Purdue LS100 2019 February All Units Discussions Latest

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 1 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Topic

A career that intersects with the law falls into the legal field category. Research and find two different careers in the legal field and identify at least one that is an alternative career (a law-related position outside of the traditional law office environment). Then summarize and post to the Discussion Board each career’s job duties and how having a legal education supports the job. Explain whether or not the alternative legal careers you have identified interest you and explain your reasons in detail.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 2 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Topic: History of Our Legal System

Select one historical event that has influenced the foundations and structure of American legal history. The event you choose is entirely up to you. For example, you might choose to discuss Rosa Parks and how her actions have influenced civil rights and the 1956 Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional. Alternatively, you could discuss the women's suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment.

Once you have chosen the historical event, share some information about the event and how it has influenced law in this country. You are free to choose an event that you think has positively affected our American legal system, negatively affected our legal system, or had both positive and negative effects on the system. In the discussion, explain how the event has changed the foundations and structure of American legal history.

Also, make sure to read and comment on the various events your classmates choose.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 3 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Topic

Search for any bills introduced in Congress by the U.S. Senators or U.S. Representatives from your home state in the last five years. First, find the names of the senators and representatives for your state at: Members of Congress on the Govtrack site.

Then, choose the name of one of the senators/representatives from your state in the drop-down menu under “Sponsor” in the left column under “Search” and select one bill from the results. Use the Advanced Search for Legislation feature on the Govtrack site.

What did you find? Give a summary of the bill’s purpose and whether it became law.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 4 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Structure of the Law

As you have learned this week, the judicial system in the United States is composed of both federal and state courts. For example, if you stole a TV from Wal-Mart, you would be tried in state court for the crime. However, if you robbed a bank, you could be tried in federal court.

Do you think we need both federal and state courts? What is the difference between the two? What determines if a case is heard in federal court as opposed to state court? Give an example of a civil or criminal case that would be heard in federal and state courts.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 5 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Topic: The University’s Career Services is a student-focused provider of career assistance and is available to students currently enrolled and to eligible graduates. You have access to additional resources online 24 hours a day, and experienced Career Services staff will collaborate with you to create and implement career plans by providing support and advice.

Recognizing that career development is an ongoing, lifelong process, the Career Services team strives to help you understand the importance of self-assessment, occupational exploration, decision making, goal setting, networking, the job search, and developing productive connections in the workplace. Career Services offers a collaborative link between students, faculty, and prospective employers within the global employment community. Career Services fosters a welcoming, accessible environment where diversity is celebrated and the uniqueness of each individual is valued and respected.

The Career Services staff will assist in your job search. Many students choose to work on a part-time basis during their training to help with their education costs. If you require assistance in securing part-time employment while attending classes, Career Services will make reasonable efforts to assist in your search. Additional services include assistance with job search planning, resume and cover letter review, interview preparation, decision making, job offer negotiations, and various other job search and career-related issues.

Career services offered by the University are not an obligation or guarantee of employment. Although the University will assist you, finding a job is ultimately your responsibility. The University does not guarantee that you will be placed in any particular job, or at all. Some jobs may require additional training or certification.

Although average starting wage information based on data received from employers and graduates may be available to prospective students, no employee of the University is authorized to guarantee that a graduate will earn any specific amount. Your program of study, employer needs, current economic conditions, and other factors may affect wage levels.

Please view the LS100: Career Services video and post a response that addresses the following prompts:

Describe a resource provided by Career Services that you plan to implement.

Explain the strategies you use to stay up-to-date with trends in your field.

From your Student Portal, navigate to CareerNetwork and summarize the tools available to you, as a student.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 6 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Criminal Law

Consider how criminal law is a reflection of the ethical values of a given society at a given point in history – for example, in 1892, Homer Plessy, an African-American, was arrested and charged with violating the Separate Car Act, a state law in Louisiana that prohibited African-Americans from riding on the “White” cars. Plessy’s case made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), the Court actually upheld this state law as a constitutional “separate but equal” law. The “separate but equal” doctrine served as an unfortunate stamp of approval to discrimination and led to separate but equal public schools, pools, parks, and more. Finally, in 1954, almost sixty years later, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its decision in Plessy, making it clear that “separate but equal” doctrine was no longer the law of the land. See Brown v. Bd. of Educ.,347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Another example of how the law has evolved is that up until 1967, it was considered a crime in Virginia and in fifteen other states for an interracial couple to marry. In the landmark case of Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), the U.S. Supreme Court finally struck down as unconstitutional such state laws banning interracial marriage.

Describe the relationship between what a society believes is important and worth protecting and how this is reflected in criminal law. In addition, discuss why it is important for criminal law to adapt and change as society evolves.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 7 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Tort Reform

We often hear in the media and public opinion that the courts are clogged with frivolous lawsuits. The following video and article shed light on the other side of this debate by pointing out that the legal system already has in place key mechanisms to prevent or dismiss frivolous lawsuits and contend that tort reform is actually designed to protect major corporations with deep pockets from having to pay when they cause harm to people or the environment.

Mr. Fancy Pants is a powerful video about how corporations and the media put a slant on the news to create a public perception that most lawsuits are frivolous.

Myth of the Frivolous Lawsuit provides explanation of how the 3 key safeguards in place to prevent or dismiss frivolous lawsuits: 1) Contingent-fee agreements, 2) Summary judgments, and 3) Directed verdicts.

Source: Mr. Fancy Pants. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h85j1vNxd8A.

Source: Myth of the Frivolous Lawsuit: Tort Deform. Retrieved from http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/2006/09/the_myth_of_the_frivolous_laws.html

Based on your viewing and reading of the above sources, respond to the following question on the Discussion Board:

Consider the safeguards already in place in our legal system to prevent or lead to the dismissal of frivolous lawsuits (as described in the “Myth of the Frivolous Lawsuit” article), choose one of these safeguards, and describe in detail how it effectively prevents or dismisses frivolous lawsuits. Discuss whether you believe there is a need for tort reform based on the material you have explored in this discussion question.

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 8 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

Family Law

If you were a paralegal working on a child custody case, you would first have to know which factors play a part in child custody decisions in your state. Custody decisions are made on the basis of the “best interests of the child” – for a good explanation of this concept, see: Focusing on the "Best Interests" of the Child. State statutes on child custody include factors similar to those listed in this article regarding the child's best interest, as does the “Illinois Best Interest of the Child Statute” set forth in Application 1 in Chapter 8.

Source: Focusing on the “Best Interests” of the Child: FindLaw. Retrieved from http://family.findlaw.com/child-custody/focusing-on-the-best-interests-of-the-child.html.

How do these “best interest of the child” statutes, which require judges to make findings based on the factors listed in the statute, prevent gender bias from playing a role in a judge’s custody decision?

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 9 Discussion

Discussion Boards are an important component of your coursework and will solidify your learning of the topics in each unit. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for grading information.

When posting on the Discussion Board,

Communications must be professional and civil at all times. All posts must be done in an environment that is collaborative.

The goal of Discussion is a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints with the freedom to disagree with one another in a respectful and thoughtful way.

Reread messages and posts before sending them to ensure that your contributions are positive and diplomatic in tone and content.

ADR

Have you ever considered that every time you check the box saying you agree to the terms and conditions, for example, downloading new software for your cellular phone, you are agreeing to some type of ADR? Surprisingly to many, that is exactly what you are doing! Is that fair? Does it put the company at an advantage, or does it protect the company and in a broader sense the economy?

 

LS100 Introduction to the Law and Legal Profession

Unit 10 Discussion

Course Reflections

As you complete your work in this course, reflect on the outcomes as well as your personal goals for the course. This is the time for you to determine what areas of legal studies interest you and why. This is not intended to be a mere recap of the course. The emphasis here is what you have personally learned and how it will affect your professional goals. Please reflect on the previous units and post a brief essay that addresses the questions below.

Reflections

What prior knowledge did you bring to this course?

What were the most important new ideas you encountered and how did they change your understanding of the legal profession?

Do you feel you have met the outcomes in your work on this course? Is there any outcome with which you feel you still need support or assistance?

What have you learned from your discussions and collaborations with your fellow students?

In what specific ways can you use the knowledge you’ve gained in this course in your chosen profession?

What are your strengths and opportunities for growth in this area?