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 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.






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






3. When an appellate court sends a case back to the trial court for a new trial or other action.






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






5. A judicial philosophy that supports an active role for the judiciary in changing the law.






6. A court order requiring a party to perform a specific act or to cease doing a specific act.






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






8. Affiliated with the federal government's Legal Services Corporation - these offices serve those who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance.






9. Law that deals with harm to an individual.






10. Federal and state rules that regulate how criminal proceedings are conducted.






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






12. Voluntarily and knowingly subjecting oneself to danger.






13. All property that is not real property.






14. A defense requiring proof that the defendant would not have committed the crime but for police trickery.






15. An act by a landlord that makes the premises unfit or unsuitable for occupancy.






16. Court decisions from a higher court in the same jurisdiction.






17. An agreement supported by consideration.






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






19. The power of a court to force a person to appear before it.






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






21. The requirement in a legal malpractice case that the plaintiff-client prove that but for the attorney's negligence - the client would have won.






22. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






29. The educated ability to apply law to specific facts.






30. A trial ended by the judge because of a major problem - such as a prejudicial statement by one of the attorneys.






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






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






33. 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.






34. A claim by one defendant against another defendant or by one plaintiff against another plaintiff.






35. The final paragraph in a written legal analysis that summarizes the writer's conclusions.






36. A request made to the court.






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






38. A repeat offender; one who continues to commit more crimes.






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






40. Governmental publication of court opinions.






41. When a higher court agrees with what lower court has done.






42. The revocation of an attorney's license.






43. A judgment that reverses the verdict of the jury when the verdict had no reasonable factual support or was contrary to law.






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






45. Specific questions that usually demand very short or yes-no answers.






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






47. 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.






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






49. An opinion that agrees with the majority's result but disagrees with its reasoning.






50. Books that contain appellate court decisions. There are both official and unofficial reporters.