Inmate Courses – Legal Assistant/Paralegal

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Inmate Courses
Legal Assistant/Paralegal

Blackstone Career Institute makes every effort to accommodate the enrollment of incarcerated individuals in our Legal Assistant/Paralegal Career Training Program and Advanced Paralegal Courses. We use soft-covered books and materials for ease of entry into most state prisons, federal penitentiaries, county jails, and other institutions. Our online school courses are designed for easy and affordable learning.

Blackstone’s Legal Assistant/Paralegal Career Training Program teaches students how to do legal research, help prepare legal cases for hearings and trials, and work with legal documents. Students will also learn how to perform an initial case analysis, research various legal topics, and draft legal documents.

  • Prerequisite: High School or General Equivalency Diploma
  • Study Method: Mail correspondence
  • Program Length: Completion time ranges from 6-18 months, with students given the option of up to 24 months if needed. Students must satisfy all academic and financial obligations to graduate from their program.

Founded in 1890, Blackstone Career Institute is one of the oldest distance learning schools in the U.S. Over 125,000 people have changed their lives by taking a course with Blackstone. We have a long history of providing convenient and affordable education for prison inmates. Education is the cornerstone of success and has proven benefits for the incarcerated:

  • a lower rate of recidivism
  • increased employment prospects
  • a higher self-esteem
  • more marketable job skills
  • a means to transition into society

Blackstone Career Institute makes every effort to accommodate the enrollment of incarcerated individuals in our Legal Assistant/Paralegal program and Advanced Paralegal Courses. We use soft-covered books and materials for ease of entry into most state prisons, federal penitentiaries, county jails and other institutions.
Inmates can complete their entire course via correspondence using U.S. mail. We provide all of the necessary materials so students do not have to seek additional or outside resources in order to graduate. Inmates from 1,200 facilities across the U.S. have already turned to Blackstone to continue their education.
Blackstone offers advanced paralegal courses in the following legal fields: Personal Injury/Torts; Family Law; Wills, Trusts, and Estates; Criminal Law; Civil Litigation; Business and Corporate Law; Real Estate Law; and Practical Bankruptcy Law.
Distance learning is an effective and convenient method for incarcerated individuals to meet their educational goals. You can help! Enroll your loved one online, or, if you prefer, download the enrollment form now and mail it to us with your first payment. To have an informational packet sent to your loved one or to enroll over the phone, call 800-826-9228 and speak to one of our student service representatives.

Our accredited correspondence Legal Assistant/Paralegal Career Training Program provides foundation-level knowledge and skills in general law which prepares you to work in a law firm, bank, court, government agency, or one of dozens of organizations who are depending more on legal assistants/paralegals today. You will acquire entry level skills needed to:

  • Assist in contract preparation
  • Draft pleadings and motions
  • Assist in civil suits
  • Prepare will and real estate transactions
  • Assist in legal research
  • Assist in trial preparation

View Curriculum Details

Volume I: Law – Its Origin, Nature and Development & Contracts

  • Nature of Law
  • Sources of Law
  • Classifications of Law
  • Beginnings of Law
  • Making of the Common Law
  • Enlargement of the Common Law
  • Maturity of the Law
  • American Development of the Common Law
  • History of Contracts
  • Offer & Acceptance
  • Reality of Consent
  • Contracts Under Seal
  • Consideration
  • Statute of Frauds & Perjuries
  • Capacity of Parties
  • Legality of the Subject Matter
  • Limits of Contractual Obligation
  • Assignment of Contracts
  • Joint & Several Contracts
  • Interpretation & Construction of Contracts
  • Promises & Conditions
  • Rules on Conditions
  • Impossibility of Performance
  • Breach of Contracts
  • The Discharge of Contracts

Volume II: Torts

  • Fundamental Notions
  • Trespass to the Person
  • Battery
  • Assault
  • False Imprisonment
  • Trespass to the Property
  • Excusable Trespasses
  • Conversion
  • Nature of Conversion
  • Particular Instances of Conversion
  • Legal Cause
  • Negligence
  • Deceit
  • The Defendant’s Wrongful Conduct
  • The Effect Upon the Plaintiff
  • Defamation
  • Two Species of Defamation
  • The Plaintiff’s Case in Defamation
  • The Defendant’s Response
  • The Response
  • Prima Facie Defense
  • Judgement & Damages
  • Malicious Prosecution
  • Interference with Domestic Relations
  • Interference with Contractual Relations
  • Interference with Business or Employment
  • Right of Privacy
  • Acting at Peril – General Principles
  • Liability for Inanimate Forces
  • Liability for Injuries from Lawful Use of One’s Land
  • Joint Tort – Feasors

 

Volume III: Criminal Law

  • The Subject Defined
  • The Act
  • The Intent
  • Incapacity or Limitations to Criminal Capacity
  • Circumstances Affecting Criminal Responsibility
  • Justification
  • Parties to Crime
  • Incomplete Offenses
  • Homicide
  • Assault, Battery, Mayhem
  • Rape
  • False Imprisonment
  • Kidnapping & Abduction
  • Burglary & Arson
  • Larceny
  • Robbery
  • Embezzlement
  • False Pretenses
  • Receiving Stolen Goods
  • Malicious Mischief
  • Forgery
  • Counterfeiting
  • Extortion
  • Offenses Against Religion, Morals & Decency
  • Offenses Against the Public Peace
  • Offenses Against Public Authority

Volume IV: Real Property – Part I

  • Nature of Ownership
  • Origin & Terminology
  • Real & Personal Property
  • The Feudal System
  • Manors
  • Sources of Title in this Country
  • Tenures
  • Seisin & Livery of Seisin
  • Growth of Individual Rights
  • Estates
  • Fee Simple
  • Determinable or Base Fee
  • Estates Tail
  • Rule in Shelley’s Case
  • Life Estates
  • Restraints on Alienation
  • Estates upon Condition
  • Uses
  • Equitable Conversion
  • Remainders & Reversions
  • Contingent Remainders
  • Conditional Limitations
  • Rule Against Perpetuities
  • Application of Rule Against Perpetuities
  • Rule Applied to Charities
  • Rule Applied to Powers
  • Co-Tenancy in General
  • Tenancy in Common
  • Joint Tenancy
  • Coparcenary
  • Estates Arising by Marriage
  • Curtesy

Volume V: Real Property – Part II

  • Dower
  • Homestead Exemptions
  • Rights Appurtenant to Land
  • Fruits of the Soil
  • Waste Boundaries
  • Fences
  • Natural Rights to Land & Air & Water
  • Lateral & Subjacent Support
  • Easements Licenses
  • Profits
  • Party Walls
  • Rent
  • Covenants Running With Land
  • Forms of Conveyances
  • Surrender & Release
  • Delivery & Acceptance
  • Other Essentials to Valid Conveyance
  • Abstracts of Title
  • Covenants of Title
  • Recording Laws
  • Torrens System of Land Registration
  • Dedication
  • Public Lands
  • Powers
  • Acquisition or Transfer of Title
  • Forfeiture for Crime
  • Sales on Execution
  • Partition
  • Adverse Possession
  • Accretion, Alluvion & Reliction

Volume VI: Pleadings in Civil Actions, Practice in Civil Actions, Criminal Procedures

  • Necessity of Pleading & Importance of Subject
  • History of Courts & Pleading
  • Course of Action
  • Common Law
  • Causes of Action
  • Proceedings in Other Courts & Effect of the Code on Forms of Action
  • Parties to Actions and Joinder of Actions
  • The Plaintiff’s First Pleading
  • General Rules of Pleading
  • The Defenses to an Action
  • Defendant’s Pleading & Rules Governing Them
  • The Plaintiff’s Second Pleading
  • Closing of Issues & Judgment
  • Beginning Suit
  • Preliminary Motions
  • Non-Jury Cases
  • Jury Trials
  • Opening Statements – Excluding Witnesses
  • Depositions
  • Examinations of Witnesses
  • Charging the Jury
  • Verdicts
  • Entering Judgment
  • Appeals
  • Introduction to Criminal Procedure
  • Jurisdiction & Venue
  • Preliminary Proceedings
  • Indictments
  • Procedure Between Indictment & Trial
  • The Trial
  • Steps After the Trial

Volume VII: Wills and Trusts

  • Introduction & Classification
  • Descent
  • Distribution
  • Wills Defined
  • Origin, History & Nature of Wills
  • Capacities of Testators & Beneficiaries
  • Execution of Wills
  • Revocation of Wills
  • Republication & Revival
  • Lapsed & Void Legacies & Devises
  • Ademption
  • Probate of Wills
  • Administration of Estates
  • Guardian & Ward
  • History of Trusts
  • Trusts Distinguished From Other Relationships
  • Creation of Express Trusts
  • Creation of Implied Trusts
  • Private Trusts
  • Public Trusts
  • Trustee – Appointment, Qualifications & Powers
  • Trustee – Duties, Rights, Liabilities & Removal
  • Beneficiary – Rights & Liabilities
  • Beneficiary – His Remedies

Volume VIII: Partnerships & Corporations

  • Legal Conception of Corporation
  • Formation of Corporations
  • Irregularly & Defectively Organized Corporations
  • Promotion of Corporations
  • Subscribers & Stock Subscriptions
  • Corporation & State
  • Corporate Powers
  • Ultra Vires Transactions
  • Corporate Crimes & Torts
  • Directors
  • Corporate Membership
  • Rights of Stockholders
  • Corporate Creditors
  • Foreign Corporations
  • Partnerships – Characteristics
  • Creation of Partnership
  • Name & Property of Partnership
  • Partnership Liability
  • Duties of Partners
  • Remedies of Creditors
  • Actions Between Partners
  • Action Between Partners & Third Persons
  • Termination of Partnership

Volume IX: Constitutional Law

  • Constitutions, Their Nature & Law
  • American Constitutions & Constitutional Law
  • Organization & Powers of United States Government
  • Relations Between Union & the States
  • Powers of President
  • Powers of Congress

Volume X: Constitutional Law – Part II

  • Constitution as a Bill of Rights
  • Political Privileges & Their Protection
  • Civil Rights & Their Guaranties
  • Protection of Person Accused of a Crime
  • Due Process of Law
  • Equal Protections of Law
  • Impairment of Obligation of Contracts
  • The Constitution of the United States

Volume XI: Legal Research and Writing – Part I, by Tracey Biscontini

  • Introduction to the Law and the U.S. Legal System
  • Primary Sources
  • Secondary Sources
  • Computer-Assisted Legal Research
  • Conducting Legal Research
  • Updating and Verifying Legal Research
  • Legal Analysis

Graded Assignment 01: Shepardizing

Volume XII: Legal Research and Writing – Part II, by Tracey Biscontini

  • Introduction to Legal Writing
  • Writing Legal Letters
  • Legal Research Memorandums
  • Trial Court Legal Memorandums
  • Appellate Briefs

Graded Assignment 02: Demand Letter
Graded Assignment 03: Legal Research Memorandum
Graded Assignment 04: Q & A Appellate

Volume XIII: How to Find a Job as a Paralegal, by Tracey Biscontini

  • The Paralegal Profession
  • The Job Search
  • Job-Search Correspondence
  • Job Interviews
  • Succeeding on the Job

Graded Assignment 05: Resume
Graded Assignment 06: Cover Letter

Volume XIV: Ethics for Paralegals

  • Tasks of a Paralegal
  • Attorney vs. Paralegal Responsibilities
  • Certification and Licensing
  • Freelance and Independent Paralegals
  • Confidentiality, Ethical Walls, and Screening
  • Integrity of the Paralegal Profession
  • ABA Model Guidelines
  • NALA Model Guidelines
  • NALA Code of Ethics
  • NFPA Code of Ethics

Blackstone makes it easy for incarcerated students to complete their course while incarcerated. All of the materials they need to successfully complete their course will be provided. Each course includes a soft-covered commercial textbook and an accompanying study guide. Textbooks for each course are listed below.

Personal Injury/Torts

Personal Injury and the Law of Torts, 2nd Edition, 2012, by Emily Lynch Morissette. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-7355-9877-5

Family Law

Family Law for Paralegals, 5th Edition, 2011, by J. Shoshanna Ehrlich. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-7355-8773-1

Wills, Trusts, and Estates

Basic Wills, Trusts, and Estates for Paralegals, 5th Edition, 2011, by Jeffrey A. Helewitz. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-7355-9873-7

Criminal Law

Fundamentals of Criminal Practice: Law and Procedure, 2012, by Thomas E. McClure and Thomas E. Eimermann. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-7355-7094-8

Civil Litigation

Fundamentals of Litigation for Paralegals, 7th Edition, 2012, by Marlene A. Maerowitz and Thomas A. Mauet. Custom-published paperback edition. ISBN 978-145481683-6

Business and Corporate Law

Fundamentals of Business Law, 2011, by Daniel V. Davidson, Lynn M. Forsythe and Brenda E. Knowles. Custom-published paperback edition. ISBN 978-145481682-9

Real Estate Law

Real Estate and Property Law for Paralegals, 2nd Edition, 2009, by Neal R. Bevans. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-7355-6944-7

Practical Bankruptcy Law

Basic Bankruptcy Law for Paralegals, 8th Edition, 2011, by David L. Buchbinder. Paperback edition. ISBN 978-0-73550786-9

In addition, Blackstone will also provide students with:

Thorough Testing

Each Advanced Paralegal Course has six graded examinations to assist Blackstone in assessing a student’s understanding of the concepts taught.

Documents

Students will receive an official transcript and a certificate upon successful completion of the Advanced Paralegal Course in which they are enrolled. A copy of their transcript will also be on permanent file with Blackstone and is available for a nominal fee.

Ample Time

Students have up to six months to complete an Advanced Paralegal Course. If additional time is needed, a six-month extension can be purchased for $75.00.

Grading by Mail

Students just mail their exams to us and we’ll send them a grade report within one business day of receiving their answer sheet! Blackstone provides pre-addressed envelopes for the expedient return of each exam.

Support

Each student’s success in his or her Advanced Paralegal Course is important to us! Blackstone has an excellent reputation for quality, reliability and service. Our highly trained staff is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST to assist with questions. Students may also send us their questions by mail using the consultation forms located in all study guides and we will send a prompt reply.

Affordable Tuition

Our low tuition cost covers the entire Advanced Paralegal Course selected, including: textbook, study guide, supplemental materials, teacher evaluations, record keeping, a certificate upon graduation, and more!

Financial Assistance

Blackstone’s financial assistance programs include sponsorship and interest-free financing with low monthly payments.

Student Tuition Protection Policy

We offer a generous student tuition protection policy that covers cancellations and refunds. Review our policy here.

Blackstone Career Institute makes it easy for you to receive a quality education at an affordable cost. Choose the payment plan that best fits your needs and get started today! – Student Tuition Protection Policy

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