Course Syllabus

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BOT 85.5, Discovery Procedures
Section 6891 - Course Syllabus

Word document version of this Syllabus:

Course Description

This course is intended for individuals interested in becoming legal secretaries or paralegals as well as individuals interested in learning about discovery, the most important component of a lawsuit. Focuses on law office secretarial procedures in discovery methods using interrogatories, production of documents, subpoenas, depositions; preparation, processing, and production of discovery documents and responses; and time frames and calendaring requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Examine and analyze the purpose of discovery.
  2. Interpret the Discovery Act in the Code of Civil Procedure.
  3. Compare the various discovery documents and their purposes.
  4. Examine the legal requirements of each discovery document according to law.
  5. Select the time frames for service of the discovery documents and response to the documents.
  6. Calculate statutory time periods according to the requirements for legal calendaring.
  7. Create discovery documents according to standard legal format procedures.
  8. Generate responses to discovery documents.
  9. Properly organize discovery documents in preparation for a trial.

Topics and Scope:

  1. Discovery Act in Code of Civil Procedure
  2. Discovery Purpose
  3. Discovery Methods (under the Discovery Act)
    1. Interrogatories
    2. Depositions
    3. Demand for inspection and production of documents
    4. Request for admissions
    5. Demand for physical or mental examinations
    6. Compliance with statutory laws and timelines
  4. Calendaring Considerations
    1. Time frames
    2. Calendaring requirements
  5. Responses to Discovery Demands
  6. Discovery Documents
    1. Interrogatories
    2. Production of documents
    3. Subpoenas
    4. Depositions
  7. Response Document
    1. Answers to interrogatories
    2. Response to request for production of documents
  8. Service of Process
    1. Discuss proof of services
    2. Other practices

Instructor Contact

RoseAnne Powell

Email: rpowell@santarosa.edu 

Phone: (707) 235-4649

Office Hours: By appointment (via phone or video conference ONLY at this time)

I respond to emails with 24 hours.  I prefer receiving messages through the Canvas Inbox.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook

Litigation by the Numbers. Julie Goren, Lawdable Press

You must order textbooks online directly from the publisher at:

https://www.litigationbythenumbers.com/shop-now

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course:

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: March 23, 2020

Day Class Ends: May 24, 2020

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or of instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend the first class (face-to-face courses) or do not log-in to an online class after the second day of the semester will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due date.  A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than two days late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

Exams

There will be three quizzes. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures/Power Point Presentations and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade weekly and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A

90-100%

B

80-89%

C

70-79%

D

60-69%

It is also important and each student's responsibility to view any comments on submitted assignments as they may relate to future assignments.  Making the same mistakes over and over will result in a lower grade.  I will also be looking at spelling, punctuation and grammar in all assignments, including discussion responses, and will deduct points accordingly.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent—even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

This activity tests your knowledge of plagiarism (not graded): Self-check: Plagiarism

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

  • Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
  • Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
  • Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
  • Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
  • Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
  • Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
  • Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due