion is a felony that relates to criminal and tax law.

Therefore, US law relies on previous cases or precedents to determine procedures and to help decide the outcome of cases. Codification then rearranges and displaces previous statutes or case decisions – so when making a decision, a judge will look at previous cases. He/she will then make their decision on a case. This will be the latest decision, so chronologically will displace the previous decisions. If his/her decision is not agreed with, there will be further legal processes, a new decision will be made and this will replace the previous one and so on.

So states codify their criminal laws so that the statutes generally contain the new code.

Why do we need to do this? In 25 B.C., in Ancient Sumer, the King of Islin developed the first written code. These codes were used to establish justice. Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations continued to use codification. We will consider this further in later lessons. We will cover more on codification in later lessons.

This course is aimed to develop your understanding of law (nationally and internationally), and of skills used in institutions and offices that are involved with the legal industries across society.

What you learn is not only relevant to Lawyers and their support staff, but also by other allied professionals, in the legal process and profession.