Legal Studies Curriculum Requirements
No major is particularly recommended for students interested in attending law school. The student must secure a strong, broad educational background that develops the ability to read and comprehend, to speak and write clearly and correctly, and to think precisely and analyze complex factual situations.
In addition to courses in the core curriculum and the major, students interested in law school should have courses in advanced expository writing, logic and ethics, political science, American and English history, Latin or a modern foreign language, accounting, sociology, psychology, and economics. Computer proficiency is essential.
The Legal Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association. The North Carolina Bar Association has approved the Legal Studies program for students to take the North Carolina Paralegal Certification exam.
Note: A legal assistant may not practice law, give legal advice, or represent clients in a court of law; to do so would be the Unauthorized Practice of Law and a violation of the Code of Ethics for the American Bar Association.
Minor Requirements
The Legal Studies minor requires 21 credits as follows:
Required Core Courses
12 credits
| *LAW 2000 Introduction to Legal Studies (3) | *LAW 3200 Legal Research and Writing (3) |
| *LAW 3100 Law and the Legal System (3) | *LAW 4700 Internship (requires 120 contact hours) (3) |
Students pursuing a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Legal Studies are required to complete only one internship. Students choosing this option must have the internship approved not only by the division head, but also by the Director of Legal Studies. JUS 4700 and LAW 4700 are interchangeable.
Elective Courses
Select three courses (9 credits) from the list below. Two of the three courses selected (6 credits), must be legal specialty courses denoted with an asterisk.
| *LAW 2500 Environmental Regulations (3) | *LAW 3890 Criminal Evidence & Procedure (3) |
| *LAW 3520 Business Law I (3) | *LAW 3900 Administrative Law (3) |
| *LAW 3700 Tort Law (3) | *LAW 3910 Negotiations (3) |
| *LAW 3710 Contract Law (3) | *LAW 3920 Real Property Law (3) |
| *LAW 3770 Employment Law (3) | *LAW 3940 Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning & Probate (3) |
| *LAW 3780 Labor Law Relations Law (3) | *LAW 3960 Family Law (3) |
| *LAW 3820 Business Organizations (3) | *LAW 3980 Litigation (3) |
| LAW 3850 The Living Constitution (3) | LAW 4850 Special Topics (3) |
| *LAW 3880 Bankruptcy Law (3) | LAW 4990 Independent Study (1-3) |
Transfer Policy
Twelve (12) credits of the 21 credits must be taken in a traditional classroom setting at Methodist University.