The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

Paralegals working in transactional practices should be well-versed in the nuts and bolts of the law that underlies most commercial transactions. This specialized certificate curriculum is designed to facilitate the understanding and development of skills required by professional paralegals who exercise responsibility in corporate legal departments or as part of the transactional team in a busy law office. The three courses included in this curriculum have been selected to provide a comprehensive overview of real business issues that arise frequently in the context of a commerce-based legal practice. While contracts is a basic course found in most legal curricula, bankruptcy and insurance law are often overlooked and must be learned on the job. Many paralegals find themselves dealing with insurance companies and debtor counsel without first having studied these areas of the law. This curriculum has been designed to accelerate the learning process and give the paralegal professional an understanding and set of skills that will permit him or her to immediately take a greater level of responsibility and authority during the transactional process. Students who successfully complete this program receive a Specialized Certificate in Business and Transactional Law.

Textbooks: All textbooks are included in the tuition for this specialized certificate program.

Module 1: Contracts
This course presents a comprehensive, well-organized, functional approach to the law of contracts. The students learns to analyze agreements and how to determine whether or not a contract has been formed, what law applies, whether the contract is enforceable, whether or not a party has breached, and, if so, what remedies are available to the aggrieved party. The approach is very practical, and prepares the student for contract work in the legal, business, or government environment. An essential course.

Module 2: Bankruptcy
Paralegals are in high demand in the field of debtor-creditor law. This course acquaints the student with the three most common forms of bankruptcy: Chapters 7, 11, and 13. The student learns the law of bankruptcy and develops practical experience becoming familiar with documents commonly used in bankruptcy practice. Students learn about the valuable role of paralegal professionals in a successful bankruptcy practice.

This course includes a thorough review of the new bankruptcy laws, which came into effect in 2005. Changes include a requirement that the debtor have counseling before they can file a bankruptcy case, and a "means test" now requires all debtors to meet a more rigorous income and asset standard before being qualified to file. The new law also imposes new requirements on lawyers, and by extension, the paralegals who do most of the bankruptcy work. These changes, and others, are reviewed in this course.

Module 3: Insurance Law
Insurance is a major economic element in both personal and business planning. This course is intended to educate the paralegal in the practicalities of the complex field of insurance law. The student will come to recognize the variety of viewpoints within the industry: insurer, insured and intermediary. Paralegal students will also become familiar with key concepts in property and liability coverage through case study and practical exercises.