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. 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.






2. A form in which statutes are published; they are printed individually at the time they are first enacted.






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






4. The ethical rule prohibiting attorneys and paralegals from working for opposing sides in a case.






5. A temporary transfer of personal property to someone other than the owner for a specified purpose.






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






7. Voluntarily and knowingly subjecting oneself to danger.






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






9. The status of being formally recognized by a nongovernmental organization for having met special criteria - such as fulfilling educational requirements and passing an exam - established by that organization.






10. A decision is overruled when a court in a later case changes the law so that its prior decision is no longer good law.






11. 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.






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






13. 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.






14. 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.






15. A suspicion based on specific facts; less than probable cause.






16. A statement in a judicial opinion not necessary for the decision of the case.






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






18. A right to use property owned by another for a limited purpose.






19. A national voluntary organization of lawyers.






20. The process of finding the law.






21. 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.






22. Courts that determine whether lower courts have made errors of law.






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






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






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






26. The process of organizing statutes by subject matter.






27. 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.






28. An affidavit signed by the client indicating that he or she has read the complaint and that its contents are correct.






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






30. '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.






31. 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.






32. Monetary compensation - including compensatory - punitive - and nominal damages.






33. Questions that suggest the answer.






34. 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.






35. 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.






36. An actual incident or condition; not a legal consequence.






37. A verdict ordered by a trial judge if the plaintiff fails to present a prima facie case or if the defendant fails to present a necessary defense.






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






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






40. Disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that harm will result.






41. The highest federal appellate court - consisting of nine appointed members.






42. Law that creates rights and duties.






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






44. Evidence that suggests the defendant's guilt.






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






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






47. A transfer of real property rights that occurs after someone other than the owner has had actual - open - adverse - and exclusive use of the property for a statutorily determined number of years.






48. A statement of the court's decision that contains many of the case's specific facts - thereby limiting its future applicability to a narrow range of cases.






49. The ethical rule prohibiting attorneys and paralegals from disclosing information regarding a client or a client's case.






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