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#Online Pre-Law Courses and Classes Overview

Essential Information

The American Bar Association encourages students who intend to apply to law school to select a bachelor's level degree program that is challenging and diverse, but does not recommend a specific field. Various law-related courses are available online at the undergraduate level, as well as those in other disciplines that help students develop analytical, communication, research and problem-solving skills. Aspiring law students can also find LSAT preparatory courses online.

List of Online Pre-Law Courses

There are many courses that aspiring lawyers can take online. Below are a few of the online courses that deal specifically with the law.

This course helps students gain an understanding of the principles guiding effective legal communications. Methods for retrieving, evaluating and integrating research are discussed along with the purposes, defining attributes and background research required for various forms of legal communication. Tactics used to mediate, persuade, negotiate and resolve conflicts are also considered as students begin to apply concepts learned to communicate their ideas clearly, concisely and effectively.

This course examines the nature of legal reasoning and analyzes the intersection of morality and the law. Students examine the origins of ethical principles and consider the role of reason in making ethical decisions. Moral standards that regulate ideas of right and wrong are also discussed in terms of how they inform judgments of behavior and justifications for punishment. The course features a survey of historical and contemporary issues that involve the legal enforcement of morality.

Students in this class examine the freedoms and rights that the U.S. Constitution guarantees to citizens, as well as the powers it bestows and the limits it imposes upon the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. The role of the Supreme Court in conducting judicial reviews and the impact of changes brought about by landmark Supreme Court rulings are examined. Students are encouraged to explore the Constitution from different viewpoints as they consider both leading and alternative interpretations.

This course considers how psychology can inform legal practices. Students discuss how an understanding of human mental processes and behaviors can aid in forming persuasive arguments and evaluating strengths and weaknesses of individuals. Students examine how psychology affects the reliability of eyewitness testimony, interrogation practices, the validity of confessions, and jury selection, as well as determinations of competence to stand trial.