Reference no: EM131380734

Assignment: Basics of Legal Research

Paralegals may attest to the fact that their work can be demanding and thus requires proper time management to meet multiple deadlines. Imagine that a senior partner has assigned your supervising attorney to litigate a breach of contract case, and your supervising attorney has asked you to help her prepare. In preparation for trial, complete the following.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

• Describe two (2) ways in which using an electronic research tool could increase your productivity on the case.
• Explain two (2) ways that you could use electronic spreadsheets in order to organize your case load.
• Explore the concept of document review, and indicate the manner in which you could use Microsoft Office to establish a document review for the case.

1. Draft a legal memorandum, discussing whether paralegal fees for the electronic spreadsheets that you have created should be billed as clerical or legal services. The legal memorandum should include the question presented, a brief answer, the rationale for the selected billing service, and a conclusion.

2. Draft a general letter to the client, requesting additional financial records for you to submit as a part of a timely response to a discovery request from opposing counsel. The legal correspondence should include the following lines / elements: to, from, regarding, date, body (including your specific request), and closing.

3. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Develop effective research strategies, and conduct effective and efficient research using conventional sources, the Internet, and computer-assisted legal research.
• Develop effective legal writing skills using the following techniques: precision, clarity, readability, brevity, and order.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in legal research and writing.
• Write clearly and concisely about legal research and writing using proper writing mechanics.