Paralegal Career For Dummies

Scott Hatch, JD, and Lisa Zimmer Hatch, MA, are founders and administrators of The Center for Legal Studies, which offers training and certificate courses, including paralegal certificate courses, to thousands of people through hundreds of colleges and universities every year.

Introduction. Part I: A Snapshot of the Exciting and Lucrative Paralegal Profession. Chapter 1: Discovering the Paralegal Profession. Chapter 2: Membership Has Its Privileges: Paralegal Associations and Their Certification Exams. Chapter 3: The Hunt Is On: Securing a Paralegal Position. Part II: Important Legal Concepts Every Paralegal Should Know. Chapter 4: "All Rise": The American Judicial System. Chapter 5: The Big Three: Categories of Law. Chapter 6: Taking a Case to Trial: The Litigation Process. Chapter 7: How It's Done: Important Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence. Chapter 8: Because I Said So: The Categories of Legal Authority. Chapter 9: The Substantive Law Areas Most Commonly Practiced by Paralegals. Part III: Putting It into Practice: The Paralegal in the Civil Litigation Process. Chapter 10: The Paper Chase: Preparing Documents. Chapter 11: Elementary My Dear Watson: Legal Investigation. Chapter 12: 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. Part IV: Skills Paralegals Need to Soar Ahead. Chapter 16: Write On: Presenting a Clear, Concise Legal Writing Style. Chapter 17: The Latest Thing: Using Technology in Law. Chapter 18: Law Office Management 101. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 19: The Ten Most Important Rules of Ethics. Chapter 20: Ten Things Every Paralegal Should Know. Chapter 21: Ten Survival Tips to Thrive in the Legal Environment. Part VI: Appendixes. Appendix A: Glossary of Important Legal Terms: A Mini Legal Dictionary. Appendix B: About the CD. Index.