Paralegal

Housekeeping Items

  • Survey on Course 152

    • Discussed the importance of gathering student interest for offering Course 152 (Introduction to Civil Law).

    • Will assess how many students are interested to determine the viability of an additional section in the spring.

  • Skills Assessment Assignment

    • The assignment has been graded and feedback provided. Grading was completion-based.

    • Emphasis on specificity and relating skills to paralegal tasks was highlighted in the feedback.

    • Examples provided to illustrate how to better express skill application.

  • Occupational Outlook for Paralegals

    • Reference to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding the growth rate of paralegal jobs.

    • Noted a shift in job outlook from 5% growth to 1%, stressing the importance of education for standing out in the job market.

Information Literacy

  • Definition

    • Information literacy empowers individuals to seek, evaluate, use, and create information effectively.

    • Essential for achieving personal, social, occupational, and educational goals.

  • Assignment on Information Literacy

    • Detailed instructions on completing the assignment due on Sunday, including multimedia resources and questions.

    • Importance of understanding how to assess credibility and reliability of information highlighted.

Library Resources

  • TCC Online Library

    • Overview of library resources available for students, including databases for credible information searching.

    • Importance of utilizing both the physical and online library for research.

Citing Legal Sources

  • Blue Book Format

    • Introduction to the citation format specifically used in law, known as Blue Book format.

    • Explanation of how to properly cite cases, statutes, and legal documents.

    • Discussion on how to cite different types of cases, including parallel citations and pinpoint citations.

  • Key Concepts of Citation

    • Importance of citing sources to establish credibility in legal writing.

    • Examples of how to format citations in an academic or legal brief are given, including the components such as plaintiff vs. defendant, volume number, reporter abbreviation, page number, year of decision.

Upcoming Assignments and Readings

  • Reading Assignments

    • Assigned reading from pages 86 to 114 in the textbook (Chapter 4 on Ethics and Professional Responsibility) to be started by Thursday.

    • Assessment on Chapter 4 scheduled for January 28th, to be completed before the next class.

  • Preparation for Class

    • Expecting students to familiarize themselves with citation formats and information literacy before the next class.

Future Classes and Topics**

  • Legal Ethics will be the focus of Week 4's reading.

  • Introduction to primary law and overview of a legal case will also take place in upcoming classes.