Written by a respected and well-known author team, this new text offers a comprehensive, intelligent overview of all the key concepts paralegals need to know, As it provides a wealth of information in an accessible, well-organized format. The talent and experience of these authors serves to enrich the text, and results in a book that is not just a compendium of facts, but rather a thoughtful discussion that teaches students how to use and analyze what they have learned. The book's outstanding pedagogy not only makes it easy to teach For The instructor, but also makes it interesting For The students. The text features: thoughtful charts and other graphics, discussion questions, hypothetical cases presented as examples at the beginning of chapters and referred to throughout the chapter, legal reasoning exercises, review questions, definitions in the margins of the text, ethics alerts and practice tips in boxes throughout, well-edited cases, and a comprehensive glossary. Part I: Paralegals And The American Legal System gives an overview of the basics of legal study and a separate chapter on the Role of the Paralegal before moving on to Sources of Law and Classifications of Law (State v. Federal, Criminal v. Civil, Substantive v. Procedural), The Structure of the Legal System, and an overview of the Litigation Process (including administrative law and ADR). Part II: Finding and Analyzing the Law takes students step-by-step through the process of analyzing and applying the law to facts. Two chapters show how to find and analyze statutory law and case law, and a complete chapter on the basics of legal research is included. This part concludes with a chapter on applying logically what the student has learned through research. Part III: Legal Ethics and Substantive Law provides an overview of the key substantive areas of the law, and includes chapters on Ethics, Torts, Contracts, Property & Real Estate, Laws Affecting Business (Business Organizations, Commercial Law, and Employment Law), Family Law, and Criminal Law & Procedure. All of the chapters use well-edited cases to illustrate key concepts and give students practice in reading court opinions.