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Frequently Asked Questions
When does the program begin?
New classes are started the first Tuesday of each month. In this manner students are grouped to be about the same place in the course at any one time, and can interact with their instructor based on being at a common point in the
program.
What are the prerequisites for the program?
The minimum prerequisite is a high school diploma but either (a) an associate?s degree and two years of administrative experience or (b) four years of administrative experience are a plus for those seeking to enter the legal field
as a legal secretary/lawyer's assistant.
Is a Lawyer's Assistant the same as a Legal Assistant or a Paralegal?
No. A Lawyer's Assistant cannot conduct client interviews, locate and interview witnesses, or conduct investigations which are some of the tasks that a legal assistant/paralegal can do under the supervision of an attorney. Our
program is not a legal assistant/paralegal program; it is for the very rewarding career of Lawyer's Assistant.
I was thinking about becoming a paralegal - so this program isn't for me?
It depends. As we stated above, we are not a paralegal program. Paralegal programs are moving towards four-year degree programs, though there are currently other ways to attain the designation. This means , for most people, a lot
more schooling. For those who are considering the legal profession, including becoming a paralegal, our program could be the first step.
Who teaches your program?
Our course is taught by excellent licensed, experienced, practicing lawyers. Biographical information is listed
here on this Website
What is the cost of your program?
Tuition is $795. This includes texts, a student workbook, and access to the Stetson University password-protected learning management system that has additional course materials.
How does the process work for interacting with the course materials and the instructor?
We have a highly interactive program. Here is the outline of course actions:
Once you register and pay, we ship your course texts to you; build an account for you in Stetson?s Blackboard? learning management system; and notify your instructor who will arrange a Welcome Call to make introductions, answer
questions, and get you ready to begin the course. The call will also serve to discuss the pace that is expected during the course. We expect most students to work at the rate of one chapter a week, but accelerated or extended paces can be arranged.
Once in the course, one of your first tasks will be to take a diagnostic exam in written communications because this area is extremely important in the legal profession. You can use your Gregg Reference Manual throughout the
course to strengthen any areas that are identified as needing improvement.
For each chapter, you will read the material from the Basic Manual for Lawyer's Assistants (BMLA), complete the Review Questions, and take the chapter quiz.
Each chapter also has one or more projects, vignettes or anecdotal stories that reinforce the BMLA chapter material. You will be expected to be able to discuss these, either by phone, SKype?, or e-mail, with your instructor.
There will also be Gregg Reference Manual (GRM) worksheets assigned to strengthen your written communication skills. Answer sets will be provided. Although GRM worksheets are not graded, they are key to doing well on the written
communications portion of the ALS exam so it behooves each student to do the sheets, check the answers, and learn from any mistakes.
After the Review Questions have been submitted, they will be graded within 48 hours. Once your answers for all the Review Questions for a chapter are submitted, you will be provided the password to access the Chapter Quiz.
Weekly, your instructor will conduct a telephone conference call during a mutually agreed upon day and time of the week using Skype?. There may be more than one student on this call. (The instructor will use Skype? to contact
each student.) Weekly telephone conference calls are the time when you will discuss that chapter?s vignettes, projects, exercises and get answers to any questions you might regarding the subject matter. This will continue through the entire length of the course.
How are review questions and quizzes graded?
They are graded differently.
- Review Questions/Quizzes contain subjective (essay) questions. Review Questions can be answered "open book" and there is no time limit except that all chapter review questions must be submitted before taking the Quiz. Answering review questions and being
prepared to discuss them during your weekly conference call is our online version of class participation.
- Quizzes only have objective questions (mainly multiple choice, true-false, multiple answer) that are graded automatically. Quizzes are open book evaluations but are timed because the intent is to have students read and learn the material before the quiz
rather than having the unlimited time to look up every answer. Students who complete their quiz within the specified time limit get their grade right away.
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Quizzes |
Review Questions |
| Type questions |
Multiple choice, T-F |
Essay, Short answer |
| Open or closed book |
Open |
Open |
| Timed or not timed |
Timed |
Not timed |
| Graded |
Automatically (Blackboard) |
Manually (Instructor)* |
| Score |
Based on point value of questions answered correctly
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Based on instructor?s overall assessment of work submitted
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* Student scores will not appear in Blackboard until after the instructor has manually graded the Review Questions.
About how many hours a week are required to take this course?
Most students need about five to six hours a week for those taking the online course at the regular rate. (See the
Course Outline). This is generally the work associated with reading and learning the topic from
one of the chapters from the text, except for four occurrences when students are responsible for two chapters as those chapters are short.
At this "traditional" pace students will spend about two-three hours reading the chapter(s) and concurrently answering the Review Questions from the Student Study Guide. There will be a half hour used in reviewing the results
of our grading of your Review Questions, then another hour reviewing the PowerPoint Presentation in preparation for the weekly quiz. The weekly quiz will take less than a half hour, usually 25 minutes. Reviewing the results of the quiz in preparation for your
weekly instructor contact: one-half hour. And dialoging with your instructor by e-mail, IM, chat room, or phone ... another half hour.
(Yes, students can review the PowerPoint prior to or while answering the Review Questions, but we do not recommend this. Let the PowerPoint be a separate item used to help prepare for the quizzes.)
How do I take the quizzes and exams?
For open book quizzes and exams, including answers to Review Questions, the only requirement is to take the quiz or exam at a location where there is a reliable Internet connection. Note that quizzes and exams are timed. The Stetson
Honor Code applies to all work in the program. For the closed book NALS Final and the ALS Exams, they must be taken from a proctored location.
The NALS Final: (Taken on a computer with an Internet connection)
The location for the NALS Exam also must be one where there is a computer and a reliable Internet connection.
It is the student's responsibility to arrange a proctored test location, and to pay any test proctoring fees, if any. The person or activity proctoring must be cleared in advance with Stetson program administrators. A local law office or school might be
willing to provide this proctoring service. (For military personnel, the local Education Office could do the proctoring; just provide the contact information to Stetson.)
Send contact nominee and the nominee's information (Name, title, organization, e-mail address) to
Rosemary Cangelosi, Stetson Student Liaison.
The ALS Exam: (Taken on paper using a bubble sheet for answers)
To schedule and pay for the ALS Examination visit the
NALS Website and click on certification and then on exam applications in the pulldown menu.
Follow the application instructions to register for the test. You may have to leave space for the test site blank.
NALS will arrange for the proctor and a location for the ALS Examination.
Can I get college credit for completing this program?
This is a certificate program so we cannot award any college credits.
Is financial assistance available?
Not normally, as this is a rather low-cost course, under the financing limit of our Career Training Loan lender, Sallie Mae.
Is there the option to work at an accelerated or extended pace?
All online programs should have some flexibility to accommodate the student?s individual schedule. In our program, you can work out a pace with your instructor that fits your lifestyle but one that also keeps in mind the proximity
to the national exam.
What happens when I complete the program?
Successful graduates receive a Stetson University Basic Legal Training Course Certificate and a NALS Basic Legal Training Course Certificate. Those interested in taking the ALS exam administered by NALS will be provided information
during the course on how to apply. (Also see below.)
How do I schedule and pay for the ALS Examination?
Visit the
NALS Website and click on certification and then on exam applications in the pulldown menu.
Do you guarantee I will pass the national ALS Exam?
No guarantee, but if you apply yourself, do the lessons, and be active in the learning process you should pass. (Beware of providers who "guarantee" that students will pass. They often charge a substantial additional fee for this
service and demand that students who fail a test complete a remedial test preparation program that is so rigorous that most people drop out of it and never pass ... and give up their guarantee money also.)
What if I enroll and find the course is not right for me?
We hope that won't be the case, but if you decide to disenroll for any reason you may do so within the first two lessons or first two weeks (14 days) of receiving your password - whichever comes first. Your request must be received
in writing. Your tuition will be refunded less $175 which covers the cost of texts (nonreturnable) and a processing fee.
What if, during the course, I encounter financial or family or other issues that make it difficult for me to participate; can I drop and then attend the next session of the course?
The short answer to your question is that if we conduct the program again you are welcome to sit in on it. There will be a $300 re-registration fee and you will be responsible for texts if they have changed, as in using a newer edition. The long answer is that we have no assurance if and when we will conduct the program again. Our advice never changes:
In life ...
... there will be times of plenty and times of need,
... there will be times of joy and times of sorrow,
... there will be times of health and times of pain,
But if you have an education ...
... you always have it.
Sorry if this came across as too melodramatic. But people in our course have a unique and perhaps one-time opportunity to better themselves educationally, with potential positive outcomes in the area of employment. If it were us, we'd do our best to take advantage of it.
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