Law Courses at The High School for Law and Public Service

Introduction to Law I and II: 9th and 10th Grade:

Introduction to Law provides an overview of the law and the legal system. This course covers the Constitution, court system attorney-client relationship, administrative law, crimes, torts, contract law, family law, owning and operating motor vehicles, renters and landlords, home ownership, employee and employer rights and duties, wills, trusts and probate laws and the Declaration of Independence. The student will develop the knowledge and skills indicated by the Learning Outcomes for the course.

Criminal Justice: 11th Grade 1st Semester:

Criminal Justice is an introduction to the inner workings of the three significant criminal justice functions in the United States, Law Enforcement, Courts and Corrections. The course will give the students and overview of policing in America, the historical development of policing internationally and locally and the implementation of community based policing and criminal investigations. The course will also focus on the realities of enforcement and the apprehension of criminals at the federal, state and local level. The course will also discuss and explain the prosecution, disposition and incarceration of those suspected of committing criminal offenses.

Criminology - 11 Grade 2nd Semester.

Criminology covers current theories and empirical research pertaining to crime and criminal behavior. Its causes, methods of prevention, systems of punishment and rehabilitation will be studied and analyzed from a sociological perspective. Few subjects capture attention and arouse curiosity more than crime. Movie themes revolve around it, the media feeds upon it, and politicians declare war on it. While crime trends have remained fairly stable over the past twenty years, certain forms of crime, involving certain subgroups, have fluctuated significantly in recent times. The goal of this course is to better understand the nature and causes of criminal activity

Constitutional Law - 12th Grade 1st Semester

This course is an in-depth study of the Supreme Court's rules on speech, press, privacy, searches, etc. The course covers how our Constitution operates and how the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 14th Amendments are protections for everyone. In the end, students will understand how the decisions of the nation’s highest court impact their own lives.

Mock Trial/Moot Court - 12th Grade 2nd Semester

This course is an introduction to law and public speaking with a little time spent on acting. We will be primarily be studying three things: legal/court procedure, rhetoric, and public speaking. In other words, we’ll be learning about how our court system works, how to use rhetoric to be more persuasive, and how to speak effectively to an audience. All of these skills are vital to a job in law, but will help in almost every other facet of your life. Students who perform well in Mock Trial are able to make the leap to the Mock Trial competitive team more effectively as well as doing better on state testing, ACTs, and SATs.