What are the Different Types of Legal Distance Learning Courses?

Legal distance learning courses range from earning a certificate as a paralegal or legal assistant to earning a law degree. Correspondence schools and home learning organizations offer various types of distance learning law courses to students who want to learn about the law, need legal course credits to complete the educational requirements for related majors or continuing education credits, or want the knowledge to improve job performance. An individual can get a law degree from home through a correspondence law school and practice law like any lawyer who graduates from a brick and mortar institution. Some legal distance learning courses offer paralegal training, which gives students the opportunity to earn a certificate or diploma, and students who earn either one are often in a better position to get hired for a position in a legal organization, law firm, or other business.

Correspondence law schools train students to enter the legal profession by providing legal education through the use of telecommunications or by independent study. Students who choose telecommunications as their method of distance learning usually interact with faculty and class members through web-based technology and the telephone. Independent study often affords little opportunity for interaction, and students are able to study alone at their own pace as long as they meet course deadlines.

Some correspondence law schools offer a range of degree programs, such as a Bachelor of Science in Laws, a Master of Laws, and a Juris Doctor. The courses often offered in the degree programs are diverse and cover many areas of law so that individuals graduate with a foundational knowledge of their country’s legal jurisprudence. For example, some legal distance learning courses offered by law schools may include estate planning and civil procedure.

Paralegals and legal assistants are often in demand because their services cost less than new attorneys who may be assigned the same or similar tasks. This is the reason why there are many paralegal distance learning courses available to individuals who want to earn a certificate and work for attorneys or private businesses with a legal department. A legal distance learning course to earn a diploma or certificate as a legal assistant or paralegal often covers legal procedures, terminology, and concepts. In addition to legal theory, students learn how to perform various tasks that are common for paralegals to do on a regular basis. For example, graduates often know how to prepare legal documents, draft legal pleadings for trial, and write legal memos that their supervising attorneys can use to prepare for trial.