Discovery and Evidence for Paralegals Seminar
DISCLAIMER
Before undertaking any on-demand effort, you should review the rules of your licensing/certifying entity. It’s your responsibility to determine whether or not this on-demand course meets your continuing education requirements.
You must take and pass a quiz in order to receive credit. You can take the quiz as many times as needed and there is no time limit on the quiz. Once the quiz is completed, you will be asked to download your certificate.
Videos that qualify for AIA, LACES, ASLA, or CLARB credit will require an extra week for processing.
Streamable MP4/PDF
Available approximately 1 week after the date of the live event or the date of your order, whichever is later.
To track your purchase you will need to create an account on the website using the email address used for your registration.
For most customers, the videos run like most streaming videos on the web. For videos that qualify for AIA credit there will be occasional question prompts that will not allow the video to progress unless they are answered and you will not be able to skip forward while watching the video.
If you attempt to resume watching the video on a separate device, your progress will not be saved.
Click the link which appears at the end of the video to be taken to the course quiz.
USB MP4/PDF
HalfMoon will mail these materials via USPS. Please allow 2 weeks from the date of purchase to receive your product. If the live seminar is in the future, please allow 2 weeks from the date of the live seminar.
The link to the quiz will be available in a PDF in your USB drive marked QUIZ.
HalfMoon will contact you and issue a full refund if the product you ordered is not available. However, refunds will not be issued if completion certificates are requested.
Please contact HalfMoon Education if you have any questions during the process of taking this course. (715) 835-5900 or qchapman@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:30 pm
Complying with Rules of Professional Conduct and Ethics During Litigation
Duty to preserve client confidences
Duty to keep clients fully informed
Duty to be competent and diligent
Duties of truthfulness, candor and full disclosure
What does unauthorized practice of law mean?
A paralegal’s ethical responsibilities
What a paralegal should NOT do
Investigation Skills for Paralegals
Use CRAAP
• Currency
• Relevance
• Accuracy
• Purpose
• Authority
Characteristics of strong sources of information
Preliminary investigations
Evidence – Admissible or NOT
Rules for admissibility of evidence
Rules defining “relevant” evidence
Types of evidence
• Documentary evidence
• Testimonial evidence
• Circumstantial evidence
• Demonstrative evidence
• Physical evidence
• Forensic evidence
Assisting with Formal Discovery
What discovery is and what is it for?
Types of discovery requests
• Requests for disclosure
• Interrogatories
• Request for production
• Requests for admissions
• Depositions
• Mental or physical examinations
Drafting and responding to discovery
Participating in motions to compel discovery
Managing/organizing discovery and evidence
What is eDiscovery and the EDRM Model?
Information governance
Identification
Processing
Production
Preservation
Review
Presentation
Collection
Analysis
Difference between eDiscovery and forensics
Records Management and Litigation
Records management process
• The life cycle of a record
• Records management activities
Applying the records diagram to your case
Credits
Texas Certified Paralegals
6.5 Family Law Hours
6.5 Civil Trial Law Hours
6.5 Personal Injury Trial Law Hours
NALA & NFPA
6.5 CLE Hours (1.0 Ethics)
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and has been approved by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for 6.5 CLE hours for certified paralegals in the areas of Family Law, Civil Trial Law, and Personal Injury Trial Law.
The National Association of Legal Assistants and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations have each approved this course for 6.5 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
6.5 CLE Hours (1.0 Ethics)
6.5 CLE Hours (1.0 Ethics)
Speakers
Jonathon Hance
Bracewell LLPPartner, Bracewell LLP, Law Firm, Houston, TX
Mr. Hance is both a litigator and an intellectual property lawyer. As a litigator, he is at home in the court room, where he represents both plaintiffs and defendants and works hard to enforce his clients’ intellectual property rights and data confidentiality rights, to protect his clients’ brands, and to resolve complex commercial disputes in the design and construction, real estate, energy, healthcare and technology industries. As an IP lawyer, Mr. Hance works to protect and monetize his clients’ innovations and protect his clients’ brands across a variety of sectors, including the energy, real estate, and technology industries. He also advises healthcare institutions regarding corporate governance issues and patient data privacy and protection under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Mr. Hance has degrees from Southern Methodist University in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Viola Performance and J.D. degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law. He is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP), and he served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Prior to the practice of law, Mr. Hance served as the director of information and technology for a mid-size restaurant company where he actively participated in key technology and business decisions relating to corporate back-end computing services, point-of-sale and point-of-transaction systems and web-interface design. He also served as a mathematical consultant for the Bank of America Private Bank where he developed financial portfolio projection and analysis software using the Monte Carlo method.
Margie Putman
Putman, LLCCP, NCPM, Putman Paralegal Firm, LLC, Sugar Land, Texas
Ms. Putman has been in the legal field since 1991 and she has worked for small and large law firms. In 2010, she graduated cum laude from the University of Houston with a BBA degree in Management, and she earned a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from Bauer College of Business. Ms. Putman’s last employer was Bracewell, LLP where she worked for nearly seven years. She has experience in civil litigation, personal injury, intellectual property law, class action lawsuits and other practice groups. In October 2018, upon hearing that she successfully passed the NALA exam, she pursued her idea of being an entrepreneur and combining her business degree with her NALA Paralegal Certification and opening her own paralegal firm. Ms. Putman owns Putman Paralegal Firm, LLC which opened in October 2018. The vision she has for her paralegal firm is to one day have at least one paralegal in every area of law at her firm. She knows this needs to begin with her, so she’s open to working with all practice groups. Ms. Putman is also a Texas mediator. In early September of 2019, she received mediation training from the Austin Dispute Resolution Center to satisfy the Texas Statutory requirement for mediation training in Texas and for admission into the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. For a limited time, she will be offering pro bono mediations. In addition to the State Bar of Texas Paralegal Division – Online CLE Committee chair, she is also member of the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association and serves on the Board of Directors as recording officer. Ms. Putman contributes to the HMPA Newsletter and enjoys staying busy with paralegal events. She welcomes attorneys, paralegals or students to approach her with comments and suggestions concerning the development and growth of the paralegal profession.
Professional Affiliations: Member of National Association of Legal Assistants, Active Member of the State Bar of Texas Paralegal Division, Voting Member for the Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association and Member of the National Notary Association.
Ms. Putman is a proud sponsor of the 2019 Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge. She also supports the five branches of our armed forces and all first responders. In her spare time, Ms. Putman enjoys running, spending time outdoors and loves to travel with her family.