Paralegal Career For Dummies

Introduction 1

Part 1: A Snapshot of the Exciting and Lucrative Paralegal Profession 5

Chapter 1: Discovering the Paralegal Profession 7

Chapter 2: Membership Has Its Privileges: Paralegal Associations and Their Certification Exams 21

Chapter 3: The Hunt Is On: Securing a Paralegal Position 27

Part 2: Important Legal Concepts Every Paralegal Should Know 37

Chapter 4: “All Rise”: The American Judicial System 39

Chapter 5: The Big Three: Categories of Law 57

Chapter 6: Taking a Case to Trial: The Litigation Process 79

Chapter 7: How It’s Done: Important Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence 101

Chapter 8: Because I Said So: The Categories of Legal Authority 119

Chapter 9: The Substantive Law Areas Most Commonly Practiced by Paralegals 127

Part 3: Putting It into Practice: The Paralegal in the Civil Litigation Process 147

Chapter 10: The Paper Chase: Preparing Documents 149

Chapter 11: Elementary My Dear Watson: Legal Investigation 179

Chapter 12: Chewing the Fat: Legal Interviewing 191

Chapter 13: Burning the Midnight Oil: Legal Research 205

Chapter 14: Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Trial Performance 225

Chapter 15: The Official Word: Ethical Codes for Legal Professionals 241

Part 4: Identifying the Skills Paralegals Need to Soar 255

Chapter 16: Presenting a Clear, Concise Legal Writing Style 257

Chapter 17: Using Technology in Law 275

Chapter 18: Law Office Management 101 291

Part 5: The Part of Tens 305

Chapter 19: The Ten Most Important Rules of Ethics 307

Chapter 20: Ten Things Every Paralegal Should Know 311

Chapter 21: Ten Survival Tips to Thrive in the Legal Environment 315

Appendix: What You’ll Find Online 319

Index 327