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. The power of government to take private property for public purposes.






2. 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.






3. Rules and regulations created by administrative agencies.






4. Law that creates rights and duties.






5. A grand jury's written accusation that a given individual has committed a crime.






6. The right of the police to detain an individual for a brief period of time and to search the outside of the person's clothing if the police have a reasonable suspicion that the individual has committed or is about to commit crime.






7. An intentional tort that covers a variety of situations - including disclosure - intrusion - appropriation - and false light.






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






9. A business run by two or more persons as co-owners.






10. Being informed of some act done or about to be done.






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






12. 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






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






14. Attorney compensation as a percentage of the amount recovered rather than a flat amount of money or an hourly fee.






15. A request that the court prohibit the use of certain evidence at the trial.






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






17. In a case brief - the general legal principle in existence before the case began.






18. 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.






19. A court's power to hear only specialized cases.






20. The failure of an attorney to act reasonably.






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






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






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






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






25. An approach whereby the courts give a statute a broad interpretation.






26. 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.






27. Powers not stated in the Constitution but that are necessary for Congress to carry out other - expressly granted powers.






28. The chronological publication of statutes at the end of a legislative session.






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






30. The defense's request that the court find the prosecution failed to meet its burden and that it remove the case from the jury by finding the defendant not guilty.






31. The standard of proof used in criminal trials. The evidence represented must be so conclusive and complete that all reasonable doubts regarding the facts are removed from the jurors' minds.






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






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






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






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






36. Information about what happened procedurally to the litigation after the case cited. Include this information in a citation.






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






38. 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.






39. A compilation of federal administrative regulations arranged by agency.






40. A reason for invalidating a statute where a reasonable person could not determine a statute's meaning.






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






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






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






44. A court's prior permission for the police to search and seize.






45. Used to describe legislation that changes the common law.






46. Generally accepted legal principles.






47. A group of people - usually 23 - whose function is to determine if probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it.






48. The process of using Shepard's citations to check a court citation to see whether there has been any subsequent history or treatment by other court decisions.






49. Cases that involve different facts and/or rules of law.






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