Edition by Pamela Everett Nollkamper, Cengage Publishing Company

Transcription

1 PLGL 2800: Law Office Management Course Syllabus Section 30i Instructor: W. Tyler Melling Phone: Office: Melling Law, P.C. 856 Sage Dr. Ste 301 Cedar City, UT (or by appointment on campus) Credit hours: 3 Preferred Method of Contact during Course: direct or Canvas message Office Hours: by appointment Course Description: Law office organization, specialized record keeping and accounting, scheduling, filing, management of personnel and other aspects of law office management. Required Text: Fundamentals of Law Office Management: Systems, Procedures, and Ethics, Fifth Edition by Pamela Everett Nollkamper, Cengage Publishing Company STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: Discuss the structure and categories of law offices, as well as styles concerning their management. Describe the titles, functions, and duties of each member of a legal team, as well as personnel relations concerning the law office. Describe the attorney-client relationship and how a paralegal participates in it. Discuss both a lawyer s and paralegal s ethical responsibilities to a client, including those related to fees Prepare legal fee contracts and related documents Prepare client billing document Describe the procedures of trust account maintenance Prepare various documents regarding law office timekeeping, calendaring, records management, and docketing Understand the use of technology in the law office and the creation of office management systems

2 Understand the organization and management of a law office library. After completing this course, students should experience these learning outcomes as they relate to the listed activities and assessment methods below: LEARNING OUTCOMES LEARNING ACTIVITIES ASSESSMENT METHODS Discuss the structure and categories of law offices, as well as styles concerning their management. point presentation, video Exam, homework, discussion Describe the titles, functions, and duties of each member of a legal team, as well as personnel relations concerning the law office. point presentation, video Exam, homework, discussion Describe the attorney-client relationship and how a paralegal participates in it. Discuss both a lawyer s and paralegal s ethical responsibilities to a client, including those related to fees. point presentation, video point presentation, video Exam, homework, discussion Exam, homework, discussion Prepare legal fee contracts and related documents. Prepare client billing document. Describe the procedures of trust account maintenance. Prepare various documents regarding law office timekeeping, calendaring, records management, and docketing. Exam, homework, discussion, project Understand the use of technology in the law office and the creation of office management systems. Understand the organization and management of a law office library.

3 Statement on Academic Rigor: The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice is committed to academic rigor. Students should expect to be challenged in every course. Students are accountable for their performance, which will be reflected in the grade they earn in accordance with the standards set forth in the syllabus for each class. Students are expected to think critically, read and engage course materials, apply and synthesize ideas, and express themselves well orally and in writing. Attendance/Late Work/Make-up Exams: Students are expected to be involved in the online class work for this course pursuant to the requirements of the syllabus. All assignments, projects, homework, discussions, and the like are due and must be submitted online under the appropriate tab pursuant to posted due dates. Late submissions will not be accepted. In the event of an emergency or exceptional circumstance, an allowance may be made at the instructor s discretion for a missed session/project/homework/etc., if requested by the student to the instructor as soon as possible after the absence. Documentation may be required at the instructor s discretion. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current issue of the student handbook (published by Student Services) regarding student responsibilities and rights, and the intellectual property policy, for information about procedures and about what constitutes acceptable on-campus behavior. PLAGIARISM: All student writing should be the original work of the student. SUU has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that detects plagiarism by comparing student papers against billions of pages of Internet resources, databases, and other student papers from around the world. Your work in this class may, thus, be checked for originality and plagiarism using Turnitin. Additional information about the Turnitin plagiarism prevention tool is available at ( ADA STATEMENT: Students with medical, psychological, learning or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Southern Utah University Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or phone (435) SSD determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STATEMENT: In case of emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mysuu portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at

4 HEOA COMPLIANCE STATEMENT: The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law. Detailed information can be found at Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor. Methods of Grading: The grade in this course is based on student performance with respect to exams, homework assignments, posted discussions, and projects. Failure to observe standards of academic honesty or other behavior contradictory to achievement of course objectives may result in administrative action by the instructor. Course Grading Policy: Your grade will be determined in the following way: s & Posted Discussions 30% Project One: Preparation of Law Office Documents 20% Project Two: Law Office Management Skills Using CLIO Software 20% Mid-Term Exam 15% Final Exam 15 % The final average is calculated by averaging all the grades per the above formula and deriving a composite score. The final grade is arrived at by the following: A B C D F 59 0 The instructor will retain student work for only three weeks into the next semester. Thus, if you wish to have a submitted project returned to you, please see the instructor immediately after the end of the course in that regard.

5 TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR: PLGL 2800 (subject to change upon notice) Part One: Management of the Law Office Module One: The Legal Marketplace Pre-Course Assessment (ungraded) Course Overview Introductions Reading: Chapter One of Text; Virtual Law Office Module Two: The Legal Team Reading: Chapter Two of Text; Certification of Legal Administrators Module Three: Personnel Relations Reading: Chapter Three of Text Module Four: The Attorney-Client Relationship Reading: Chapter Four of Text, Togstad v. Vesely, Otto, Miller & Keefe; information about WESTLAW NEXT

6 Module Five: Paralegal Ethics & Client Relations Reading: Chapter Five of Text Module Six: Legal Fees Reading: Chapter Six of Text ASSIGNMENT - Project One: Preparation of Law Office Documents Module Seven: Mid-Term Examination Review of Chapters One through Six Mid-Term Examination Part Two: Law Office Management Skills Module Eight: Timekeeping & Billing and Financial Management Reading: Chapters Seven & Eight of Text Time-Based vs. Flat-Fee Billing

7 Module Nine: Managing the Client Funds Trust Account DUE: Preparation of Law Office Documents Project Reading: Chapter Nine of Text IOLTA Programs SPRING BREAK Module Ten: Technology in the Law Office Reading: Chapter Ten of Text Trends in Law Office Technologies ASSIGNMENT: Project Two, Part One: Law Office Management Skills through CLIO Online Software Module Eleven: Law Office Systems Reading: Chapter Eleven of Text DUE: Project Two, Part One ASSIGNMENT: Project Two, Part Two Module Twelve: Docket Control Systems Reading: Chapter Twelve of Text Module Thirteen: File and Records Management DUE: Project Two, Part Two

8 Reading: Chapter Thirteen of Text Module Fourteen: Law Library Organization & Management Reading: Chapter Fourteen of Text Law Library Tours Module Fifteen: FINAL EXAMINATION Review chapters seven - fourteen Take and submit exam