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National College Credit Recommendation Service

Board of Regents  |  University of the State of New York

National Paralegal College | Evaluated Learning Experience

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Advanced Legal Analysis and Writing (PLG-401)

Course Category: 
Law - National Paralegal College
Length: 

Varies; self-study format.

Location: 
Various, distance learning format.
Dates: 
August 2009 - Present.
Instructional delivery format: 
Online/distance learning
Learner Outcomes: 
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: appropriately cite any authority, including cases, statutes, law review articles, secondary authorities, etc.; appropriately differentiate between various types of legal writing, including intra-office memorandum, legal brief, and others; properly organize, using the I-R-A-C method in organizing a legal essay or memorandum; write in a clear, concise, and legalistic manner; distinguish between mandatory and persuasive authority and determine how much weight to give each in varying situations; identify and apply key facts and rules in cases and statutes; separate, identify, and draft varying components of a legal brief, including the table of contents, table of authorities, question presented, argument, and conclusion; and appropriately revise and edit legal writings to avoid excessive legalese, verbose, or incomprehensible language and other legal writing errors.
Instruction: 

This is an advanced course that seeks to refine students' abilities to write in a formal, legal manner. Additionally, students receive training in drafting legal memoranda and briefs and examine different types of legal memoranda and writings that exist. Instruction focuses on forms of legal writing and trains students in the art of adapting their writing to the given situation. The course also focuses on developing the ability to apply legal research to the creation of the written legal document. Students' familiarity with legal research through Lexis (or other means) and basic knowledge of the United States court system and differences between mandatory and persuasive authority are presumed. Students are expected to research, draft, and submit an appellate brief based on an assigned fact pattern and fictitious procedural history. Evaluation criteria include: required readings, essay assignments, class participation, and final exam. Prerequisite: Legal Research, Writing, and Civil Litigation (PLG-108).

Credit recommendation: 

In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category OR in the upper division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 3 semester hours in Legal Analysis and Writing or Business Law (1/13) (3/18 revalidation). 

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