Litigation Practice, Ethics & Tech

This unit develops skills paralegals need to support litigation through evidence handling, witness preparation, legal research, and professional ethics. Students practice using technology (eDiscovery, AI, CRMs, research databases), applying rules of evidence and citation, and maintaining ethical and organizational standards to prepare accurate, court-ready documents and testimony support.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and apply federal rules of evidence, citation formats, and principles of nonauthority to organize exhibits, prepare admissibility arguments, and polish court filings and briefs
• Apply eDiscovery procedures and digital investigation techniques to collect, preserve, document chain-of-custody, and manage electronic evidence using file-management systems and CRMs
• Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct by disclosing paralegal status appropriately, following codes of paralegal associations, reporting ethics violations when required, and communicating courteously with clients, witnesses, and court staff
• Evaluate and implement technology tools (legal research databases, AI-assisted applications, online resources, and case-management software) to improve legal research, witness tracking, document organization, proofreading, and trial preparation