Test your basic knowledge |

Paralegal 101

Subject : law
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A court's power to review statutes to decide if they conform to the federal or a state constitution.






2. A group of people - usually 23 - whose function is to determine if probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it.






3. The new legal principle established by a court opinion.






4. The opinion of a jury on a question of fact.






5. A book that contains court opinion headnotes arranged by subject matter.






6. Court decisions from an equal or a lower court from the same jurisidiction or from a higher court in a different jurisdiction; also includes secondary authority.






7. A defense requiring proof that the defendant was not mentally responsible.






8. A repeat offender; one who continues to commit more crimes.






9. A request made to the court.






10. A separable part of a statute that must be satisfied for the statute to apply.






11. The reference to a particular page within an opinion.






12. When more than one court has jurisdiction to hear a case.






13. Questions relating to the interpretation or application of the law.






14. Evidence that suggests the defendant's innocence.






15. In a case brief - facts that deal with what happened to the parties before the litigation began.






16. The law that sets the length of time from when something happens to when a lawsuit must be filed before the right to bring it is lost.






17. When an appellate court overturns or negates the decision of a lower court.






18. A statement of the court's decision in which the facts are either omitted or given in very general terms so that it will apply to a wider range of cases.






19. The process of legislative enactment of areas of the law previously governed solely by the common law.






20. Violation of a statute as proof of negligence






21. A claim that based on the law and the facts is sufficient to support a lawsuit. If the plaintiff does not state a valid cause of action in the complaint - the court will dismiss it.






22. The process of properly identifying and authenticating evidence so that it can be introduced.






23. A calendering system that records key dates and important deadlines.






24. Proof that the evidence is what it is said to be.






25. A computerized database that contains the full text of documents - such as court opinions or depositions.






26. A case listed in Shepard's that cites your case.






27. The standard of proof most commonly used in civil trials. The evidence presented must prove that it is more likely than not the defendant committed the wrong.






28. A decision is reversed when an appellate court overturns or negates the decision of a lower court.






29. Liability without a showing of fault.






30. The result reached in a particular case.






31. The publication of false statements that harm a person's reputation.






32. Evidence that suggests the defendant's guilt.






33. An examination of a prospective juror to see if he or she is fit to serve as a juror on a specific case.






34. A token sum awarded when liability has been found but monetary damages cannot be shown.






35. A grand jury's written accusation that a given individual has committed a crime.






36. A body of principles and rules that are either explicitly stated in - or inferred from - the constitutions of the United States and those of the individual states.






37. The questioning of your own witness.






38. A rule of evidence that prevents an attorney or a paralegal from being compelled to testify about confidential client information.






39. Voluntarily and knowingly subjecting oneself to danger.






40. In deductive reasoning - the second proposition - which along with the major premise leads to the conclusion; in law - the minor premise consists of the client's facts.






41. An assumption that something that is not real is real-for example - saying that a corporation is a person for purposes of its being able to sue and be sued.






42. Written questions sent by one side to the opposing side - answered under oath.






43. The pleading that begins a lawsuit.






44. An approach whereby the courts give a statute a narrow interpretation.






45. A computer program that allows the user to retrieve web documents that match the key words entered by the searcher.






46. When a person must be brought into a lawsuit as either a plaintiff or a defendant.






47. The requirement that relief be sought from an administrative agency before proceeding to court.






48. Also known as cause in fact - this is measured by the 'but for' standard: But for the defendant's actions - the plaintiff would not have been injured.






49. Attorney compensation as a percentage of the amount recovered rather than a flat amount of money or an hourly fee.






50. An online legal databease containing court decisions and statutes from the entire country - as well as secondary authority; a competitor to Lexis.