Assignment: Basics of Legal Research
Paralegals may attest to the fact that their work can be demanding and thus requires proper time management to meet multiple deadlines. Imagine that a senior partner has assigned your supervising attorney to litigate a breach of contract case, and your supervising attorney has asked you to help her prepare. In preparation for trial, complete the following.
Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:
- Describe two (2) ways in which using an electronic research tool could increase your productivity on the case.
- Explain two (2) ways that you could use electronic spreadsheets in order to organize your case load.
- Explore the concept of document review, and indicate the manner in which you could use Microsoft Office to establish a document review for the case.
1. Draft a legal memorandum, discussing whether paralegal fees for the electronic spreadsheets that you have created should be billed as clerical or legal services. The legal memorandum should include the question presented, a brief answer, the rationale for the selected billing service, and a conclusion.
2. Draft a general letter to the client, requesting additional financial records for you to submit as a part of a timely response to a discovery request from opposing counsel. The legal correspondence should include the following lines / elements: to, from, regarding, date, body (including your specific request), and closing.
3. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Develop effective research strategies, and conduct effective and efficient research using conventional sources, the Internet, and computer-assisted legal research.
- Develop effective legal writing skills using the following techniques: precision, clarity, readability, brevity, and order.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in legal research and writing.
- Write clearly and concisely about legal research and writing using proper writing mechanics.