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. The failure to act reasonably under the circumstances.






2. The number of hours - or parts of an hour - that can be charged to a specific client.






3. 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.






4. Negligence by the plaintiff that contributed to his or her injury. Normally - any finding of contributory negligence acts as a complete bar to a plaintiff's recovery.






5. A document that lists statements regarding specific items for the other party to admit or deny.






6. Money or something else of value that is held by the government to ensure the defendant's appearance in court.






7. A compilation of federal or state statutes in which the statutes are organized by subject matter rather than by year of enactment.






8. A statute establishing and setting out the powers of an administrative agency.






9. A witness who has not been shown to have any special expertise.






10. 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.






11. A claim by a defendant against someone in addition to the persons the plaintiff has already sued.






12. The revocation of an attorney's license.






13. Once actual cause is found - as a policy matter - the court must also find that the act and the resulting harm were so foreseeably related as to justify a finding of liability.






14. A person who initiates a lawsuit.






15. A set of standardized jury instructions.






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






17. In law - a per curium decision (or opinion) is a ruling issued by an appellate court of multiple judges in which the decision rendered is made by the court (or at least a majoirty of the court) acting collectively and anonymously.






18. A professional entity in which the stockholders share in the organization's profits but have their liabilities limited to the amount of their investment.






19. The pleading that begins a lawsuit.






20. A person who initiates an appeal.






21. 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.






22. A provision in a deed that prohibits specified uses of the property.






23. A method for interpreting statutes in which the ordinary meaning of the statute's language is examined.






24. All property that is not real property.






25. A court where a permanent record is kept of the testimony - lawyers' remarks - and judges' rulings.






26. Including more than one count in a complaint; the counts do not need to be consistent.






27. The standard of proof used in some civil trials. The evidence presented must be greater than a preponderance of the evidence but less than beyond a reasonable doubt.






28. Generally accepted legal principles.






29. The rule requiring that the original document be produced at trial.






30. The authority of a court to hear a case when it is initiated - as opposed to appellate jurisdiction.






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






32. A term used to describe two cases that are almost identical - with similar facts and legal issues.






33. Body of law that has evolved from judicial decisions in cases that do not involve constitutional - statutory - or administrative regulation interpretation.






34. A test that provides that the defendant is not guity due to insanity if - at the time of the killing the defendant could not control his or her actions.






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






36. A trial conducted without a jury.






37. In writing - a technique used to help your reader move from one thought to the next and to see the connections between them.






38. An ADR mechanism whereby the parties submit their disagreement to a third party - whose decision is binding.






39. A defendant's personal promise to appear in court.






40. Broad questions that put few limits on the freedom of the respondent.






41. Land and objects permanently attached to land.






42. The tort theory that an employer can be sued for the negligent acts of its employees.






43. A fee calculated as a percentage of the settlement or award in the case.






44. The tenant's right to be free from interference from the landlord with respect to how the property is used.






45. A nonlawyer who provides legal services directly to the public without being under the supervision of an attorney. Absent a statute allowing this activity - it constitutes the unauthorized practice of law.






46. A form of logical reasoning based on a major premise - a minor premise - and a conclusion.






47. A tort committed by one who intends to do the act that creates the harm.






48. The transfer of a case from one state court to a federal court.






49. Federal and state rules that govern the admissibility of evidence in court.






50. Relates to the ability of a witness to testify; generally - the witness must be capable of being understood by the jury; must understand the duty to tell the truth; and if a lay witness - must give testimony based on personal knowledge.