CIVIL
LITIGATION I – PLS 121
Location & Time: Section 3: C2-8; MWF:
11:15a.- 12:10p.
Instructor: Dena Sukol, Esq.
Email: dsukol@ccp.edu
Office: C2-9 (and 2nd
floor lounge of
Office Hours: MWF:
Meetings with Instructor: If at any time during the semester you are experiencing problems with the material, please let me know so that we can work together in clearing them up. Don’t let your questions/problems pile up; it makes resolving them much more difficult. I’m here to help you!
Textbook: FUNDAMENTALS OF
LITIGATION FOR PARALEGALS, Maerowitz & Mauet.
(Aspen
Publishers).
Course Description: This is an introductory
course in civil litigation for the paralegal.
We will focus on the civil litigation process
and the paralegal’s role in that process.
Course Goals: At the end of this course, the student should understand
the:
1. organization of the
state and federal judicial systems;
2. role of the
paralegal in informal fact gathering, investigation, case evaluaton and
strategy;
3. analysis of
jurisdiction in civil litigation;
4. pleadings and motion
practice;
5. nature of discovery
and evidentiary rules;
6. role of the
paralegal in settlement, trial preparation and post-trial processes.
Attendance: It is the policy of CCP to
automatically drop any student who is absent for the equivalent of
more than two
weeks. Absence is defined as missing 15 minutes or more of a class. (Lateness,
leaving early and leaving during
class all count toward calculating an absence.)
Please turn off all cell phones,
pagers, and other electronic devices before class unless you have a family
emergency in which case please immediately leave the classroom if your phone
rings. Students are expected to wait
for 15 minutes in the unlikely event of the instructor’s lateness. Attendance is mandatory for guest lecturers
and field trips. If a student experiences a serious emergency, such as illness,
a death in the family, or serious child-care problems, please inform the
instructor as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT NOTE: From time to time, the order of readings may be
changed to accommodate special issues, guest lecturers, and field trips. Your attendance will insure that you are up
to date on assignments.
GRADING- no makeup tests
will be given.
Test 25%
Test 25%
Final
Examination 25%
Class
Project 12.5%
Class
Participation & Homework 12.5%
Instructor reserves the
right to give additional quizzes.
SCHEDULE OF
WEEK 1: Chapter 1:
Introduction to Litigation
2 Chapter 2: Informal Fact Gathering and Investigation
3 Chapter 3: Case Evaluation and Strategy
4 Chapter 4: Parties and Jurisdiction
5 Chapter 5: Pleadings
6 Chapters 6& 7: Law and Motions
7 Chapter 8: Provisional Remedies
8 Chapter 9: Evidence
9 Chapter 10: Discovery
10 Chapter 10: Discovery
CLASS PROJECT ASSIGNED
11: ` Chapters
11 & 12: Settlements and Trial Prep,
Trial & Appeal
12: Chapter 12: Trial Prep, Trial & Appeal
13: Chapters 13 & 14: Enforcement of Judgments and Alternative
Dispute Resolution