Transcription
ParalegalCareer2nd Editionby Scott A. Hatch, JD,and Lisa Zimmer Hatch, MAAuthors of LSAT For Dummies
Paralegal Career For Dummies , 2nd EditionPublished by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.comCopyright 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New JerseyPublished simultaneously in CanadaNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests tothe Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 RiverStreet, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and relatedtrade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and may not be used without writtenpermission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is notassociated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: WHILE THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR BESTEFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK, THEY MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TOTHE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANYIMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAYBE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS. THE ADVISE ANDSTRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR SITUATION. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITHA PROFESSIONAL WHERE APPROPRIATE. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FORDAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM.For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department withinthe U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please es.Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included withstandard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers tomedia such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material athttp://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.Library of Congress Control Number: 2019936126ISBN 978-1-119-56491-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-56494-2 (ebk); 978-1-119-56493-5 (ebk)Manufactured in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents at a GlanceIntroduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Part 1: A Snapshot of the Exciting andLucrative Paralegal Profession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5CHAPTER 2:Discovering the Paralegal Profession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Membership Has Its Privileges: Paralegal Associationsand Their Certification Exams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19CHAPTER 3:The Hunt Is On: Securing a Paralegal Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25CHAPTER 1:Part 2: Important Legal Concepts EveryParalegal Should Know. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37CHAPTER 4:CHAPTER 5:CHAPTER 6:CHAPTER 7:CHAPTER 8:CHAPTER 9:“All Rise”: The American Judicial System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39The Big Three: Categories of Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Taking a Case to Trial: The Litigation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79How It’s Done: Important Rules of Civil Procedureand Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Because I Said So: The Categories of Legal Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117The Substantive Law Areas Most Commonly Practicedby Paralegals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Part 3: Putting It into Practice: The Paralegalin the Civil Litigation Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 10:143The Paper Chase: Preparing Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Elementary My Dear Watson: Legal Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chewing the Fat: Legal Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 13: Burning the Midnight Oil: Legal Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 14: Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Trial Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 15: The Official Word: Ethical Codes for Legal Professionals. . . . . . . . . . . .175187199217231Part 4: Identifying the Skills ParalegalsNeed to Soar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245CHAPTER 11:CHAPTER 12:Presenting a Clear, Concise Legal Writing Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247CHAPTER 17: Using Technology in Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275CHAPTER 18: Law Office Management 101. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287CHAPTER 16:
Part 5: The Part of Tens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299The Ten Most Important Rules of Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301CHAPTER 20: Ten Things Every Paralegal Should Know. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305CHAPTER 21: Ten Survival Tips to Thrive in the Legal Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309CHAPTER 19:Part 6: Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313APPENDIX A: Glossaryof Important Legal Terms: A Mini Legal Dictionary . . . . . . . . 315APPENDIX B: What You’ll Find Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1About This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Foolish Assumptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Icons Used in This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Where to Go from Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2234PART 1: A SNAPSHOT OF THE EXCITINGAND LUCRATIVE PARALEGAL PROFESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5CHAPTER 1:Discovering the Paralegal Profession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Almost a Lawyer: What a Paralegal Does. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Researching and analyzing the law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Playing Sherlock: Interviewing and investigating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Convening with clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Administrating the legal environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9On the Job: Where Paralegals Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The six-figure paralegal: Working for the big firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades: Working for the small firm. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Spreading the love: The pro bono paralegal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Working for the government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Doing it your way: The paralegal as independent contractor. . . . . 13What It Takes: The Skills, Knowledge, and Training You Need. . . . . . . 13The paralegal personality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Paralegal know-how . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Education and experience: Two ways to train. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16CHAPTER 2:Membership Has Its Privileges: ParalegalAssociations and Their Certification Exams . . . . . . . . . 19To Join or Not to Join. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Characterizing the types of associations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weighing in on whether or not to join an association. . . . . . . . . . .Deciding Whether to Get Certified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choosing a certification exam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weighing the pros and cons of paralegal certification. . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 3:192021222224The Hunt Is On: Securing a ParalegalPosition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Finding the Perfect Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Traditional sources: Scanning the job boardsand turning to placement services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Networking: It’s who you know. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Table of Contentsv
Creating the Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Killer cover letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ravishing resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Developing an online profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Setting Up Shop: Starting a Freelance Paralegal Business . . . . . . . . . .2828303334PART 2: IMPORTANT LEGAL CONCEPTSEVERY PARALEGAL SHOULD KNOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37CHAPTER 4:“All Rise”: The American Judicial System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Everything Old Is New Again: The Importance ofLegal Precedence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Checks and Balances: Branches of U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42The rule makers: The legislative branch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44The enforcers: The executive branch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45The interpreters: The judicial branch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Playing Fair: Levels of the U.S. Judicial System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46The federal judicial system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47State judicial system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Local judicial systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Judge and Jury: The U.S. Jury System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Order in the court: The bench trial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Petition to your peers: The jury trial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55CHAPTER 5:The Big Three: Categories of Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Cutting Through the Red Tape: Administrative Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Building the bureaucracy: Government agencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Playing by the rules: Administrative law practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Getting your way: Informal and formal advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eliminating Any Reasonable Doubt: The Nature ofCriminal Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Building blocks: Elements of criminal liability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High crimes and misdemeanors: Classes of crimes. . . . . . . . . . . . .Maintaining Polite Society: Civil Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The victor’s spoils: Equitable relief and money damages . . . . . . . .Beyond dessert: Tort law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sealing and unsealing the deal: Contract law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 6:5858596163646568686976Taking a Case to Trial: The Litigation Process . . . . . . . 79Constructing the Criminal Case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Charging the defendant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Pushing through criminal pre-trial procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Tackling criminal trial procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Tying loose ends with criminal post-trial procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . 87viParalegal Career For Dummies
Carrying Through a Civil Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Initiating the civil process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Proceeding through pre-trial tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Traveling through the trial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Plodding along in the post-trial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 7:How It’s Done: Important Rules ofCivil Procedure and Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8990949798101Distinguishing Between Procedural Law and Substantive Law . . . . . 102Following the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Beginning an action: Rule 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Serving process: Rule 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Figuring out time limits: Rule 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Drafting pleadings: Rules 8, 11, and 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Uncovering the facts: Rules 26, 27, 30, 33, 36, and 37. . . . . . . . . . 107Requesting a summary judgment: Rule 56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Sticking to State Procedural Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Figuring Out Federal Rules of Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111The main event: General provisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112What matters: Relevancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Something special: Privilege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113All there?: Competency to testify. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Thinking logically: Reasonableness of opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115The telephone game: Hearsay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115The real deal: Authenticity and originality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116CHAPTER 8:Because I Said So: The Categoriesof Legal Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Déjà Vu All Over Again: Review of Stare Decisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Who’s the Boss? The Premises of Primary andSecondary Authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .First chair: Primary authority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Second fiddle: Secondary authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Applying the Law: Mandatory and Persuasive Authority. . . . . . . . . . .Counting on cases and statues: Mandatory authority. . . . . . . . . .Getting creative with sources: Persuasive authority . . . . . . . . . . .Helpful But You Can’t Rely On It: Nonauthority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 9:The Substantive Law AreasMost Commonly Practiced by Paralegals . . . . . . . . . .117118119120121121121123124125Facing the Family: Domestic Law and Estate Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Settling the family affair: Domestic law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Looking to the future: Estate planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Table of Contentsvii
Building the Boom and Blanketing the Bust: Businessand Bankruptcy Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Keeping up with capitalism: Business law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Providing debt relief: Bankruptcy law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132Compensating for Pain and Suffering: Personal Injuryand Medical Malpractice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Placing the blame: Personal injury law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Questioning the bedside manner: Medical malpractice . . . . . . . . 135Getting It in Writing: Entertainment and Real Estate Law. . . . . . . . . . 137All that glitters: Entertainment law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Preserving the American dream: Real estate law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Protecting Assets: Tax and Intellectual Property Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Dealing with the IRS: Tax law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Clarifying the rightful owner: Intellectual property law. . . . . . . . . 141PART 3: PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE: THE PARALEGALIN THE CIVIL LITIGATION PROCESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER 10:CHAPTER 11:viii143The Paper Chase: Preparing Documents . . . . . . . . . . .145Communicating in Writing: Types of Legal Documents. . . . . . . . . . . .Getting started: Preliminary documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Taking it to the judge: Trial and post-trial documents. . . . . . . . . .Making the Case: Effective Document Drafting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Commanding attention: Format of a demand letter . . . . . . . . . . .Making your case: The complaint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Striking back: The answer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Presenting a formal analysis: The memorandum of law. . . . . . . .Exerting your will: Motions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Playing detective: Disclosure and discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Handling trial documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145146153153154156160162168170173Elementary My Dear Watson:Legal Investigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Searching for Clues: Gathering Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .What are you trying to prove? Spotting issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .What order will you follow? Creating checklists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Who are you going to call? Sources of information . . . . . . . . . . . .Keeping Track: Identifying and Protecting Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leaving your mark: Identifying evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .On guard: Protecting evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keeping Order: Organizing the Evidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Setting a time frame: Chronological organization . . . . . . . . . . . . .Getting the story straight: Organization by versions. . . . . . . . . . .Noting discrepancies: Organization by inconsistencies. . . . . . . . .176177177179183184184184185185185Paralegal Career For Dummies
CHAPTER 12:CHAPTER 13:CHAPTER 14:Chewing the Fat: Legal Interviewing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Gauging Whether the Case Is Valid: Initial Client Interviews. . . . . . . .Setting the mood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Directing the content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ending the initial interview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Completing the Story: Witness Interviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Preparing Clients and Witnesses for Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187188189194195197Burning the Midnight Oil: Legal Research. . . . . . . . . .199Conducting Legal Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Searching for applicable law in four easy steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reining in the research process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Relying On Tools of the Trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Establishing a foundation with legal encyclopedias. . . . . . . . . . . .Analyzing topics with American Law Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Digging through digests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rummaging through reporters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keeping current with case citators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Opting for other resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Getting Technological: Computerized Legal Research. . . . . . . . . . . . .Westlaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lexis Advance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bloomberg Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Citing Cases Properly: Citation Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Citing statutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Citing cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15215Where the Rubber Hits the Road:Trial Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217Creating the Ultimate Source of Information:The Trial Notebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Selecting the Jury: The Paralegal and Voir Dire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rebelling without a cause: Peremptory challenges . . . . . . . . . . . .Making a good excuse: Challenges for cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dismissing the kit and caboodle: Challenges to the array . . . . . .Monitoring the pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keeping Track of Witnesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weighing Testimony: The Paralegal’s Take on theJury’s Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Preparing Questions for the Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Settling Up: Preparing the Cost Bill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blood from a Turnip: Collecting a Difficult Judgment. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Table of Contents217221223224224224226227228229229ix
CHAPTER 15:The Official Word: Ethical Codes for LegalProfessionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Doing What’s Right: The Importance of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Defining ethics in the field of law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Going too far: The unauthorized practice of law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Following the chain of responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Abiding by the Rules of Professional Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Preserving the client-lawyer relationship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236Dealing with others in and out of the law office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238Maintaining the integrity of the profession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Sorting through the Codes of Paralegal Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Applying the standards of the National Associationof Legal Assistants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Knowing the National Federation of ParalegalAssociations co
Paralegal Career 2nd Edition by Scott A. Hatch, JD, and Lisa Zimmer Hatch, MA Authors of LSAT For Dummies
