BK Tant 016450 PDF

PARALEGAL CAREER
FOR DUMMIES
2ND EDITION
BY SCOTT A. HATCH, JD,

AND LISA ZIMMER HATCH, MA
Contents
Figure 3-1 3
Figure 3-2 4
Figure 4-1 5
Figure 4-2 6
Figure 8-1 7
Figure 10-1 8
Figure 10-2 9
Figure 10-3 10
Figure 10-4 12
Figure 10-5 13
Figure 10-6 14
Figure 10-7 15
Figures 10-8 and 10-9 16
Figure 10-10 17
Figure 10-11 19
Table 11-1 21
Figure 12-1 23
Figure 12-2 24
Figure 12-3 25
Figure 12-4 26
Figure 12-5 27
Figure 14-1 28
Figure 14-2 29
Figure 14-3 30
Figure 18-1 31
Figure 18-2 32
Figure 18-3 33
FIGURE 3-1:
A sample
cover letter.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
0004317918.INDD 29 Trim size: 7.375 in × 9.25 in March 22, 2019 2:51 PM
FIGURE 3-2:
Sample resume
that highlights
skills over law
office experience.
FIGURE 4-1: Branches of the federal government.
FIGURE 4-2:
The federal and
state judicial
systems.
Primary and Secondary Authority
TABLE 8-1
Sources of Primary Authority Sources of Secondary Authority
Any on-point case from the Any on-point authority from the
following sources: following sources:
U.S. Supreme Court Legal dictionaries
U.S. Courts of Appeals Legal encyclopedias (such as American

Jurisprudence 2d and Corpus Juris Secundum)
U.S. District Courts Annotated Reporters (such as American Law

Reports)
State supreme courts Law reviews
State appellate courts Treatises
U.S. Constitution Formbooks
U.S. Code Live or pre-recorded seminars
State constitutions Legal blogs or podcasts
State statutes
Court rules
Treaties
Executive orders
Administrative agency rules

and regulations
Municipal ordinances
FIGURE 10-1:
A sample
demand letter.
© John Wiley & Sons
FIGURE 10-2:
A sample
complaint with
the Colorado
caption format.
Remember to
check the correct
caption format in
your state.
FIGURE 10-3:
A sample answer
with the Colorado
caption format.
10
FIGURE 10-3:
(continued)
11
FIGURE 10-4:
The caption of a
memo of law,
including a
statement of the
assignment.
12
FIGURE 10-5:
A statement
of facts.
13
FIGURE 10-6:
A statement of
the issues.
14
FIGURE 10-7:
A portion of a
legal analysis of
an issue.
15
FIGURE 10-8:
A conclusion to a
memo of law.
FIGURE 10-9:
A recommenda-
tions section of a
memo of a law.
16
FIGURE 10-10:
A sample motion
for summary
judgment.
17
FIGURE 10-10:
(continued)
18
FIGURE 10-11:
Sample
interrogatories.
19
FIGURE 10-11:
(continued)
20
Sources of Information
TABLE 11-1
Source Type of Information
Police department incident Facts of an incident and the names, birth dates, addresses,
or offense reports and telephone numbers of the participants
Arrest records and warrants Name, address, birth date, physical description, Social Security
number, and fingerprints of the accused
Traffic accident reports Location and time of the accident; names, addresses, and birth
dates of the driver and passengers; driver’s license numbers; and
automobile registration numbers
Telephone and cell phone An individual or business’s full name, address, land line or cell phone
company records number, length of phone service, record of calls and location, and
number of extensions
Post office An individual’s full name, address, post office box number, and any
forwarding addresses
Credit card companies An individual’s employment and credit references and information
regarding the types of charges an individual makes
County assessor’s office Dimensions and taxable income on real property and
information about property improvements
Health department records Names and maiden names of a child’s parents, their occupations and
ages, and name of the child’s physician
Public school records Past and present records of students and possibly their photographs
Professional trade association List of members’ names and their addresses and telephone numbers
and union records
Banks and other financial An individual’s full name, address, occupation, sources of income,
institutions expenditures, personal and business references,
net worth, and handwriting samples
Moving companies An individual’s forwarding address
(continued)
21

TABLE 11-1 (continued)
Source Type of Information
Bureau of Vital Statistics Birth certificates (which contain an individual’s full name, birth date,
place of birth, time of birth, and parents’ names) and death certificates
(for name, birth date, last known address, and cause of death of the
deceased)
County clerk’s office Marriage license records (for an individual’s marital information, birth
date, signature, and last known address), divorce records
(for an individual’s marriage date and location, separation date and
location, children’s ages, community property, signature, and place of
employment), civil files (for name changes, property liens and property
descriptions, and the types of civil cases in which an individual is
involved), criminal files (for transcripts of preliminary hearings, proba-
tion officer reports, subpoenas issued in a case, and names of attor-
neys who are involved in the case)
Election commission A registered voter’s full name, address, occupation, political affiliation,
spouse’s name, and most recent location of voter registration
Credit reporting agencies An individual’s full name, address, birth date, occupation, present and
former addresses, credit rating, and marital status, as well as informa-
tion regarding whether an individual owns or rents a home and docu-
mentation of personal and professional references, banks and
financial institutions, and names of relatives
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Full name, address, occupation, age, physical description, marital
Services (www.uscis.gov) status, signature, photograph, and date and manner of entry of
an alien
Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft ownership information

(www.faa.gov)
Department of Motor Vehicles An individual’s full name, address, physical description, birth date,
vehicle information, operator’s license number, photograph, and
signature
Utility companies An individual’s name, address, and prior addresses, as well

as information regarding who’s responsible for paying an
individual’s bill
Secretary of state Information regarding corporations (registered agents, officers, and

status), assumed names, and liens filed (Uniform Commercial Code, or
UCC)
22

FIGURE 12-1:
You have
options when it
comes to seating
arrangements.
23

FIGURE 12-2:
An attorney’s
memo requesting
an initial client
interview.
24

FIGURE 12-3:
A narrative police
report in the Cary
Careless case.
25

FIGURE 12-4:
Attorney’s memo
requesting a
prospective
witness interview.
26

FIGURE 12-5:
Checklist for a
witness interview.
27

FIGURE 14-1:
A trial
reparation
p
checklist, like this
one for a criminal
trial, should go in
the front of your
trial notebook.
28

FIGURE 14-2:
A jury panel
seating chart can
help your
supervising
attorney keep
track of the
jurors.
29

FIGURE 14-3:
A master witness
list can come in
handy. You never
know when you’ll
need a witness’s
contact info.
30

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31
FIGURE 18-1:
A master
calendar such as
this one is where
you record all the
key events for the
entire office.
March 18, 2019 3:24 PM

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32
FIGURE 18-2:
An individual
calendar helps
you keep track of
your own
schedule or the
attorney’s
schedule.
March 18, 2019 3:24 PM

FIGURE 18-3:
Your daily to-do
list helps you
prioritize your
tasks and work
toward your
goals.
33

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PARALEGAL CAREER

BY SCOTT A. HATCH, JD,

U.S. Supreme Court Legal dictionaries

U.S. Courts of Appeals Legal encyclopedias (such as American

U.S. District Courts Annotated Reporters (such as American Law

State supreme courts Law reviews

State appellate courts Treatises

U.S. Code Live or pre-recorded seminars

State constitutions Legal blogs or podcasts

Administrative agency rules

Source Type of Information

Moving companies An individual’s forwarding address

0004317926.INDD 181 Trim size: 7.375 in × 9.25 in March 4, 2019 5:22 PM

Source Type of Information

Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft ownership information

Utility companies An individual’s name, address, and prior addresses, as well

Secretary of state Information regarding corporations (registered agents, officers, and

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© John Wiley & Sons

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