Curriculum Map

Legal Reality

How the legal system actually works for young adults — not constitutional theory, but the contracts, records, and consequences that shape daily life. Covers contracts, credit, employment law, renting, criminal justice, and knowing when you need a lawyer.

14 Units

Early Units (Foundation)

Building Skills

Advanced Concepts

Capstone/Synthesis

Turning 18: What Actually Changes

The legal bright line of adulthood — which rights activate, which protections expire, and the new liabilities that begin on your birthday.

3-4 days

Contracts 101: What Makes an Agreement Binding

Offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, and legality — the five elements of a valid contract, and what makes agreements void vs. voidable.

3-4 days

Contracts You'll Actually Sign

Leases, employment agreements, car financing, cell phone plans, and terms of service — how to read what you're agreeing to and the clauses that matter most.

3-4 days

Sales Scams, High-Pressure Tactics, and Consumer Protection

How to recognize urgency manufacturing, bait-and-switch, predatory sales, and MLM recruitment — plus FTC cooling-off rules, chargeback rights, and state consumer protection laws.

3-4 days

The Credit System

How credit scores are built, damaged, and rebuilt — FICO components, authorized users, credit reports, disputes, and the permanent consequences of early mistakes.

3-4 days

Student Debt: The Decision That Follows You

Federal vs. private loans, income-driven repayment, forgiveness programs, bankruptcy discharge, and the math of borrowing at 18.

3-4 days

Employment Law for Workers

At-will employment, wage theft, overtime, workplace safety, anti-discrimination protections, non-competes, and how to document problems before you need to.

3-4 days

Renting: Your Rights as a Tenant

Security deposits, habitability standards, eviction procedures, lease-breaking, and what landlords can and cannot do — including critical state-by-state variation.

3-4 days

The Criminal Justice System from the Inside

What actually happens during an arrest, booking, arraignment, plea bargaining, and sentencing — the 95% of cases that never see a jury.

3-4 days

Your Record: Criminal, Civil, and Digital

How criminal records, civil judgments, and background checks follow you — expungement, sealing, ban-the-box laws, and the collateral consequences of a conviction.

3-4 days

Traffic Stops, Searches, and Your Rights

What police can and cannot legally do during a stop, when you must identify yourself, consent to search, Miranda rights in practice, and the gap between rights and reality.

3-4 days

Small Claims and Civil Disputes

How to file a small claims case, prepare evidence, and represent yourself — the most accessible court in America and when to use it.

3-4 days

Insurance, Taxes, and Financial Records

Auto, renters, and health insurance basics; W-2 vs. 1099 filing; the standard deduction; common credits — and what happens when you don't file or don't insure.

3-4 days

When You Need a Lawyer (and When You Don't)

Legal aid, pro bono resources, public defenders, contingency fees, and knowing when DIY legal work is smart versus when professional help is essential.

3-4 days

Learning Progression

This course is designed to be taken sequentially. Earlier units establish foundational concepts that later units build upon. While you can explore units in any order, following the numbered sequence provides the most coherent learning experience.