Law Clerk
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Peterborough
Accepting applications
LCK
Ontario College Diploma
September 2, 2008
$1,568.00 per semester *
* Tuition and fees subject to change.
- Program Information
- Program Curriculum
- Course Descriptions
Your two-year Law Clerk program will provide the outstanding training and education necessary for an exciting career in this field. Prepare to assist lawyers in such tasks as interviewing clients, conducting legal research, preparing documents, searching real estate and corporate registries, and assisting in preparing cases for trial.
Program Highlights
In your first semester, you'll take a common semester with other Law and Justice students, and focus your attention on such courses as Language for Law and Justice, Introduction to the Canadian Justice System, and Sociology as a Second Language.
In the remaining three semesters, you'll further enhance the skills specific to a law clerk career, with such courses as Business and Contract Law, Introduction to Civil Procedures, Legal Research and Writing, Landlord and Tenant Law, Family Law, Creditor and Debtor Law, Title Searching, Wills and Estates, Evidence, and Advocacy.
Why Choose Fleming?
In the Law Clerk program, the 100-hour field placement provides students with experiential learning opportunities in legal settings, such as law offices, government agencies, legal clinics, private corporations, paralegal firms, courts or Crown offices. Graduates of this program are also eligible to become members of the Institute for Law Clerks.
The Law Clerk program shares three semesters with the Paralegal (formerly Court and Tribunal Agent )program. Take one additional semester of study and receive a second diploma in the Paralegal program. (The start date for this additional semester is subject to student interest and enrolment. Check with the program co-ordinator for details.)
Work Experience
Field Placement extends beyond the 15-week semester and is usually done following completion of your final academic semester.
What it Takes to Succeed
An interest in problem solving, investigation, people, and strong oral and written communication skills would be essential components to your success as a Law Clerk. Other than these skills/interests, there are a few others which will be an asset to your studies:
- thorough research skills
- excellent interpersonal skills
- cultural sensitivity
- excellent time management skills
Students would benefit by having basic computer skills including e-mail, word processing, file management and internet web browsing.
Career Opportunities
A high percentage of our graduates find employment in the field. When looking through the paper, or checking out the internet for jobs, here are a few you'd qualify for with your Law Clerk Diploma:
- law clerk
- legal assistant
- executive assistant
- legal/litigation secretary
- legal technician
Minimum Admission Requirements
OSSD with the majority of credits at the College (C) and Open (O) level, including:
- 2 College (C) English courses (Grade 11 or Grade 12)
When (C) is the minimum course level for admission, (U) or (U/C) courses are also accepted.
Mature Students
If you are 19 years of age or older before classes start, and you do not possess an OSSD, you can write the Canadian Adult Achievement Test to assess your eligibility for admission.
*Students starting in January are required to attend classes over the summer semester.
Selection Process
Related Programs
Paralegal is another program you might also want to consider.
Additional Costs
Plan to spend approximately $740 per year for books and supplies.
University Transfer Agreements
Semester 1
Aboriginal Justice
Course Number: LAWS085
In this course students will identify and examine issues related to Aboriginal Justice in Canada. Specifically, students will focus on the relationship between the Canadian Justice system and Aboriginal Peoples. Historical and contemporary events will be examined to increase understanding of Aboriginal issues. Students will explore alternative justice, and other possible strategies to address the identified problems. Cultural practices and beliefs will also be discussed.
Units: 14.00
Hours: 14.00
Career Awareness
Course Number: SOCI122
This introductory course develops a set of generic skills, that support studies at a post-secondary level and provide a foundation for the student's career success.
Units: 14.00
Hours: 14.00
Careers for Law Clerk
Course Number: SOCI139
This course is designed to introduce students to the roles and responsibilities integral to the practice of the law clerk. Particular emphasis will be placed on professional conduct, competencies and strategies for success in the field.
Units: 7.00
Hours: 7.00
Communications for Law and Justice
Course Number: COMM080
This course focuses on improving reading, writing, and oral communication skills through a number of assignments related to the law and justice professions. This course stresses the development of communiction skills that will allow students to meet the learning outcomes demanded by the assignments in this course, in other subjects, and for eventual career employment. Students will demonstrate skills in summary and report writing, oral presentations, standard usage of English, as well as in research techniques, including appropriate citation and documentation of sources. The principles of style, structure, content, and mechanics constitute the overall framework of the course.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Intro to Political Science & Public Administration
Course Number: LAWS043
This course provides an introduction to the democratic system of governance in Canada. It includes a description of the organization, structure, interaction, and administration of the three (3) levels of government. The course will introduce and identify the daily problems and issues faced by Canadians in a political context, including public opinion and special interest groups. Major themes explored include a brief introduction to political beliefs and values, an examination of cleavages within the Canadian population, the Canadian constitution, nationalism, and political culture and spectrum. These concepts will be examined in the current forum of the daily politics that unfold during the course. Students will begin to develop research writing skills and group discussion skills. This course is a hybrid course comprised of webct and seminar components.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Introduction to Canadian Justice System
Course Number: LAWS044
This course provides an introductory overview of the Canadian Justice System, with special emphasis on the criminal justice system and the responsibilities of enforcement personnel. Contemporary issues affecting the system will be analyzed and discussed.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Introduction to Psychology
Course Number: SOCI036
This course offers a systematic approach to exploring human behaviour. The concepts and empirical findings are examined using a variety of theoretical approaches. Major topics include perception, motivation, learning, memory, intelligence, and personality.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Introductory Computing
Course Number: COMP345
Working in the Windows XP environment, this computer course introduces the student to computer basics (computer terminology, e-mail, Internet, file management) and the application and use of word processing, spreadsheet, and database software. Through the extensive use of hands-on activities, students will gain sufficient knowledge and experience to make productive use of computers as a tool in both college and workplace environments.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Sociology for Law and Justice
Course Number: SOCI123
Through this course, learn the special meanings that Sociology, as a language, assigns to words and how they are organized into concepts and theories. We use these words, concepts and theories to see and make sense of our social world and to talk with others about it, develop the ability to understand our social interactions, the society we create and recreate and how it affects us. Your success will depend very much on your ability in English, ability to send and receive e-mail, use a web browser, engage in discussions in bulletin boards, and other standard operations using a computer.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Semester 2
Accounting in the Legal Environment
Course Number: ACCT045
This is an introductory course in accounting. The course explores the basics of accounting using an interactive and tactile approach. Accounting topics will consider transactions relating to personal, business and corporate accounts. Special emphasis will be given to trust accounts, cash control and bank reconciliations. Topics will be discussed within the context of the legal environment. The accounting will be supplemented with a simulation using P.C. Law Jr.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Business and Contract Law
Course Number: LAWS004
Business people and consumers in Ontario are affected by a broad spectrum of federal, provincial and municipal laws and a variety of court-created legal principles. This course serves as an introduction to business and consumer law.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Introduction to Civil Procedures
Course Number: LAWS045
An ability to apply the rules of civil procedure is crucial to the conduct of litigation. In this course, students will learn the court structure in the Province of Ontario including the names of the courts and jurisdictional limits of each. Students will learn to apply the rules of civil procedure to the conduct of a lawsuit from initiation to trial.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Issues in Diversity
Course Number: SOCI038
In this course students will critically identify and examine issues in diversity. Specifically, students will focus on topics pertaining to inequality in various social settings, including but not limited to: race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Incorporating social/legal explanations of diversity, students will develop a clear understanding of the impacted groups and possible strategies of community empowerment.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Legal Research and Writing
Course Number: LAWS053
This course will provide a practical introduction to legal research, using case reports, statutes, regulations, and legal texts. Effective communication of research results will be developed through practice writing case briefs, statutory summaries, report letters, and legal memoranda.
Units: 30.00
Hours: 30.00
Property Law Concepts in Ontario
Course Number: LAWS047
A solid understanding of Property Law is integral to Court and Tribunal Agents and Legal Assistants as it forms the basis for many other areas of law. In this course, students will be introduced to the various forms of property ownership in Ontario and the legal restrictions on property rights. They will also study the most important pieces of legislation affecting real property in Ontario, with particular attention paid to the transfer and registration of property interests on title.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Word Processing in the Legal Environment
Course Number: COMP099
The fundamentals of MS Word, PC Law, and Conveyancer will be applied to a variety of documents commonly used in a legal office environment. While the course focuses on an introduction to word processing concepts, legal documents such as legal correspondence and memorandum, court documents and formal reports will form the basis for the applications. Students will also investigate legal sites on the World Wide Web.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Semester 3
Advocacy
Course Number: LAWS179
This course provides an introduction to the concepts of trial advocacy in the Canadian judicial system. Students will develop the basic skills and techniques necessary for the effective presentation of a client's case in the adversarial system of justice. There will be four presentation assignments, to provide a hands-on opportunity to practise and demonstrate an understanding of the skills and concepts of the course. The course will include an attendance at the County Court House to observe an actual trial.
Units: 30.00
Hours: 30.00
Alternate Dispute Resolution
Course Number: SOCI129
Alternative Dispute Resolution is increasingly becoming an integral part of our judicial system as an alternative to litigation. In this course, students will learn principles of mediation and arbitration both in a voluntary context and in situations where it is mandated by law. Students will study the objectives and practice of Alternative Dispute Resolution and the context in which they are most effective.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Creditor and Debtor Law
Course Number: LAWS014
Pre-requisites
In this course students will focus on the law controlling creditor-debtor relationships with emphasis on the practical steps that can be taken to collect debts and to protect a creditor's interest in the assets of a debtor prior to collection.
Units: 30.00
Hours: 30.00
Evidence
Course Number: LAWS029
Pre-requisites
In this course, students will examine the use of evidence in court cases, including statutory and common-law limits on the use of various forms of information that could affect the decision-making process of Canadian courts and administrative tribunals. Students will examine the functions of investigators, advocates, judges, and juries in the presentation and processing of evidence.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Field Placement Preparation
Course Number: FLPL109
This course is intended assist students with seeking and preparing for their field placement experience in fourth semester. Students will increase the knowledge, insight, and understanding of their options for placement within the legal environment. Emphasis will be given to cover letter, resume and portfolio preparation. The student will be also introduced to interview skills.
Units: 15.00
Hours: 15.00
Landlord and Tenant Law
Course Number: LAWS050
Pre-requisites
This course examines landlord and tenant relations, rent review, and the procedures involved in protecting and enforcing the rights of both landlords and tenants.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Practice Management in the Legal Environment
Course Number: LAWS126
Pre-requisites
This course introduces the student to routines and procedures most often performed in the legal office setting. Emphasis will be given to opening/closing/preparing client files, file retention, legal record keeping, docketing, billing, and statements of accounts. There will be instruction in alphabetic, numeric, subject and geographic filing as well as file management both manually and electronically. The student is also introduced to telephone and reception techniques, handling incoming and outgoing mail including email and faxes. The student will have the opportunity to continue to use their written and oral communication skills while practicing interviewing skills and preparing their employment portfolio.
Units: 60.00
Hours: 60.00
Semester 4
Advanced Civil Procedures
Course Number: LAWS180
Units: 30.00
Hours: 30.00
Advanced Property Law
Course Number: LAWS181
Pre-requisites
Real property ownership in Ontario is subject to a myriad of legislative provisions that affect virtually every property transaction in the province. Students will learn the fundamentals of property registration systems. The importance of surveys, zoning, tax considerations, and other matters of concern to individuals purchasing property interests will be examined in detail. The teraview training system will be explored and the student will be proficient at searching and registering in this system.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Corporate Law
Course Number: LAWS013
As a practical introduction to the various forms of business organization, this course will be a hands-on introduction to the documents and steps involved in creating and carrying on business as: a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited partnership, and a corporation.
Units: 30.00
Hours: 30.00
Family Law
Course Number: LAWS031
Pre-requisites
This course provides an overview of law affecting families and children. Particular emphasis will be placed on the legal implications of family breakdown.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Field Placement
Course Number: FLPL024
The fourth semester field placement experience enables Law Clerk students to integrate and complement their classroom knowledge with a practical learning experience in a legal setting of their choice. Law Clerk placement consists of 100 hours. It is viewed as an integral, core coponent of the program's curriculum.
Units: 100.00
Hours: 100.00
Text Processing for Law Clerks
Course Number: COMP090
Pre-requisites
Using database software specifically designed for the legal community, as well as templated documents students will produce a variety of documents commonly found in the legal environment. These documents will be formatted, using word processing software, in accordance with the applicable legal formatting rules.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00
Wills and Estates
Course Number: LAWS082
Pre-requisites
This course provides students with an overview of the law of estates and an understanding of the court process. Particular emphasis will be placed on the principles of will drafting and the procedural requirements in estate administration.
Units: 45.00
Hours: 45.00