Civil Law and Litigation for Paralegals is an innovative and engaging textbook written for the student who is just starting a paralegal degree program. It provides simple and concise explanations of legal concepts and topics, encouraging students to develop critical thinking skills by applying the legal principles to numerous problems and exercises contained in each chapter. This book introduces students to the major substantive areas of law that will be covered in depth in subsequent courses. The pedagogy of the book applies three goals:
Learning Outcomes
Critical thinking
Vocabulary building
Skill development
Issues analysis
Writing practices
Relevance of Topics without Sacrificing Theory
Ethical challenges
Current law practices
Technology application
Practical Application
Real-world exercises
Portfolio creation
Team exercises
Legal Research Maxim offers students tips for specific research and assistance in researching chapter issues.
Practice Tips offer dos and don’ts in the practice of law as well as provide helpful hints and reminders for the paralegals.
Case in Point offers a significant case designed to expand on the topics discussed in the chapter. Students are given questions based on the case to further assist their understanding of the case and its relevance to the chapter materials.
CyberTrip provides a list of links relevant to the chapter topics. Students can access these links to learn more about the material in the text.
Communication Tips in each chapter help students with one of the most crucial aspects of a professional career—communication. Students will examine all forms of communication and their importance on the job.
A Day in the Life presents interview excerpts from paralegals who actually work in the field, giving not only an overview of what brought them into law, but also their daily activities.
Career Prep suggests questions for students to pose to working paralegals. This put students on a pursuit for more information about what a career as a paralegal will really be like.
Real Paralegal Life in each chapter offers a practical application designed to help students build a specific skill set, including analyzing evidence, creating a personal court directory, billing hours, and basic investigative techniques
Review and Discussion Questions ask students to apply critical thinking skills to the concepts learned in each chapter. The Review Questions reinforce the objectives of the chapter. The Discussion Questions focus on more specific legal topics and promote dialogue among students. Both sets of questions are found at the end of each chapter.
Exercises at the end of each chapter offer short scenarios to test the students’ retention and understanding of the chapter materials.
Portfolio Assignments suggests are designed to use the skills mastered in the chapter and convert them into a practical legal document that can be used as samples of work during interviews that fully demonstrate the student’s competency in each area.
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2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education