Mediation & Paralegal Combination Program
As this is one of our combination programs, you will find that there are two different course descriptions; one for each portion of the program:
Mediation:
Mediation and dispute resolution are rapidly growing fields of study and sought-after skills in the workplace. This comprehensive course provides the core skill sets necessary for the practice of mediation. As it becomes more and more apparent that individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and nations must begin to work together in peaceful ways for the common good, mediation and dispute resolution are poised to become increasingly popular. In mediation, a neutral third party, mediator, works with both sides of a dispute to have them agree on their own terms, without someone else deciding what is best for them. Students are guided through stages of mediation and how these stages apply to actual case studies of mediation. Students are offered an overview of the nature of conflict and differing styles of human interaction and are asked to explore their unique style of engaging or avoiding conflict and how this might affect their role as a mediator. The course presents an overview of theories of conflict and power, influences of gender and culture and how each helps inform a mediator’s interventions. The important skill set of negotiation, including how to apply negotiation techniques, the critical issue of timing, and caucuses and other techniques to deal with impasses in the mediation are presented. The course covers the standards and ethics of this growing profession. Students learn core people skills such as reflective listening, impartiality, reframing, effective communication, and the handling of critical moments.
Paralegal:
Students will learn the past, present, and future of the paralegal profession, including the paralegal defined, educational options, techniques for marketing skills and career opportunities. Instructions on ethics and professional responsibility, the organizational structure of the legal workplace and office culture and politics will prepare students for the challenges of today’s paralegal. Students receive a formal introduction to the law by examining sources of American law, the court system, alternative dispute resolution, substantive law in its various forms, as well as administrative law and government regulation. Legal procedures and advanced skills involving civil litigation and trial procedures, criminal law, conducting interviews and investigations, using primary and secondary sources to legal research, the emerging technology of computed assisted legal research, in addition to legal analysis and writing provide valuable insight and a solid foundation for the future legal assistant.
Program Outcomes
- Explain foundational concepts and processes in mediation and conflict resolution, including the five stages of mediation, key terminology, and the range of dispute resolution methods used in practice.
- Apply effective communication strategies in mediation, such as active listening, managing communication barriers, and delivering clear and appropriate opening statements.
- Evaluate negotiation approaches, ethical considerations, and critical thinking strategies as they relate to resolving disputes and facilitating constructive dialogue.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct mediation sessions that lead to mutually acceptable outcomes, using appropriate skills, techniques, and professional judgment.
- Create professional mediation documents, including comprehensive mediation agreements and case-specific outcomes such as mediated divorce settlements.
- Identify professional opportunities in the field of mediation and develop a foundational business or marketing plan for a mediation practice.
- Discuss the role of paralegals in the legal system and their basic duties, including skills like legal drafting, client billing, and conducting interviews.
- Identify how technology tools, including legal databases and libraries, electronic discovery, and case management software, are utilized by paralegals.
- Describe how the U.S. courts are structured, what the sources of U.S. law are, and how these laws are used to conduct effective legal research.
- Demonstrate how to initiate civil litigation and the role paralegals play in the civil trial process.
- State the rights criminal defendants have and the procedures used to protect those rights.
- Identify ethical rules in the legal system and how they apply to paralegals’ conduct.