Law Clerks Certification Program - Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced LearningCriminal Justice Education in CanadaCrime and Fire Programs -- Community College Programs
PROGRAM WEBSITE
Law Clerks Certification Program - Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Incorporated in 1968, the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario (ILCO) constitutes 'the professional organization for Law Clerks' that seeks to provide 'an organized network for the promotion of unity, cooperation and mutual assistance among Law Clerks in Ontario,' as well as 'advance and protect the status and interests of the profession.' ILCO also provides and promotes 'general and legal education to its members for the purpose of increasing their knowledge, efficiency and professional ability.' Members of ILCO are provided with continuing education opportunities, a network of fellow professional law clerks, and a newsletter regarding the law clerk profession. As ILCO states, a Law Clerk is an individual employed or retained, in functions and/or capacities involving administrative, managerial, and/or 'specifically-delegated substantive legal work,' by governmental and/or judiciary agencies and agents, including court judges, law firms, lawyers, and/or other entities. For instance, law clerks working for a lawyer in a corporate setting are usually in charge of completing certain transactions, like in real estate, conducting searches and research, drafting contracts and correspondences, and maintaining, managing, and filing corporate documents and files. On the other hand, law clerks employed in a litigation firm often accompany the lawyer to meetings and court appearances, conduct research, file documents with the courts, and interview clients and witness. Law Clerks acquire qualification 'through education, training or work experience,' and will typically require 'sufficient knowledge of legal concepts' in order to perform any delegated legal work 'that, in the absence of a law clerk, the lawyer would perform.' To be successful as a law clerk, an individual will require strong communication, human relations, inter-personal, literacy, and organizational abilities as well as be able to work under pressure, detail-oriented, and observant. The Law Clerks Certification Program offered at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, in partnership with ILCO, leading to a Certificate of Academic Achievement, is primarily 'designed to enhance the skills of current clerks, expand the knowledge of experienced legal secretaries, and provide a foundation for those with at least three years legal experience moving into a law clerk career.' The Program consists of 4 intense courses, which Sheridan suggests should be completed over 2 years at a pace of 1 class per semester due to their intense nature, in Corporate Law, Estates, Litigation, and Real Estate. Although open to the general public, Sheridan strongly advises 'that those who do not have any legal experience complete OADM70003 Legal Terminology - Distance Learning, before registering in any of the Law Clerk courses.' Each course will be evaluated through an ILCO-sponsored final examination, to be taken at Sheridan, which will be 'worth 100% of the final mark.' In order to pass a course, the student must earn at least 60 percent on the examination; to graduate with honours, a grade of 80 percent or higher must be achieved. The student's grade reports and the ILCO seal, which will be affixed to the learnerĘs Certificate of Academic Achievement, will be issued by ILCO. Upon completion of the 4 courses, if not already, participants will be eligible for membership into ILCO. Law clerks may pursue careers, career advancement, or further education in the legal field and related areas of the criminal justice system. Career-wise, corporate legal departments, financial institutions, insurance companies, law firms, legal technology providers, title insurance companies, and various levels of governments, among others often hire law clerks.
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