Training Topics for

Paralegals, Case Assistants, Project Assistants, or Document Clerks

 

90 minute Learning Series

Many of these courses take into account the anticipated attendance of different practice group members with varied levels of experience.  These sessions are interactive, content driven, professional, and hopefully hilarious.


Perry Binder, J.D.
Over 20 years of experience as a professor and attorney

 

Litigation 101- for new Paralegals, Project Assistants, and Clerks

Identify the basic steps in civil litigation: pleadings, discovery, pretrial, trial, appeal.

Provide an Overview of Courts, including the federal and state court systems

Learn Pre-Filing considerations:  How to sue the proper parties
  - Secretary of State research, statutes of limitation, Internet research

Examine Jurisdiction rules and forum selection, how to file or research documents at the courthouse

 Identify the most glaring mistakes made in writing Complaints, Answers, and other pleadings

Discover the best document production strategies

 Experience the importance of a summary judgment motion, and its impact on settlement

Learn best practices in creating witness lists, exhibit lists, and trial notebooks

Examine your role as a team player in the trial and appellate processes
 

Litigation 201- Advanced Litigation & e-Discovery


LIT 101 Recap - Investigation, Pleadings, Discovery, Motions, Settlement, Trial

The vital role of project assistants and paralegals in litigation

Ethical discovery practices which facilitate settlement or victory at trial

The importance of discovery deadlines in Requests and Pre-Trial Orders

The mechanics of a document production from both sides of the table

      How documents are used to impeach witnesses at depositions and trial


Attorney-client privilege

            - What does the privilege cover?

            - How to identify attorney-client privileged documents during discovery

            - How to catalogue attorney-client privileged documents in reply to a document production request


Specific cases dealing with the importance of document review


The new e-discovery rules and its impact on litigation

            - Discovery Sanctions – The high stakes of organizing files and e-files


Identify the most glaring mistakes made in writing pleadings


Learn best practices in creating witness lists, exhibit lists, and trial notebooks


Examine your role as a team player in the trial and appellate processes
 

Instilling Professionalism and Humor in an Adversarial System

Former civil litigator turned professor, Perry Binder, offers paralegals a mirror to reflect on unacceptable behavior witnessed in the practice of law.  Participants get to “learn by example,” with Perry’s original and hilarious lessons.  The ultimate goal of the session is for paralegals to envision living a rewarding professional life, through civility, humor, humility, and stress reduction.  Perry uses examples dealing with law or other professions to draw behavioral parallels evidenced by legal professionals.

1- Why Paralegals are My Law Heroes

2- Professionalism Goals

Civility - an Orientation:

Humor

Conducting Negotiations where Everyone Wins 

Respect for your Clients 

Self-Awareness

Stress Reduction

Arrogance has no place in law

Fostering a Positive Attitude

Following your Professional Dreams

Humility is a Healthy Trait

Perry’s L. I. G. H. T.  B. U. L. B. Moment for Attorneys working with Paralegals  
 

Advanced Legal Writing Skills for Paralegals

 

INTRODUCTION – A brief, interactive discussion of the Paralegal group’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to Legal Writing (to better assess where emphasis needs to be placed)

 

I.  ADVANCED DRAFTING OF PLEADINGS & MOTIONS

A.  The Importance of Elements in a Cause of Action

B.  The Secrets to Avoiding Dismissals of Complaints

C.  Fixing Common/Hidden Errors in Complaints and Answers & Affirmative Defenses

D.  Writing Crystal Clear Motions

E.  Distinguishing Writing Errors from your Attorney’s Writing Style

 

II.  DRAFTING RESPONSES TO DISCOVERY – An Introduction

A.  Why Less is Always More

B.   Drafting Specific Objections to Discovery Requests

C.   The Impact of e-Discovery Concerns when Drafting Responses to Discovery

 

III.  DRAFTING LEGAL MEMORANDA AND BRIEFS

A.  Understanding the process of legal arguments

B.  Framing Issues Effectively

C.  Writing Brief Case Summaries

D.  Recognizing “Transition Points” - the Key to Organized Legal Arguments

E.  How to Apply the Facts of the Client’s Case to Case law

(Writing Legal Arguments)

F.  What Judges and Law Clerks Look for in Briefs

 

IV.  EXAMINATION OF KEY CONTRACT CLAUSES

 

V.  CITE CHECKING SKILLS

 

Legal Consequences of Cybersquatters, Gripe Sites,
Blogs & Social Networks
 

Today's world of social networking, blogging, and gripe sites can lead to a world of headaches for your clients.  This session addresses the evolution of trademark and domain name law; anti-cybersquatting laws; and specific social networking and blogging cases.  

WARM UP 

1-Did technology make us all responsible for our actions outside of work, 24/7?  Yikes!!

2-How technology has changed the playing field in the discovery process of a lawsuit

3- Story Time - The Evolution of the Web

4- Trademark Rights, Cybersquatters, Gripe Sites, Blogs, and Social Networks

5- What’s a Paralegal to do?

I - DOMAIN NAMES AND CYBERSQUATTERS 

 Shutting Down Cybersquatters

1- Cease & Desist

2- Domain Name Arbitration

3- Federal Court

4- Discover archived web sites – waybackmachine.org  

II- GRIPE SITES 

Who Wins Gripe Site Cases?

 When proactive is too proactive?

See TaubmanSucks.com  
 

How to Handle Cybersquatters & Gripe Sites

 III- BLOGGING - A REPUTATION RISK ISSUE 

Valuable Company “Brands” are Ripe Targets on the Internet 

Handling the Anonymous Blogger 

Blogging Policy for Clients?

 IV- SOCIAL NETWORKS 

Facebook, mySpace, etc. 

OPTIONS

 

Perry Binder, LLC
P.O. Box 3774
Alpharetta, GA 30023-3774
perrybinder@gmail.com
(404)402-1892

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