Avoiding Unauthorized Practice of Law

Assignment 1: c

Due Week 4 and worth 200 points

It is widely known that utilizing paralegals is a frequent concern for practicing attorneys, especially when a paralegal’s actions may leave them performing tasks (e.g., advising on legal rights, negotiation or settlement, management of a law practice, etc.) which could result in the unauthorized practice of law.  Per the American Bar Association, one must possess a law license in order to perform such tasks.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

1. Determine three (3) most important characteristics of an effective paralegal. Justify your response.
2. Develop at least three (3) general guidelines for conducting legal research that a new paralegal should follow on in order to ensure that the attorney for whom the paralegal works is referencing valid laws within his / her legal documents.
3. Propose two (2) strategies that a paralegal could take in order to avoid the unauthorized practice of law. Provide a rationale to support your response. 
4. Compare and contrast the key differences between the activities of paralegals versus those of attorneys in preparing a case for trial.
5. Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.