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. Law that deals with harm to an individual.






2. A requirement that property be fit for the purpose for which it is being rented. Owners are required to repair and maintain the premises at certain minimum levels.






3. A nonbinding process in which attorneys for both sides present synopses of their cases to a jury - which renders an advisory opinion on the basis of these presentations.






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






5. Information that tells the reader the name of the case - where it can be located - the court that decided it - and the year it was decided. The Bluebook gives precise rules as to how case citations are to be written.






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






7. Law that deals with harm to society as a whole.






8. Occurs whenever one person - through force or the threat of force - unlawfully detains another person against his or her will.






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






10. The process by which individuals or organizations have their names placed on an official list kept by some private organization or governmental agency.






11. Examples of legal writing include case briefs - law office memoranda - and documents filed with the court.






12. A means of gaining appellate review; in the U.S. Supreme Court the writ is discretionary and will be issued to another court to review a federal question if four of the nine justices vote to hear the case.






13. 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.






14. An ADR mechanism whereby a neutral third party assists the parties in reaching a mutually agreeable - voluntary compromise.






15. 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.






16. The person who is being asked questions at a deposition.






17. 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.






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






19. Information about the law - such as that contained in encyclopedias and law review articles.






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






21. Without the need for a warrant - the police may seize objects that are openly visible.






22. A worldwide network of computer networks.






23. A bank account used to hold money belonging to the client or to a third party.






24. Bad intent.






25. 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.






26. An online legal database containing court decisions and statutes from the entire country - as well as secondary authority; a competitor to Westlaw.






27. 'The thing speaks for itself'; the doctrine that suggest negligence can be presumed if an event happens that would not ordinarily happen unless someone was negligent.






28. Cases that involve similar facts and rules of law.






29. A defense requiring proof that force or a threat of force was used to cause a person to commit a criminal act.






30. A constitutional protection against being tried twice for the same crime.






31. A defense requiring proof that the defendant was forced to take an action to avoid a greater harm.






32. Either a subcategory of relevancy or simply another word for relevancy - the requirement that the evidence be more probative than prejudicial.






33. A contract that outlines the attorney's duties and the client's obligations regarding payment - on either an hourly or a contingency fee basis - as well as the client's responsibility reagarding costs and expenses.






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






35. 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.






36. A notice informing the defendant of the lawsuit and requiring the defendant to respond or risk losing the suit.






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






38. A decision is reversed when the litigants appeal the trial court decision and the higher court disagrees with the decision of a lower court.






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






40. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.






41. Also known as real estate; land and items growing on or permanently attached to that land.






42. A constitutional fairness requirement that a defendant have at least a certain minimum level of contact with a state before the state courts can have jurisdiction over the defendant.






43. A person who initiates a lawsuit.






44. An advance or down payment that is given to engage the services of an attorney.






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






46. A law enacted by a state legislature or by Congress.






47. In deductive reasoning - the statement of a broad proposition that forms the starting point; in law - the statement of a legal rule that you can find in a statute or court opinion.






48. A fee based on how many hours attorneys or paralegals spend on the case. Different hourly rates are often charged for different attorneys and paralegals within the firm - based on their seniority and experience.






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






50. When the law is applied to the client's facts and the result is not obvious - an issue is created.