Civil Law

Civil Law (CvL) Course

The third course in the Legal Services (LS) Pathway, this course provides an overview of the civil law field. Students will learn fundamental concepts and skills relevant to understanding civil law and the legal system. Topics include legal careers, research and writing in the civil field, substantive civil law, mock trials, and more.This also prepares students for the ALP that is taken at the end of this course.

Below is our new suggested course and support material.

Instructional Plans & Resources

LAPSEN Unit Plans

LAPSEN has a complete course (120-150 hours) of CvL unit lesson plans available to all educators due to a generous grant from the Georgia Bar Foundation – Click Here to access these

Other Lesson Plan Sources

California Educators Together– The great state of California has an insane amount of resources and lessons. Be sure to search with different key words. You do have to have an account – but they give them to all teachers: Click Here

Texas CTE Lesson Plans – They have some materials for Law & Public Safety: Click Here

Courts and Trials – Instructional support page from LAPSEN: Click Here

Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) for this Course

These certifications satiate all Perkins legislative requirements for Industry Recognized Credentials. Order student certification tests – Click Here

Accredited Legal Professional

The legal services exam pathway provides students with the basic knowledge, skills, and experience to understand the legal system, the legal office and working in the legal field. The high school model can be implemented in 100-120 hours of class time. At the end of the course, students will be able to take the industry certification test.

To learn more about course materials, student testing, and classroom implementation: Click Here

To review the course outline covered to prepare students for the ALP certification – Click Here

Learn more about this IRC – email holly@lapsen.org

MicroCredentials (MC) for this Course

All MicroCredentials are being developed and should be ready in soon.

Civil Law (CvL) Course Standards

Click Here to open the CvL standards document.

Section 1: Legal Careers

Objective 1: Describe the various careers available in the field of criminal law

Objective 2: Demonstrate job interview skills and interview preparation steps

Section 2: Civil Law Offices

Objective 1: Describe the role of important persons in a civil law office

Objective 2: Describe how income is generated in a law office and what costs are incurred at a law office

Objective 3: Describe ethical issues that arise in the field of civil law and how to navigate those issues

Section 3: Civil law legal research

Objective 1: Conduct legal research involving civil law topics

Objective 2: Analyze and brief cases involving a civil cause of action

Objective 3: Articulate a legal position through oral argument

Section 4: Legal writing and documents in civil law

Objective 1: Demonstrate an ability to read and interpret legal documents relevant to civil law

Objective 2: Draft legal material in a professional manner

Objective 3: Support legal conclusions with properly cited authority

Section 5: Civil Procedure

Objective 1: Demonstrate an understanding of the civil pretrial process

Objective 2: Demonstrate an understanding of the civil trial process

Objective 3: Describe how alternative dispute resolution can be used to settle legal disputes

Section 6: Substantive Civil Law

Objective 1: Describe tort law and important principles involved in tort cases

Objective 2: Explain important principles that underlie common types of substantive civil law

Objective 3: Research cases and statutes involving civil law topics

Section 7: Comparing Civil Law and Criminal Law

Objective 1: Differentiate the purposes of civil law vs criminal law

Objective 2: Differentiate evidence admissibility issues in civil law vs criminal law

Objective 3: Differentiate the decision making process in civil law vs criminal law

Section 8: Civil Mock Trials to enhance legal analysis, writing, and communication

Objective 1: Describe the mock trial process and legal documents contained in a mock trial case

Objective 2: Analyze case materials to determine what information is helpful and harmful to proving a case

Objective 3: Draft witness examination questions and answers using professional language and grammar

Objective 4: Demonstrate substantive trial skills in an organized and professional manner

Objective 5: Analyze and interpret legal documents and laws to develop conclusions in a case

Objective 6: Convey relevant legal information in an organized and cohesive opening statement or closing argument

Objective 7: Present a well organized trial presentation that utilizes professional language and focuses on satisfying all applicable legal standards

Section 9: Civil case resolutions and post-trial

Objective 1: Describe the possible resolution options in a civil dispute

Objective 2: Describe the appeals process for civil cases