ADVISEMENT & REGISTRATION STEPS & RESOURCES!!
- Check out this website for helpful general information: City Tech’s STAR Unit! (Scheduling, Testing, Advisement & Registration)
- Email your faculty adviser for an appointment! Check CUNYfirst, or adviser list to be posted here soon.
- Review the Law & Paralegal Studies Degree Checklist! (This link takes you to the College Catalog–Degree Checklist is on pp. 188-189, plus LOTS of other useful info on pp. 186-192!)
- Review your record on DegreeWorks! (to see your progress toward your degree — here’s guidance for using it!)
- Plan your program! What courses do you think you should take?
- Meet with your adviser! Be on time!
- Check the Schedule of classes! (to find out what classes are available next semester & where/when/how they take place) Under construction — finalized before Nov. 10.
- Watch for an email to your City Tech address identifying your first day to register!
- Register for classes on CUNYfirst! Starting Nov. 10.
GENERAL COURSE RESOURCES!
- Course syllabus!
- ZOOM LINK! for meetings and office hours: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81380874817 (Meeting ID 813 8087 4817)
- Academic Integrity policies! City Tech and CUNY
- “How to Post and Reply” instructions!
ANSWER KEYS!!
- Quiz #1 – Paralegal roles & skills; career opportunities (chs. 1 & 2)
- Quiz #2 – Court systems (ch. 6)
- Midterm exam
- Quiz #3 – Workings of a Law Office, Ethics, Sources of Law (chs. 3-5)
- Quiz #4– Sources of Law, Legal Research, Legal Writing (chs. 5, 7, 9)
DAILY CLASS NOTES & MATERIALS!
Th Aug 25 (class 1): Course introduction!
- Today’s class notes!
- Course syllabus!
- College Academic Calendar! (important dates & deadlines!)
Tu Aug 30 (class 2): Finish reviewing syllabus; intro to OpenLab; “Law in Culture Review” assignment; paralegal roles & skills!
- Today’s class notes!
- Instructions for how to join & post on OpenLab!
- “Law in Culture Review” assignment!
Th Sept 1 (class 3): “Where do you want to work?” assignment; paralegal roles & skills continued; campus tour!
Tu Sept 6 (class 4): NO MEETING! Individual meetings instead. “Where do you want to work?” assig nment; paralegal roles & skills continued; campus tour!
Th Sept 8 (class 5): Career opportunities: Where paralegals work!
- Today’s class notes!
- Websites of some potential employers we discussed: Legal Aid Society; American Civil Liberties Union; Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office
Tu Sept 13 (class 6): Visit from NYPIRG; Career opportunities: resume & cover letter assignment!
- Today’s class notes!
- Resume & cover letter assignment!
- Sample student resumes: C Kent, K Peters, Y Suarez, S Student
Th Sept 15 (class 7): Quiz #1; Peer review resumes!
Tu Sept 20 (class 8): How to write a cover letter to a potential employer!
- Today’s class notes!
- Sample student cover letter: B Wayne, D Prince, E Eggwhite, Y Suarez
Th Sept 22 (class 9): Peer review cover letters!
Th Oct 6 (class 10): Court systems!
- Today’s class notes!
- Federal court system charts: C&W chart and color chart!
- Federal court system map of districts and circuits!
Tu Oct 11 (class 11): Quiz #2 – Court systems! No meeting.
- Answer key for quiz #2 – Court systems (ch. 6)!
Th Oct 13 (class 12): Walking tour of local courts!
Look how much fun we had!
Tu Oct 18 (class 13): Timekeeping assignment; review for midterm exam!
- Today’s class notes! including exam review questions!
- Timekeeping assignment!
- Midterm exam study suggestions!
Th Oct 20 (class 14): MIDTERM EXAM!
Tu Oct 25 (class 15): Mid-semester status; Workings of a Law Office!
Th Oct 27 (class 16): Ethics & Professional Responsibility!
- Today’s class notes!
- NALA Code of Ethics & Professional Responsibility
- NFPA Model Code of Ethics & Professional Responsibility
Tu Nov 1 (class 17): Ethics & Professional Responsibility continued!
- Today’s class notes!
- NYS Rules of Professional Conduct (law governing attorneys)
Th Nov 3 (class 18): Ethics & Professional Responsibility continued; Advisement & Registration Procedures!
- Today’s class notes!
- Sussman v. Grado case!
- Advisement & Registration Steps & Resources — see above!
Tu Nov 8 (class 19): Sources of Law; guest speaker Vanella Douglas!
Th Nov 10 (class 20): Sources of Law continued, including the US Constitution!
- Today’s class notes!
- Court observation assignment!
- U.S. Constitution! (link to full text, including all articles & amendments)
Tu Nov 15 (class 21): Quiz #3; court visit; sources of law continued; legal research & analysis!
- Today’s class notes!
- Court observation assignment!
- Example of statute: federal Americans with Disabilities Act! (excerpts)
- Example of administrative law: Gov. Hochul’s Executive Order regarding Rikers Island!
- Example of case/common law: Sussman v. Grado
Th Nov 17 (class 22): Court visit! to U.S. District Court for Eastern District of NY.
Tu Nov 22 (class 23): Court observation oral presentations; legal research & analysis continued!
- Today’s class notes!
- News release on sentencing of Donnell Russell! (20 months!)
- News release on verdict in No Love City case! (All guilty!)
- US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health!(overturning the right to an abortion)
Tu Nov 29 (class 24): No class meeting! In place of court observation.
Th Dec 1 (class 25): Finish legal research (citation); intro to legal writing (forms)!
- Today’s class notes!
- Student Wellness Center information!
- Sample pleadings: plaintiff’s complaint and defendant’s answer!
- Sample research memorandum!
- Sample legal correspondence (letters)!
Tu Dec 6 (class 26): Legal Writing cont’d: Demand letter assignment!
Th Dec 8 (class 27): Legal Writing cont’d: peer review demand letters!
Tu Dec 13 (class 28): Quiz #4; review for final exam!
COURT SYSTEM MATERIALS!! (charts, maps, etc.)
- Federal court system charts: C&W chart and color chart
- Federal court system map of districts and circuits
- New York court system chart (C&W)
- List of NY counties & appellate division departments (C&W)
- New York court system map of counties and departments
- “Introductory Guide to NYS Courts” (handy government publication that briefly explains all the courts)
