Law 18 - Marriage & Family Law Syllabus
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
see information on your instructor including website,
office hours, phone no. etc. http://lamission.edu/law/lawfaculty.htm
COURSE DESCRIPTION
CATALOG: CSU 3 units. Law 18 is an introduction into Family Law. We will be studying different issues within family law with an emphasis on Dissolution. This includes different types of dissolution (Summary, Default, and Regular); jurisdiction issues; different forms of discovery; property issues; support issues (both spousal and child support); custody issues; domestic violence; child abuse & neglect; adoption; and non-traditional marriages.
Law 18 introduces the student to family law in general. It is part of the core curriculum in the Paralegal Certificate Program. The student will receive a general overview of law, the court system, court procedures, statutes, and cases.
With the emphasis on Dissolution, this is a forms preparations class. The student will learn how to find and fill out and file the appropriate forms in dissolution, the court rules, and applicable codes. Also, this course will offer the student practice in using the Internet to do legal research, through locating and using law, using search engines, and through other methods found on our paralegal WebPages.
COURSE TEXT
CALIFORNIA FAMILY LAW FOR PARALEGALS by Marshall W. Waller (3rd Edition), published by Aspen Law & Business. You can pick the book up at our Mission College Bookstore, or ORDER IT ONLINE - see http://lamission.edu/law/textbooks .
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. The student will learn how to locate and prepare the many and varied forms involved in a dissolution, along with the miscellaneous statutes of limitations which must be adhered to.
2. The student will learn how to find jurisdiction, and how to locate, understand, and adhere to the many codes applicable in family law, which a paralegal must be familiar with to do their job properly.
3. The student will learn an overview of law and the legal system, , including the courts, the court system, how to read, understand and brief court cases, how to read, and understand California and Federal Codes, and a general overview of substantive laws which a paralegal must be familiar with to do their job properly.
4. The student will learn to "think critically" in
law, This will be accomplished through the multiple-choice quizzes,
postings to hypothetical legal questions in a threaded discussion
format and written assignments. The assignments require the student
to read and brief court cases, anaylyze code sections, prepare
a pleading, and other relevant legal tasks related to the subject
materials.
5. The student will learn how to do legal
research in general, how to phrase a legal question or issue,
and how to search for the correct "legal" answer.
6. The student will improve
their writing skills and learn basic skills in legal
drafting and writing.
7. The student will improve
their study skills and will improve
how they study law.
GRADING & EVALUATION
The class will be composed of quizzes, postings to
an "electronic bulletin board" - threaded discussions,
and written projects. The
student should work off of the due dates for the class. The
deadlines are clearly posted on the schedule. Quizzes will be
posted and students are expected to fill in their answers to the
multiple choice questions during a deadline period. After the
time period has expired, the quiz link will no longer be available,
and the student will NOT be allowed to take the quiz (certain
exceptions might be made if the student emails his/her online
instructor regarding exceptional family circumstances or situtations
- not just "not enough time", or "late", and
the instructor will decide and determine each request on the facts
of the circumstances).
The "letter grade" scale is as follows.
A = 90-100 percent of total points
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = Below 60
Office Hours: see Faculty page at http://lamission.edu/law/lawfaculty.htm
- Office Hours, Mon. - Friday 9-5 pm at the Office Telephone number
of each Faculty member, or upon special appointment - email the
faculty member for your appointment date and time.
Course Structure: This course will be offered under a course
management system. For the online class and its course management
system check the online portal for Mission College at http://lamission.edu/online.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS: ASSIGNMENTS SUBMITTED LATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
UNLESS PRIOR APPROVAL IS REQUESTED AND GRANTED BY THE INSTRUCTOR.
EXTRA CREDIT: Since the law is in constant change, along with
the advent of the Internet, issues may arise that are timely and
germane to our class. Therefore, opportunities may arise during
the term that allow for extra credit, although no extra credit
is presently offered.
INCOMPLETE: If you require a grade of "incomplete,"
you must advise me as soon as possible and discuss the terms of
its removal.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty is highly valued at Mission
College, just as it is at all colleges and universities. A student
must always submit work that represents his or her original words
or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent
the student's original words or ideas, the student must cite all
relevant sources. The student should also make it clear to what
extent such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citations
include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications,
whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communications
when the content of such communications clearly originates from
an identifiable source. All submissions to any public meeting
or private mailbox fall within the scope of words and ideas that
require citations if used by someone other than the original author.
Course Assignments: see links under due dates - http://duedates.pbwiki.com
Course Evaluation:
The final grade will be determined by: averaging quizzes, discussion questions and written assignments, each assigned 100 or more points.
Required Resources (for internet/online work)
System requirements: IBM or compatible (486/33 CPU minimum)
with Windows or Mac or compatible with 6.05 operating system or
higher, 8 megs of RAM, 20 megs free hard disc space, modem with
a 9600 baud rate minimum.
* This syllabus is subject to change. Please note revision dates
("updated") above. Students are responsible for the
most recent
updated version of this syllabus.
updated: 3/07/07