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Frederick
Community College LA103-Ethics Fall 2011
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Class begins: 8/22/11 |
Class ends: 12/10/11 |
Last Day to
Withdraw: 11/2/11 |
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Instructor
Information: |
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Name: Dr. Tracy Parker |
Office: H229 |
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E-mail: tparker@frederick.edu |
Phone
Number: 301-624-2819 |
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Contact
Hours: Office Hours: Office Hours: Daytime: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-11:00am Weekend/Evening:
(by appointment only) Saturdays-before (8:00am) or after class
8/27-10/15; and Wednesdays- (9:15-10:00pm) on 8/24, 9/21,
10/12, 11/2, and 12/7. |
Campus
Mail Box #: 290 |
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Course
Information: |
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Credits: 3 |
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On-campus
Meetings: Optional in-class sessions will be posted. |
On-campus
Exams: There
will be one on campus exam. |
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Prerequisites: LA100 |
Corequisites: |
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Course
Description: |
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Concentrates
on the ethical responsibilities that have been established by Statutes, Court
decisions, Court Rules, and professional associations affecting legal
assistants/paralegals and lawyers. This study includes conflict of interest
confidentiality, competence, solicitation, fees billing, obligations of
attorneys to clients, and protection of client funds. This study also covers
the nature of supervision in order to avoid unauthorized practice of law. |
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Core
Learning Outcomes: |
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Upon
completion of this course students will demonstrate 1.
Identify sources of
authority that establishes legal assistant/paralegal ethical obligations. 2.
Describe the importance of complying with ethical
standards. 3.
List the ramifications of noncompliance. 4.
Define what a conflict of interest is and describe what
a law office can do to limit conflict of interest problems. 5.
Determine what guidelines a legal assistant/paralegal
can employ to avoid revealing
confidential information. 6.
Explain the attorney-client privilege and to whom it
applies. 7.
Identify the unauthorized practice of law and employ
strategies. 8.
Demonstrate strategies to handle ethical dilemmas. 9. Analyze ethical obligations as they relate
to fees, billing, and client funds |
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Instructional
Methods: |
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Guided Study Group Discussion Practical
Exercises (Inquiry-Based Assignments) Lecture (optional
in-class sessions as determined by the instructor) |
How is this course organized: |
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LA103-Ethics
online is not a self-paced course.
Assignments are posted on Mondays by 5pm. Each assignment week begins on Monday at
5pm and ends the following Monday at 4:30pm.
You are responsible for checking your class located on the Blackboard
site and your email regularly (at least a few times a week). If you have questions regarding the
organization of the course, you are responsible for contacting the
instructor. |
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Text(s)
and Course Materials: Concise Guide To Paralegal Ethics, Cannon, 3rd Edition |
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Progress
Report: |
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You
will have an opportunity to evaluate your progress in this course and decide
if you need to make any adjustments including but not limited to additional
study, tutoring, or a conference with instructor. |
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Evaluation
Methods: |
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Tests / Papers / Projects / Participation
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Point Value
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Final Grade Scale |
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Exams
(2-4) Practical
Exercises (including but not limited journal entries, responses to
hypothetical situations and research exercises) *All
evaluated course work will be assigned using the weekly assignment
folders. Students must follow the
directions as posted. |
100 points each
25 points each |
100-90%
= A 89-80% = B 79-70% = C 69-60% = D 59%-below=
F |
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If
the graded performance for online assignments differs significantly from the
grade average for proctored assignments, the instructor reserves the right to
administer additional tests. |
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Student Services |
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A variety of services are available to
assist students in succeeding at FCC. Students can learn more about these
services by visiting the Student Services web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/index.aspx. Students with disabilities who are in need
of accommodations or who have questions related to disabilities services
should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office at
301-846-2408. Students can learn more about these services by visiting the
Services for Students with Disabilities web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/disability.aspx. |
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Participation
Policy: |
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You are required to login as directed and check the
weekly assignment folders. This
course requires students’ participation in all learning activities. You are expected to be engaged in all aspects
of this course.
All evaluated work is due on the dates specified. A late assignment will be penalized by 50% of
the total possible points. You should
note that this is better than earning a zero on the assignment. The instructor will allow a make-up exam if
the exam is missed due to a serious illness, emergency, religious holiday, or
participation in an official college function.
A make-up exam must be taken within 7 calendar days. Failure to meet the make-up exam deadline
will result in a 0% on the exam.
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Email Policy: |
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With
the exception of MOL students, all FCC students will receive and are expected
to use their FCC email address for correspondence with faculty and staff at
the college. Students can establish and access their FCC email accounts at https://myfcc.frederick.edu.
Email is an instructional tool essential to student-instructor and
student-student communication. In the Blackboard environment by default, your
email address is available to all students in this course. However,
students are permitted to use email addresses of other students in this
course only for the purpose and the duration of this course. The
instructor can be expected to respond to regular student email inquiries
(grades, posted assignments, and tests excluded) within the time frame of 24
to 48 hours. |
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Academic
Integrity: |
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Work in this course is subject to the provisions of the
FCC Code of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated.
As a student, it is your job to practice academic honesty at ALL times. Make sure that all sources, particularly
Internet sources, get proper credit for quotations, paraphrases, and ideas. More
information about this and the Student Conduct Code are available at http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/studentpolicies.aspx |
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You must
send your Academic Integrity Pledge to the instructor. The form is available at http://courses.frederick.edu/_utilities/regform.htm |
TOPICAL OUTLINE
Week
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SUBJECT |
CONTENT |
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Week
1 |
Regulation of Lawyers
and Paralegals |
*Federalism
(distinguish federal and state systems Chapter
1: Regulation of Lawyers and Paralegals; Historical Foundation, Applicable
Agencies and Associations |
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Week
2 |
Unauthorized Practice of
Law |
Chapter
2: History of Unauthorized Practice of
Law; Trends, Defined; What Constitutes Unauthorized Practice of Law;
Disclosure of Paralegal Status and Job Titles; Paralegals as Independent
Contractors (Freelance Paralegals) |
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Week
3 |
Practical
Exercises |
Practical
Exercises *Refer
to the Week #3 Assignment Folder |
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Week
4 |
Fee
and Client Funds |
Chapter
6: Fee Arrangements with Clients;
Ethics Rules About Fees; Communicating Fee Arrangements; Statutory and Other
Court Awarded Fees; Fee Splitting and Referral Fees; Partnerships Between
Lawyers and Non-lawyer; Client Funds and Property |
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Week
5 |
Confidentiality |
Chapter
3: The Principle of Confidentiality; Attorney-Client Privilege; Work Product
Rule; Ethics Rules, Confidentiality and the Paralegal |
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Week
6 |
Practical
Exercises |
Practical
Exercises *Refer
to the Week #6 Assignment Folder |
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Week
7 |
Exam
#1 |
Exam
#1 |
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Week
8 |
Conflicts
of Interest |
[Type a quote from the document or the summary of an
interesting point. You can position the text box anywhere in the
document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of the pull
quote text box.] Imputed
Conflicts and Disqualification; Conflict Checks |
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Week
9 |
Advertising
and Solicitation |
Chapter
5: Advertising; Solicitation; Ethics
Rules |
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Week
10 |
Practical
Exercises |
Practical
Exercises *Refer
to Week # 10 Assignment Folder |
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Week
11 |
Competence |
Chapter
7: Introduction; Legal Education;
Paralegal Education; Competence Defined; Sanctions for Incompetence; Trends
in Legal Mal Practice; Factors Affecting Paralegal Competence |
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Week
12 |
Special
Issues in Advocacy |
Chapter
8: Unmeritorious Claims, Delay, and
Discovery Abuse; Disruption \in the
Courtroom and Disobeying Court Orders; Candor and Honesty, Relationships and
Communications with Judges; Contact with Jurors, Parties and Others |
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Week
13 |
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Chapter
9: |
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Week
14 |
Practical
Exercises |
Practical
Exercises *Refer
to the Week #14 Assignment Folder |
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Week
15 |
Exam
#3 |
Exam
#3 |
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Last Day
to Withdraw from this Course |
November
2, 2011 |
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Inclement Weather Meeting Dates-
both must be included in the topical outline |
December
12-13, 2011 |
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NOTE:
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