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 hear any type of case arising within its geographical area.






2. When only one court has the power to hear a case.






3. A criminal proceeding at which the court informs the defendant of the charges being brought against him or her and the defendant enters a plea.






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






5. When an appellate court that normally sits in panels sits as a whole.






6. A method for excusing a prospective juror; no reason need be given.






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






8. Law that regulates how the legal system operates.






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






10. A method for measuring the relative negligence of the plaintiff and the defendant - with a commensurate sharing of the compensation for the injuries.






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






12. Evidence that supports previous testimony but that comes in a different form.






13. When the product was not being used for its intended purpose or was being used in a dangerous manner; it is a defense to a products liability claim so long as the misuse was not foreseeable.






14. In a case brief - the rule of law applied to the case's specific facts.






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






16. Occurs when the police restrain a person's freedom and charge the person with a crime.






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






18. The rules whereby all members of a law firm are treated as though they had represented the former client.






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






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






21. Fairness; a court's power to do justice. Equity powers allow judges to take action when otherwise the law would limit their decisions to monetary awards. Equity powers include a judge's ability to issue an injunction and to order specific performance






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






23. Information that can be presented in a court of law as proof of some fact.






24. A national association of paralegal managers.






25. An intentional act that creates a harmful or offensive physical contact.






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






27. Ownership by two or more people. Ownership shares do not have to be equal - but each has an undivided interest in the property. When a tenant in common dies - that person's share passes either by will or by intestate statute.






28. Ownership by two or more persons who have equal rights in the use of the property. When a joint tenant dies - that person's share passes to the other joint tenant(s).






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






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






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






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






33. 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.






34. A system of government in which the authority to govern is split between a single - nationwide central government and several regional governments that control specific geographical areas.






35. The way in which a question of fact is established. Evidence can consist of witness testimony or documents and exhibits. It is the proof presented at a trial.






36. An attorney's written argument presented to an appeals court - setting forth a statement of the law as it should be applied to the client's facts.






37. A person who initiates a lawsuit.






38. A national organization of paralegal programs that promotes high standards for paralegal education.






39. 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.






40. Liability without a showing of fault.






41. The principle that courts cannot decide abstract issues or render advisory opinions; rather - they are limited to deciding cases that involve litigants who are personally affected by the court's decision.






42. A summary of a court opinion that appears at the beginning of the case.






43. The background documents created during the process of a bill becoming a statute. These documents can include alternative versions of the legislation - proceedings of committee hearings and reports - and transcripts of floor debates.






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






45. A system developed to shield an attorney or a paralegal from a case that otherwise would create a conflict of interest.






46. A national voluntary organization of lawyers.






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






48. A worldwide network of computer networks.






49. A special type of joint tenancy applicable only to married couples.






50. 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.