Legal Research and Writing: Tips, Tricks, and Handy Know-Hows for Paralegals
Credits Available
| Credit | Status | Total | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| California MCLE Paralegal |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| Montana CLE Credit for Paralegals |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| New Mexico Paralegal Division, State Bar of |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| Texas State Bar of Paralegal Division |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
Buy This Course
OnDemand Video
Course Book Download
or
Overview
How to Prevent Mistakes, Effectively Organize Content, Convey Meaning, and More
Cogent communication is the backbone of the legal process. This program offers practical pointers for improving your legal research and writing skills to help you become more effective in laying a solid foundation for each case. Explore real-life approaches to locating hard-to-find information and take your writing skills to the next level. Register today!
- Explore new tools, resources, and approaches for locating people and finding background information.
- Develop efficient proofreading methods to avoid common errors.
- Find more effective ways of organizing content.
- Get practical tips for making certain your writing is concise and persuasive.
*Any mention of specific products in this program is intended as part of a general overview and does not constitute IPE's endorsement or recommendation of any specific product or provider. This program is not sponsored by any technology or electronics provider.
Abbreviated Agenda
- Case Law and Statutory Law
- Locating People and Finding Background Information
- Legal Writing Fundamentals
- Reviewing and Summarizing Legal Opinions
- Addressing Common Legal Writing Problem Areas: Grammar, Citations, Organization
- Effectively Organizing the Results of Your Investigation
- Paralegal Ethics
Credit Details
Credits Available
| Credit | Status | Total | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| California MCLE Paralegal |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| Montana CLE Credit for Paralegals |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| New Mexico Paralegal Division, State Bar of |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
| Texas State Bar of Paralegal Division |
|
6 Total | 01-15-2027 |
Select Jurisdiction
Paralegal
Agenda
-
Case Law and Statutory Law
- Combing Through U.S. Code and/or State Statutes
- Navigating Common Websites for Statute or Case Law Searches
- Reading and Understanding Cases
- Legal Citations
- Validating That the Case Is Still Current
- Controlling vs. Persuasive Cases
- Managing Too Much or Too Little Case Law
- Navigating Through Research Technology
-
Locating People and Finding Background Information
- Strategies for Locating People Online
- Social Media Investigative Research
- Arrest and Criminal Records
- Bankruptcies and Litigation History
- School Records
- Property Records and Past Residences
- Investigating Attorneys and Judges
- Researching Witnesses
- Investigating Businesses
- Verifying Online Information
-
Legal Writing Fundamentals
- Legal Writing vs. Other Forms of Writing
- Preparing Documents
- Legal Correspondence
- Briefs and Memoranda
- Subpoenas
- Building Blocks of Communication: Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Paragraphs
-
Reviewing and Summarizing Legal Opinions
- Illustrating the Core Legal Issue
- Comparing Opinions and Conclusions From Multiple Sources
- Legal Memo Essentials
- Sample Memo Review
-
Addressing Common Legal Writing Problem Areas: Grammar, Citations, Organization
- Top English and Legal Writing Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization Errors
- Proofreading: Commonly Overlooked Mistakes
- Organization and Citation Issues
- Addressing Substantive Mistakes
-
Effectively Organizing the Results of Your Investigation
- Creating Case Investigation Notebooks
- Organizing Evidence and Files (Small vs. Intensive Investigations)
- Preparing Chronologies, Summaries, and Reports
-
Paralegal Ethics
- Finding Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest
- Avoiding UPL
- Preserving Confidentiality
- Legal Ethics of Billing
Who Should Attend
This intermediate level course will provide attendees with guidance on how to help prevent common writing errors in legal documents. Those who should attend include:
- Paralegals
- Legal Assistants
- Legal Support Staff
Speakers
Speaker bio
Lisa Smith-Butler
is an associate professor of law at the Charleston School of Law. She teaches classes on torts, children and the law, workplace privacy, and advanced legal research. Ms. Smith-Butler served as the assistant dean and director of the law library and technology center at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At Nova Southwestern, she served as an associate professor of law, teaching advanced legal research and juvenile law in the law program and workplace privacy and technology in the master's degree employment law program. Ms. Smith-Butler also has served as the public services librarian at Georgia State University and as a librarian at a major Atlanta law firm. She has been in private law practice, and is licensed in Nebraska and Georgia. Ms. Smith-Butler is the co-author and editor of Law Librarianship in the 21st Century. She is active in several local, regional and national law library associations. Ms. Smith-Butler taught advanced legal research, and children and the law. She earned her B.A. degree from Hasting College, her M.L.S. degree from Clark Atlanta University and her J.D. degree from Creighton University School of Law.
Speaker bio
Stephen G. Bresset
is a partner with Bresset & Santora, LLC, where he has practiced commercial and bankruptcy law and litigation throughout Pennsylvania and the region for more than 30 years. During his time in practice, Mr. Bresset has represented debtors in more than 50 Chapter 11 proceedings in Pennsylvania; as well as creditors, creditor committees, and trustees at virtually every level of bankruptcy proceedings, and debtors in more than 1,000 Chapter 7 proceedings. He is admitted to the state courts of Pennsylvania, the three U.S. District Courts in Pennsylvania, the three bankruptcy courts, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Bresset has always been an active member of his community and the bar associations of which he is a member. He has served as an office holder in the Wayne County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, as well as a committee chair in both associations. Mr. Bresset has been a featured speaker at numerous seminars throughout Pennsylvania in litigation, commercial law and bankruptcy law topics. He earned his B.A. degree from Temple University and his J.D. degree, with honors, from Widener University School of Law.
Speaker bio
Nancy L. Eady
is a partner at Morris, Haynes Attorneys at Law. She heads the firm's legal research department, and has successfully defended many of the verdicts and rulings obtained by the firm's trial attorneys. Ms. Eady is an active member of the Alabama State Bar and serves on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Association for Justice. She earned her B.S.Ed. degree, highest honors, from Auburn University; and her J.D. degree from Jones School of Law.
Speaker bio
Jeremy J. Nelson
is of counsel within the Louisville, Kentucky office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP. He has a broad range of litigation and appellate experience, including pre-litigation investigation, initial discovery, electronic discovery, lay and expert depositions, trial preparation, witness preparation, exhibit preparation, and motion practice. Mr. Nelson has tried long-term care, medical malpractice and general liability cases to verdict and presented oral arguments before the Kentucky Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Kentucky Bar Association and Louisville Bar Association. Mr. Nelson also teaches as an adjunct professor at Brandeis School of Law in the area of sports law, and at Indiana Wesleyan University on business law.He earned his B.A. degree from Western Kentucky University; his M.S. degree from the University of Louisville; and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville.
Top FAQs
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The OnDemand Video will be available to stream within 14 days of live broadcast date. You will have access to the content for 6 months in your account.
If you're a subscriber, you'll have access to your course recordings until 7 days after the expiration date of the subscription.
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