Legal Research & Writing for Paralegals

Pamela R. Tepper is general counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs at the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Ms. Tepper worked in the Virgin Islands’ Department of Justice as the Deputy Solicitor General, managing government contracts for the Territory and special projects. She has taught paralegal studies at Southeastern Paralegal Institute, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Texas, Arlington campus. She continues her teaching at the University of the Virgin Islands, where she teaches Legal Research and Writing in the certificate and associates degree programs. Basic Legal Writing, 2d edition, is one of a number of books written by Ms. Tepper, which include Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code, Texas Legal Research, and Basic Legal Research and Writing. Ms. Tepper graduated from Hamilton College with a B.A. and New England School of Law with a J.D. She is licensed to practice in Texas and the Virgin Islands. Neal R. Bevans, J.D. is a former Assistant District Attorney and private attorney. A veteran of over 150 trials, Bevans has tried every major felony from rape, murder, and narcotics to armed robbery. One of his cases was televised nationally on Court TV. He has had extensive civil litigation experience while working as an insurance defense attorney. He has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia (Order of the Barrister) and has been a college instructor for more than ten years. A multiple-year honoree in Who’s Who among America’s Teachers, Bevans is the author of numerous magazine articles and textbooks, including Civil Law and Litigation for Paralegals.

PART ONE: MASTERING THE LAW
Chapter 1: The American Legal System: Navigating through the Process
Chapter 2: The Sources of the Law: What’s in a Law Library
Chapter 3: Case Law and Reporters: Finding Judges’ Opinions
Chapter 4: Understanding and Briefing of Case Decisions
Chapter 5: Researching Constitutions, Statutes, and Administrative Rules and Regulations
PART TWO: FINDING AND UPDATING TOOLS
Chapter 6: Legal Research Finding Tools: The Traditions and New Trends
Chapter 7: Updating the Law: Shepard’s Citations and KeyCite
PART THREE: PLANNING A RESEARCH PROJECT
Chapter 8: Online Search Techniques: Learning the Methods
Chapter 9: Internet Sources of the Law: Searching for Reliability
Chapter 10: Roadmap for Legal Research: A Guided Plan
PART FOUR: LEGAL WRITING BASICS
Chapter 11: Introduction to Legal Writing
Chapter 12: The Mechanics of Construction
Chapter 13: Effective and Persuasive Legal Writing
Chapter 14: Citations in Legal Writing
PART FIVE: PRACTICAL WRITING APPLICATIONS
Chapter 15: The Basics of Legal Correspondence
Chapter 16: The Internal Office Memorandum
Chapter 17: Court Documents: Pleadings, Discovery, and Motions
PART SIX: PERSUASIVE WRITING
Chapter 18: The Memorandum of Law to the Trial Court
Chapter 19: The Appellate Brief
Glossary
Index