Reference no: EM133376124
1. In which of the following instances may confidential client information be disclosed?
a. The client in a divorce case threatens to hire a hit man to kill her husband because she believes that killing her husband is the only way that she can stop him from stalking her.
b. A former client sues her attorney for legal malpractice in the handling of a breach-of-contract case involving her cosmetics home-sale business. The attorney discloses that the client is having an affair with her next-door neighbor, a fact that is unrelated to the malpractice case or the breach-of-contract case.
2. Which of the following actions should you take as a paralegal to avoid charges of engaging in the practice of law?
a. Include the title "paralegal" when signing letters and e-mails.
b. Introduce yourself without using your title in meetings with clients.
c. Include the title "paralegal" on your business cards.
d. Disclose your status as a paralegal when communicating with a court.
3. Matthew Hinson is a legal technician. He provides divorce forms and typing and filing services to the public at very low rates. Samantha Eggleston uses his services. She presents him with her completed forms, but she has one question: How much will she be entitled to receive in monthly child-support payments? How may Matthew legally respond to this question?
4. A paralegal experienced in employment discrimination law was hired by an attorney to develop a practice requiring appearances before both the state discrimination agency and the EEOC. The paralegal had previously advocated for clients before this state agency as permitted by state law. The attorney had no experience with employment discrimination cases. The attorney's clients were charged contingency fees, with the attorney receiving two-thirds of the fees and the paralegal one-third. The paralegal solicited clients and handled their cases without supervision, to the extent of having more than forty cases pending before the state agency. The paralegal also removed cases from the agencies and refiled them in the courts using the attorney's name and bar license without seeking the attorney's approval for doing so. Using the material in the chapter, what ethical violations did the paralegal commit? Did the attorney violate any ethical duties?
5. Which of the following tasks can a paralegal legally perform?
a. Provide legal advice to clients in the course of helping them prepare divorce pleadings.
b. Interview a witness to a car accident.
c. Represent a client in court.
d. Set legal fees.
e. Work as a freelance paralegal for attorneys.
f. Work as a legal technician providing legal services directly to the public.
6. Find a link to the local paralegal association. What are the benefits of joining this organization. If you join them and upload a copy of your membership, it will count as 5 extra credit points.
7. Add a link to the e filing rules for Florida.
8. Provide a link to the local mediation and arbitration associations that attorneys can use in Florida.
9. How can paralegals be impactful in the legal field? Give examples of how your law firm or internship site/class uses paralegals.
10. Provide a one paragraph summary of the role of paralegals in litigation.