LGLA-1345-71 - Civil Litigation
Lamar State College - Port Arthur
House Bill 2504
Spring 2018 Course Syllabus
Faculty Information | |||||||||||||
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Semester | Spring 2018 | ||||||||||||
Instructor | Beckcom, Doneane Elise | ||||||||||||
Phone | (409) 984-6548 | ||||||||||||
beckcomde@lamarpa.edu | |||||||||||||
Department |
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Office |
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MyLamarPA | Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLamarPA campus web portal (My.LamarPA.edu). When you’ve logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check email, or click on the “My Courses” tab to get to your Course Homepage. Click the link to your course and review the information presented. It is important that you check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLamarPA. | ||||||||||||
Course Information | |||||||||||||
Course Number | 11875 | ||||||||||||
Course Description | Presents fundamental concepts and procedures of civil litigation including pretrial, trial, and post-trial phases of litigation and emphasizes the paralegal''s role in civil litigation. | ||||||||||||
Course Prerequisites | LGLA 1307 or concurrent enrollment | ||||||||||||
Required Textbooks |
Civil Litigation, Kerley latest edition Delmar Publishing |
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Attendance Policy | Students should log in to the course at least once per week. A student who is not logging in regularly or who shows at least 4 consecutive weeks without logging in at all may be dropped from the course | ||||||||||||
Course Grading Scale | 90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B 70 - 79=C 60 - 69=D Below 59 = F | ||||||||||||
Determination of Final Grade |
Three regular exams: 70% Final: 20% Attendance and Discussion Board: 10% |
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Final Exam Date | May 3, 2018 - 8:00 AM Through May 7, 2018 - 12:00 PM | ||||||||||||
Major Assignments |
Week 1 Orientation Chapter 1: Litigation and the Paralegal Overview of litigation process and role of paralegal Week 2 Chapter 1: Litigation and the Paralegal Overview of litigation process and role of paralegal (continued) Week 3 Chapter 2: The Courts and Jurisdiction Structure and function of federal courts; subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction of courts Week 4 Chapter 3: Preliminary Considerations and Procedures Chapter 4: Investigation and Evidence Cause of actions, statutes of limitation, ethical considerations; interviewing and investigation; overview of Federal Rules of Evidence Week 5 Chapter 5: The Complaint Drafting and filing the complaint and summons; service of process Test 1 chapters 1-4 Week 6 Chapter 6: Responses to the Complaint Chapter 7: Motion Practice Drafting and serving answers, counter claims, cross claims and third party actions; defaults; overview of pretrial, trial and posttrial motions; drafting motions Week 7 Chapter 7: Motion Practice continued Week 8 Chapter 8: Overview of the Discovery Process Nature and extent of discovery including ESI; mutual disclosure under federal rules; obligation to cooperate Week 9 SPRING BREAK Week 10 Chapter 9: Depositions Nature of oral depositions, depositions in an electronic age, paralegal role before, during and after the oral deposition; depositions on written questions Test 2 chapters 5-8 Week 11 Chapter 10: Interrogatories Scope and purpose of interrogatories; drafting and responding to interrogatories, including use of ESI; objections to interrogatories; motions to compel Week 12 Chapter 11: Physical and Mental Examinations Nature and purpose of physical and mental examinations; requesting and objecting to requests and motions for physical and mental examinations; role of the paralegal Week 13 Chapter 12: Request for Documents Overview of document production; ESI and document production; drafting requests for production; responding to requests; privileges and protection of documents; organizing and indexing documents; inspection of property Week 14 Chapter 13: Request for Admissions Purpose and uses of request for admissions; drafting and responding to the request Test 3 chapters 9-12 Week 15 Chapter 14: Settlements, Dismissals and ADR Chapter 15: Trial Techniques Settlement offers and agreements; dismissals and consent decrees; distribution of settlement funds; overview of trial procedure; role of paralegal at trial Week 16 Chapter 16: Posttrial Practice Calculating due dates; posttrial motions; overview of appellate procedures; preparation of appellate brief Final Exam |
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Calendar of Lecture Topics and Major Assignment Due Dates | See weekly calendar above. | ||||||||||||
General Education/Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes |
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Program Student Learning Outcomes |
PSLO ALPHA: Reading skills: demonstrates comprehension of content (legal) area. PSLO 1: understand legal terms and the paralegal's role in the legal environment. PSLO 2: apply correct drafting procedures to transactional and court documents. PSLO 3: demonstrate appropriate ethics and professionalism in the legal environment. PSLO 4: exhibit the ability to use computer skills. |
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Course Student Learning Outcomes |
(Related PSLO in parenthesis) PSLO Alpha measured by pretest/posttest. All other PSLOs measured by embedded test questions and online discussion board. 1. Use terminology relating to civil litigation (ALPHA, 1) 2. Analyze sources relating to civil litigation and applicable court rules (ALPHA, 1, 2) 3. Draft documents used in civil litigation (2, 4) 4. Analyze the ethical considerations of the paralegal in relating to civil litigation (1, 3) |
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Academic Honesty | Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSC-PA policies (Section IX, subsection A, in the Faculty Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty. | ||||||||||||
Facility Policies |
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Additional Information | The best way to reach me is via email: beckcomde@lamarpa.edu. To discuss grades please make an appointment to see me either in person or via phone. | ||||||||||||
Important Information | |||||||||||||
ADA Considerations | The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241. | ||||||||||||
Copyright Violations |
Some material in this course may be copyrighted. They may be used only for instructional purposes this semester,
by students enrolled in this course. These materials are being used fairly and legally.
No one may distribute or share these copyrighted materials in any medium or format with anyone outside this class,
including publishing essays with copyrighted material, uploading copyrighted material to Facebook or YouTube, or
painting or performing copyrighted material for public display.
Copyright violation is not the same thing as plagiarism. Plagiarism is intellectual dishonesty. Offenses of plagiarism result in lower grades or failing scores, and professors and the college strictly enforce plagiarism rules. There is never any acceptable use of plagiarism. Copyright violation is a legal offense, punishable by large fines and penalties. Copyrighted material can be used if permission from the material’s creator is obtained, or if its use meets the standards of fair use in an educational setting. For example, a student can quote a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a report without violating copyright but still be guilty of plagiarism if the quotation is not properly documented. If you are in doubt about what material can be freely used, ask your professor or contact the Dean of Library Services, at (409) 984-6216. |
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Assessment Statement |
Assessment is a process by which LSCPA can help you learn better and gauge the level of progress you have made to
attain knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. It also helps your professors understand how to improve teaching
and testing methods in your classes, and it helps each department understand and improve degree and certificate
programs.
Periodically LSC-PA will collect assessment data for research and reporting purposes, including statistical data and sometimes copies of your work. Be assured that all material the college uses for assessment purposes will be kept confidential. To ensure anonymity, your name will be removed from any material we use for assessment purposes, including video-recorded performances, speeches, and projects. If you object to allowing LSC-PA to use your material for assessment purposes, submit a letter stating so to your professor by the 12th class day. You will still be required to participate in whatever assessments are being done; we just won’t use your data. What’s the difference between assessment and grades? The grades you get on papers, projects, speeches, and assignments are specific types of focused assessment. LSC-PA’s assessment efforts include class grades, surveys, standardized tests, and other tools. |
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Privacy Notice |
Federal privacy laws apply to college students. This means that college employees, including instructors, cannot
divulge information to third parties, including parents and legal guardians of students. Even if the students are
minors, information about their college work cannot be shared with anyone except in very limited circumstances.
Anyone requesting information about a student should be referred to the Registrar. Instructors will be notified in writing by that Office about what information may be released and to whom. Please remember that releasing private information about a student, however innocuous it may seem, can be a violation of federal law, with very serious consequences. Circumstances under which information may be released:
An adult student may submit, to the Registrar, a handwritten, signed note granting permission for release of
information. The note must specify what information may be divulged, and it must specify the name of the person
to whom the information may be given.
The Registrar’s office is located in the Student Center room 303B, and can be reached at (409) 984-6165. |
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College-Level Perspectives |
This course helps add to the students’ overall collegiate experience in the following ways:
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Degree Plan Evaluation |
A Degree Plan Evaluation will help you determine which classes you need to complete your program.
All of the classes that you have taken that apply to your declared major will be listed on the right. If you have a class that still needs to be completed, a “NO” will be listed on the right next to the required class. |
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HB 2504 | This syllabus is part of LSC-PA’s efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504. | ||||||||||||
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