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 process whereby the prosecutor and the defendant's attorney agree for the defendant to plead guilty in exchange for the prosecutor's promise to charge him or her with a lesser offense - drop some additional charges - or request a lesser sentence.






2. An opinion that disagrees with the majority's decision and its reasoning.






3. An agreement supported by consideration.






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






5. 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.






6. 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).






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






8. A provision that purports to waive liability.






9. A defendant's plea meaning that the defendant neither admits nor denies the charges.






10. A reason for invalidating a statute where it covers both protected and criminal activity.






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






12. A determination that an attorney may not practice law for a set period of time.






13. Computer codes that - when clicked on with a mouse - connect the user to other web pages with related information






14. Establishes a direct link to the event that must be proven.






15. 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.






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






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






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






19. The modern pretrial procedure by which one party gains information from the adverse party.






20. A judgment entered against a party who fails to complete a required step - such as answering the complaint.






21. A worldwide network of computer networks.






22. A national paralegal association.






23. What the prosecution or plaintiff must be able to prove in order for the case to go to the jury-that is - the elements of the prosecution's case or the plaintiff's cause of action.






24. A judicial philosophy that supports a limited role for the judiciary in changing the law - including deference to the legislative branch.






25. A set of standardized jury instructions.






26. Money awarded to a plaintiff in cases of intentional torts in order to punish the defendant and serve as a warning to others.






27. A tangible object or a right or ownership interest.






28. The party in a case who has initiated an appeal.






29. How subsequent cases have affected the case you are Shepardizing. It is sometimes indicated by a one-letter abbreviation before the Shepard's citation.






30. An issue that the court has never faced before.






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






32. Questions that suggest the answer.






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






34. An online legal database containing court decisions and statutes from the entire country. While its coverage of other legal mateirals is not as extensive as that of Westlaw and Lexis - it is also less expensive.






35. The requirement that defendants be notified of their rights to remain silent and to have an attorney present prior to being questioned by the police.






36. Money is awarded to a plaintiff in payment for his or her actual losses.






37. The intermediate appellate courts in the federal system.






38. A computerized database that contains key information about the content of documents - such as medical records.






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






40. Bad intent.






41. A person who assists an attorney and - working under the attorney's supervision - does tasks that - absent the paralegal - the attorney would do. A paralegal cannot give advice or appear in court.






42. Techniques for resolving conflicts that are alternatives to full-scale litigation. The two most common are arbitration and mediation.






43. Information about what happened procedurally to the cited case before it was heard by the cited court. Do not include this information in a citation.






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






45. Evidence that suggests the defendant's guilt.






46. A set charge for a specific service - such as drafting a simple will.






47. A defense whereby the defendant offers new evidence to avoid judgment.






48. Negligence by the plaintiff that contributed to his or her injury. Normally - it is a complete bar to the plaintiff's recovery.






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






50. A set of ethical rules developed by the American Bar Association in the 1980s. The Model rules have been adopted by most of the states.