Question 1.)
Denny’s law firm represents several large corporations. As a senior corporate paralegal, Denny always has access to confidential information regarding the price of stock of those corporations, as well as the business deals those corporations are considering. As a result of knowledge gained about an upcoming merger of two of the corporations represented by the firm, Denny buys stock in those corporations. Because of his financial interest in those corporations, Denny spends most of his time doing work for them, while neglecting the others.
Is it ethically permissible for Denny to purchase stock in these corporations?
What actions should the law firm take once they find out Denny purchased stock in two of the corporations?
Should Denny have disclosed his financial interest in the corporations as soon as he purchased the stock?
What other concerns should the firm have about Denny’s actions? Should Denny be fired? What do you think appropriate sanctions should be?
Question 2.)
Perry has been working as a domestic relations paralegal for three years for the same firm. He interviews clients, prepares uncontested dissolution petitions, , arranges for these petitions to be filed, communicates with the clients, and sees their cases through to the end. As most cases only require one appearance by a lawyer, Perry does ninety percent of the work on each case. Perry has a signature stamp with the attorney’s signature on it, as well.
His supervising lawyer reviews his work but, as of the last year, never has had to make any corrections. When Perry’s supervising lawyer takes a four-month medical leave of absence, Perry continues working. He prepares a new lawyer (unfamiliar with domestic relations cases) at the firm to make the required court appearances. The clients and the firm are happy with Perry’s work so far and are unaware that he has been unsupervised during the four months his supervising lawyer was off for medical leave. https://mediaplayer.pearsoncmg.com/assets/OrlikA8
Has Perry committed any ethical violations? If so, how? What about the supervising lawyer?
What would you do differently if you were Perry?
How should the law firm have handled Perry’s situation differently?
Has the law firm committed any ethical violations?
Question 3.)
Watch the video
Goldman, T. F. (n.d.) Zealous Representation Issue: Signing Documents. Pearson Always Learning. Pearson. Retrieved November 1, 2023, from https://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/chet/careersresources/goldman_civillit4e/goldman_civillit4e_ch8.html.
You are working as a paralegal for the law firm that represents one of the plaintiffs in the Arkansas Bus Collision Case. A paralegal signs a pleading for the attorney so that the pleading can be filed before the statute of limitation expires. Discuss the following questions.
May a paralegal ever sign a pleading for an attorney?
What procedures should the paralegal follow before taking any documents to the courthouse for filing?
What are your local court rules for signing pleadings?
What special rules apply to signing pleadings in your state that require electronic filing, or e-filing?
What rules apply to signing pleadings in federal court?
Question 4.)
Electronic discovery, or e-discovery, is now common with discovery. You are working as a paralegal for the law firm that represents one of the families in the Arkansas Bus Collision Case. Your supervising attorney is not happy with the firm’s current e-discovery vendor, and the contract is up for renewal. The supervising attorney has asked you to research different software companies that provide e-discovery solutions and to make a recommendation on which company to use. The firm is a boutique law firm with approximately 30 attorneys with offices in two different states.
Conduct research and compare at least two different software companies that offer e-discovery solutions. What questions would you ask a representative of the software vendor? What features are similar? What features are different? Which company do you recommend? Explain.
