Legal Writing for Paralegals
Agenda
Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM CDT
Legal Writing for Legal Assistants
Legal terminology
Drafting legal documents: correspondence, research memoranda, basic pleadings, and briefs
The rhetorical triangle — audience, purpose, and persona
Using samples
Crafting a compelling narrative
Structuring a legal analysis — CRAC and beyond
Legal citation skills
Editing and proofreading — ensuring credibility
Ethical Issues in Legal Writing
Preventing plagiarism
The limits of advocacy
Candor to the court
Avoiding hyperbole
Treating adversaries with respect
Legal Writing Case Study
Faculty will use a legal writing case study to guide students through the legal writing process
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) – 10.14 (Mojave)
Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled
Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps Hardware: 2GB RAM or more
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com.
Credits
NFPA
4.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour
NALA
4.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour
California Paralegals
4.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour
Florida Paralegals
4.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour
North Carolina Paralegals
4.0 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics hour
Texas Paralegals
4.0 CLE hours in the specialty areas of Bankruptcy Law, Civil Trial Law,
Criminal Law, Family Law, Personal Injury Trial Law
Continuing Education Credit Information
Each webinar offers 4.0 CLE hours, including one ethics hour to certified and uncertified paralegals. They have been approved by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, the National Association of Legal Assistants, and the North Carolina State Bar Board of Paralegal Certification. The Texas Board of Paralegal Certification has approved each webinar for 4.0 CLE hours in the specialty areas of Bankruptcy Law, Civil Trial Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, and Personal Injury Trial Law. These webinars will qualify for paralegal CLE credit in California and Florida.
HalfMoon Education has applied for course approval from the National Association of Legal Assistants and the State Bar of New Mexico Paralegal Division, which are pending. Visit www.halfmoonseminars.org for the most current status of these credits.
Speakers
Shelly Bibb DeAdder
Associate Professor of Legal Writing at North Carolina Central University School of Law
Professor DeAdder received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002. She then moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and worked as a paralegal in Washington, D.C. until 2005 when she returned to North Carolina to attend law school. Professor DeAdder graduated cum laude from North Carolina Central University School of Law (NCCU Law) in 2008. After law school, Professor DeAdder served as a law clerk for Judge Robert C. Hunter at the North Carolina Court of Appeals from August 2008 to May 2012. From May 2012 to August 2014, she was employed by the North Carolina General Assembly in the nonpartisan Research Division. Professor DeAdder has been teaching full time at NCCU Law since August 2014. She teaches Legal Reasoning and Analysis, Legal Research and Persuasion, Judicial Opinion Writing, Appellate Advocacy and Senior Writing. She is a member of the North Carolina Appellate Defender Roster, representing indigent clients on appeal. Professor DeAdder also drafts the opinions of the Cherokee Supreme Court on a contract basis.