Funding
We understand that becoming a lawyer can be very expensive, especially if you are coming from an unwealthy family. But we have done some research on some free online law courses to help you kick-start your law career.
While doing the research, we came up with 15 free online law courses you can study to become a lawyer. Although most of these law courses might not be the type of law you want to study, they can be a starting point.
With all assurance, this article will help you find free online law courses you can study from home and become a lawyer. First, let’s find out who a lawyer is.
Who is a lawyer?
A lawyer is a professional who is qualified to offer advice about the law or represent someone in legal matters.
Types of Lawyer
You may be surprised to know that we have so many lawyers that handle different issues in a law firm. Below are the types of lawyers who handle specific legal problems.
- Personal Injury Lawyer: These types of lawyers specialize in obtaining compensation in the form of damages for injuries caused by other parties.
- Estate Planning Lawyer: The estate planning lawyer specializes in wills and trusts and can help you draw up a will to pass on your assets.
- Bankruptcy Lawyer: This type of lawyer can advise you on your eligibility for bankruptcy, the types of bankruptcy you’ll want to consider, and which type would be best for your particular circumstances, as well as any potential alternatives to bankruptcy that you may want to explore.
As can be seen, there are up to 16 types of lawyers that handle different specific law problems, but in fact, this is not our main topic. You can find the full list of all types of lawyers from LegalZoom.
List of Free Online Law Courses
If you’re looking to study law for free, below are some free online law courses you can take.
1. Corporate Governance Free Online Course
This free online corporate governance course teaches you about how various forces govern an organization’s behavior.
In this course, you will learn about how the goals of an organization and the means of achieving those goals are decided and by whom.
You will also learn about external governance, government regulations, and more. Start this free online course today to learn about the factors governing corporate behavior.
2. Employer-Employee Law, Revised
This free online employee law course focuses on the law of agency. The law of agency is a very important concept in commercial law as it deals with contractual, quasi-contractual, and non-contractual relationships.
With this course, you will learn that the law of agency involves a person, called the agent, who can act on behalf of another person, called the principal, to form a legal relationship with third parties.
3. Diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Revised
This free online Diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) course provides a comprehensive review of dispute resolution. Alternative dispute resolution is the process of settling disputes without litigation.
At the same time, this course will teach you more about the dispute resolution process and cover topics such as common causes of conflict, how to overcome conflicts, and the main components of alternative dispute resolution practices.
4. free online Justice Course
While this free law course is taught by lauded Harvard professor Michael Sandel, the course explores critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice, including a discussion of present-day applications.
Furthermore, the topics include affirmative action, income distribution, same-sex marriage, the role of markets, debates about rights (human rights and property rights), arguments for and against equality, and dilemmas of loyalty in public and private life.
The course invites learners to subject their own views on these controversies to critical examination.
5. Protecting Business Innovations via Copyright
Intellectual property rights (IPR) affect innovation, development, and society. In science, engineering, and business, we innovate products, designs, manufacturing methods, and business models to produce wealth.
However, innovative leaders sometimes fail to profit from their discoveries and creations due to inadequate protection.
You could learn about copyright, infringement, derivative works/parody, and software with this free online law course. This course explains copyright law and how it protects corporate innovation.
6. Protecting Business Innovations via Patent
This online law course requires no law, business, or engineering skills. However, the course on patenting business innovations will benefit students from all three fields.
It is also a practical and business-oriented course, not a theoretical one. Lectures and case studies illustrate concepts and make the course more interesting.
After completing this course, students should grasp how patents protect inventions and what they are. What do they protect? How do we get a patent? Where are patents valid? How much do they cost?
7. Constitutional Interpretation
Though the Constitution is widely credited with the success of the United States’ republican democracy, people often disagree about how it should be interpreted.
Moreover, you would get to understand what the Constitution means. What does it require, and what does it forbid? In this course, they will examine competing theories of, and approaches to, constitutional interpretation.
Through lectures, Supreme Court cases, readings, quizzes, and discussions, this course will give you a better understanding of the most critical questions related to the American Constitution (including the Bill of Rights).
8. Copyright for Educators (K–12/HE)
Learn the basics of copyright and fair use so that you can teach your students the essential digital citizenship skills of how to use and share creative work legally and ethically, both in the classroom and online.
9. free Rethinking International Tax Law Course
In recent years, the international tax planning strategies of multinationals have become a source of often heated debate.
This course provides learners with the tools to become fully informed participants in the debate by explaining the foundations and practice of international tax law as well as addressing current developments and the ethical aspects of tax planning.
10. Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy
This free law course, ”Environmental Law”, may be the institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations.
This course considers these issues and provides a tour through existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk.
11. Free Introduction to International Criminal Law Course
As is known, no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law.
This free course is taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field. This course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy.
Through this course, you will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, terrorism, and piracy.
12. Free International Law Course
International law can be considered the law of the international community, the law that controls relations between states.
But it also refers to what international organizations do, and increasingly, it involves individuals, corporations, NGOs, and other non-state entities.
As the globe becomes increasingly intertwined and complicated, and as new institutions are put in place to make international law more effective, international law has become an interesting, burgeoning profession. Never before has it been so relied upon, employed, and developed.
Despite their disparities in size, power, culture, religion, and ideologies, states rely on international law to cooperate and coexist; they speak the language of international law, and international law serves them as a vital common language.
This legal course will extensively rely on the judgments and advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the premier judicial instrument of the United Nations (UN).
13. Free FinTech Law and Policy Course
Being a successful FinTech firm requires more than just great technology; it also requires an understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to your business.
This free course will provide you with that understanding. You will learn about the critical legal, regulatory, and policy issues associated with cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, online lending, new payments and wealth management technologies, and financial account aggregators.
14. Free Privacy Law and Data Protection course
A better understanding of privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information.
In this course, you’ll learn the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements.
15. Free online Trademark Law Course
The protections afforded under trademark law have created incredible value in intangible assets, with the value of the world’s most valuable brands, such as Amazon, Apple, and Google, each exceeding $100 billion.
But what exactly is trademark law, and how is such enormous value created?
This free course examines the fundamentals of U.S. trademark law and the ways in which manufacturers of various products and services can establish and protect their identities and the identities of their products in the marketplace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, taking relevant courses outside of the desired field of law can be beneficial as a stepping stone towards a legal career. The article offers valuable insights on how to locate and enroll in such courses, making it easier for aspiring lawyers to kickstart their journey from the comfort of their homes.
