Foundations of Paralegal Practice

This unit introduces the paralegal role, core legal concepts, and workplace skills needed for entry-level legal support. Students will learn legal research and precedent, evidence and client interviewing basics, professional ethics and unauthorized-practice boundaries, document creation, office technology and management systems, and career development to prepare for deeper procedural and substantive work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the roles, responsibilities, and permissible tasks of paralegals across common practice settings and distinguish activities that constitute the unauthorized practice of law
• Apply legal research techniques and precedent analysis (stare decisis) to locate, summarize, and cite authorities relevant to factual scenarios
• Demonstrate professional written and oral communication skills by producing client interview summaries, sample legal correspondence, and a trial notebook entry that observe ethical and confidentiality requirements
• Evaluate law office systems (hardware, networks, case management, and continuing education/certification options) and produce an individualized job-search and professional development plan