Champlain's Law program is one of the most focused and practical majors in the country. It will give you the foundation of knowledge and skills you need to immediately be a valued legal professional or to prepare you to go on to a top-tier law school.
By the time you complete the academic and internship requirements for your Law degree, you will be able to:
THINK CRITICALLY & ANALYTICALLY
- Interpret and explain the elements of a legal argument or question.
- Analyze the structural connections between the component parts of a legal argument or question to determine which areas of law are relevant.
- Evaluate the credibility, reliability, or relevance of legal authority to determine if it applies to the legal issues.
- Synthesize a response based upon interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of legal issues and relevant authority.
COMMUNICATE ORALLY & IN WRITING
- Effectively interact both orally and in written correspondence with lawyers, other professionals, and laypersons.
- Analyze communication situations in order to make effective communication choices and achieve desired results.
- Make educated choices about language, genre, and organization to produce writing that is clear, concise, and reflective of the high standards expected within the legal profession.
UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY
- Choose appropriate technology tools and use them effectively.
- Survey both print and electronic sources of law to locate applicable and relevant primary and secondary source materials.
- Evaluate and analyze those source materials, and apply them to issues requiring legal analysis.
- Develop an adaptive life-long learning approach to changing technologies that gives proper consideration to the implications associated with their use.
PERFORM LEGAL RESEARCH
- Prepare and carry out a legal research plan.
- Survey both print and electronic sources of law to locate applicable primary and secondary source materials.
- Evaluate and analyze source materials, and apply them to issues requiring legal analysis.
- Properly cite both print and electronic sources of law.
- Draft various legal documents using proper format and appropriate content.
INTERVIEW AND INVESTIGATE
- Locate and prepare documents to obtain information that is commonly maintained by government and private entities.
- Summarize and analyze information contained in such documents and apply it to a given situation.
WORK PROFESSIONALLY & ETHICALLY
- Cite, state, and act in accordance with the rules of professional conduct that govern those working in the legal field.
- Describe the evolving role of non-lawyers in the delivery of legal services and in increasing access to legal services.
- Identify the ethical implications inherent in a particular situation, and evaluate the particular course of action to be taken in the face of countervailing pressures.