Essential Paralegal Studies
X402 (4 semester units in Law)
This is a core course in the Paralegal Studies ProgramEssential Paralegal Studies is the beginning course in the UC Berkeley Extension Paralegal Studies Program. Topics include all aspects of paralegal skills, including legal terminology, court structure, legal ethics, evidence, investigation, interviewing, analysis, legal research, legal writing, pleading preparation, discovery coordination, file maintenance, billable hours, form manipulation, electronic research, motion preparation, and other areas relevant to being an effective paralegal.
Note: Online section must be completed within six months of enrollment date.
To begin the Paralegal Studies Program, enroll in both Essential Paralegal Studies and the concurrent substantive law topic course for your location.
Click below for sections, start dates, locations, instructors,
and to enroll.
Mon. June 2, Online
TAMMI CLEARFIELD, J.D., University of Miami, M.S., Florida International University, is an accomplished Florida Bar licensed attorney who has taught at the higher education level for more than 10 years. She has taught for various online educational programs and as well as standard classroom set programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in the areas of paralegal studies, criminal justice and business. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 1995 and is also admitted to practice before the Southern District in the U.S. District Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Clearfield graduated with honors with a B.A. from Florida Atlantic University in 1992; with her M.S. degree, with honors, from Florida International University in 1995, and from University of Miami School of Law in 1995 with her J.D. degree. She is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator.
Clearfield is a member of the Coral Gables Bar Association, the South Dade Bar Association, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the Commonwealth Institute of South Florida, the Florida Bar Family Law Section, the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section and the Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section.
She is also a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society. She is an appointed member of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade Executive Committee, a board member of the Heiken Children's Vision Fund and a board member of the Franchise Advisory Board for Business Network International Miami-Dade. She has taught CLE seminars in the area of family law and has been a panelist in the areas of family law and law practice success.
- Online course: Internet access required
- June 2 to Oct. 20
- $3,495 (EDP 314138)
Enroll
Textbook(s) for this course:
Please check back for textbook and reader information. For immediate assistance, contact the academic department.
Sections closed for enrollment
Mon. March 3, Online
TAMMI CLEARFIELD, J.D., University of Miami, M.S., Florida International University, is an accomplished Florida Bar licensed attorney who has taught at the higher education level for more than 10 years. She has taught for various online educational programs and as well as standard classroom set programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in the areas of paralegal studies, criminal justice and business. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 1995 and is also admitted to practice before the Southern District in the U.S. District Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Clearfield graduated with honors with a B.A. from Florida Atlantic University in 1992; with her M.S. degree, with honors, from Florida International University in 1995, and from University of Miami School of Law in 1995 with her J.D. degree. She is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator.
Clearfield is a member of the Coral Gables Bar Association, the South Dade Bar Association, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the Commonwealth Institute of South Florida, the Florida Bar Family Law Section, the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section and the Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section.
She is also a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society. She is an appointed member of the Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade Executive Committee, a board member of the Heiken Children's Vision Fund and a board member of the Franchise Advisory Board for Business Network International Miami-Dade. She has taught CLE seminars in the area of family law and has been a panelist in the areas of family law and law practice success.
- Online course: Internet access required
- March 3 to July 21
- $3,495 (EDP 313627)
Tues. March 4, San Francisco
TOD I. ZUCKERMAN, J.D., has practiced law in the areas of insurance coverage and environmental law since 1980. He has been a prosecutor, defense counsel, author, and general practitioner. His teaching subjects include environmental law, contract law, insurance law, and business law. He is writing another book on environmental law.
- 21 meetings
- March 4 to July 22: Tues., 6-9 pm
- San Francisco: Room 807, UC Berkeley Extension Downtown Center, 425 Market St., 8th Floor (enter on Fremont St.)
- $3,100 (EDP 313304)
Mon. April 7, Redwood City
MICHAEL WHITE, J.D., is a partner in the Corporate and Securities Group of GCA Law Partners LLP in Mountain View, Calif. White joined GCA in June 2003 after practicing for three years at Thelen Reid & Priest LLP in San Francisco, where he had been a senior associate since 2000. He specializes in the negotiation and structuring of venture-capital and angel financings for emerging technology companies, mergers, and acquisitions for both selling and acquiring companies, and a variety of joint-venture, licensing, affiliate, and partnering arrangements for his corporate clients. White also advises entrepreneurs as well as corporate and LLC clients with regard to an array of start-up and general business matters, including corporate finance, employee equity, and compensation issues, and contract negotiations. Previously, White practiced at Britton Silberman & Cervantez LLP in San Francisco and Morrison & Foerster LLP in Palo Alto.
In addition to dozens of bridge-loan and preferred-stock financings and hundreds of technology transactions for high-technology companies, White has participated in several major corporate transactions, including:
- Representing three major real estate investment trusts in numerous public offerings of equity and debt, as well as private equity, financings
- Representing a Fortune 100 corporation as part of its Western U.S. legal team in a nationwide roll-up in the automotive industry, comprising more than a dozen individual acquisitions over a two-year period
- The negotiation and structuring of a $40 million sale by a worldwide conglomerate of its interest in a major U.S. utility company
White's clients include companies as dynamic and diverse as Friendster, Inc.; Fuse Project, LLC; ; and Arabella Hotel Holding International Group. White frequently has been invited to speak to both attorneys and entrepreneurs on start-up, financing, securities law, and other legal issues associated with emerging high-technology companies. Such presentations have included "Representing Startups and Emerging Growth Companies in a Down Market,” “Venture Capital Financings – Anatomy of a Stock Purchase Agreement," and "Counseling the High Tech Start-up: Corporate, Licensing, and I.P. Issues."
White earned his juris doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1996. He obtained a bachelor of arts in political science from UC Berkeley in 1993.
- 21 meetings
- April 7 to Sept. 8: Mon., 6-9 pm (no meetings May 26 and Sept. 1)
- Redwood City: Room 5, Peninsula Center, 1991 Broadway
- $3,100 (EDP 313320)
Courses begin every month. A new edition of our catalog is published
three times a year in early April, July and December.