Taste Law School Before You Buy!

William & Mary Law School’s Center for Legal and Court Technology is launching a new "blended" e-learning professional development certification course, targeting professionals whose jobs intersect with the United States’ judicial system. The program will include both online learning as well as a three-day on-campus component. The goal, says Fredric Lederer, is to help non-lawyers obtain a basic knowledge of law and the U.S. legal system, without enrolling in law school. Lederer, who is chancellor professor and director of the school’s Center for Legal and Court Technology, will serve as the principal instructor of the program. Jeffrey Apperson, vice president, international, of the National Center for State Courts, will present a optional segment about the rule of law.

The course, "Introduction to the U.S. Legal System," is designed "for people who work with or in organizations such as courts, legislatures, administrative agencies, and law firms," says Lederer. "For example, employees of e-discovery companies can benefit by knowing more about the legal system and how lawyers and judges think and work. Individuals who market to the courts often note that they feel at an acute disadvantage if they don’t know what courts do and how they do it." The one-semester course costs $2,799, with discounts for early enrollment (July 25) and for members of the Federal Court Clerks Association. The certification course does not offer college or law school credits.