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California Desert Trial Academy College Of Law

The Importance Of Sharing Knowledge In Any Legal Context

The Importance Of Sharing Knowledge In Any Legal Context

The legal profession relies more than most upon efficient knowledge sharing – that is, the exchange of information, skills, or expertise between individuals. This is a logical occurrence since the profession and corresponding business model is built on the ability to retrieve precedents and other information. Attorneys rely on knowledge-sharing in the performance of every aspect of their job. Law students are in school to obtain as much information as possible, so seeking those who share knowledge is an elementary pursuit. The first time a legal intern is assigned by his or her summer boss to draft any pleading is usually a stressful matter. Then, at some point, the boss will refer the intern to a...

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Remote Legal Research Jobs

Remote Legal Research Jobs

As law students in the middle of our legal studies, like everyone else, we are waiting for life to return to normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is never a productive exercise to wait. Better to find a way to recognize what the situation offers, i.e., more time at home, and formulate some course of action to take advantage of it. Several employment opportunities related to legal research are available online at this time. A remote legal research job involves researching case law, statutes, opinions, treatises, and other law from the comfort of home. Legal researchers may collect information from both...

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Gaming And Education, Part Two

Gaming And Education, Part Two

The following are some benefits of combining the practice of video gaming with the educational process. *Attention and Memory Capacity There is an undeniable correlation between learning and memorization. Often, students feel overwhelmed during the conventional learning process simply because of the seeming abundance of information presented to them in many different subjects. A wonderful aspect of gaming is that it constantly places players in different circumstances with which they are comfortable and even familiar. This makes them alert and focused with little outside third-party effort, thus gradually improving their ability to pay attention and memorize information. Gamers who play educational video games...

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Gaming And Education, Part One

Gaming And Education, Part One

Games, especially video games, are more popular than ever. The advancement of technology and the state of cinematic state-of-the-art digitally generated graphics makes it difficult to tell some games from an actual film or video. Of course, many people think gamers spend an inordinate amount of time gaming and could better use this time for developing other skills to deal with everyday life. But that may be a very flawed characterization of games, since gaming may be a highly productive activity which tests and develops a substantial number of transferable skills and abilities. When you consider gaming’s capacity and power...

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The Perks Of A Student Mentor

The Perks Of A Student Mentor

For those who have already graduated from law school, imagine yourself on your first day of law school. Remember the nervousness, trepidation, and feeling of utter cluelessness. Then, imagine yourself in your last year of law school, cool, calm, ready to take on the world as an attorney-advocate. Well, almost. Imagine if, as a first-year law student, you had the older, more experienced you as a mentor to answer questions, clarify legal concepts, and just tell you where to get a good pizza in town. There are many perks of having a student mentor whose studies are advanced beyond yours. There...

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The Next Wave: Using Legal Voice-Recognition Software

The Next Wave: Using Legal Voice-Recognition Software

Many years ago when law firm receptionists used rotary phones without caller ID to take messages, and secretaries used typewriters to draft documents, attorneys used dictating machines, or Dictaphones, to create pleadings, correspondences, notes, and anything else that they needed. Trends always seem to return over time, even in the realm of legal technology. Currently, this statement may be applied to lawyers using voice recognition software with more frequency. Sometimes called speech recognition, voice automation, or speech dictation software, voice recognition software has replaced the Dictaphone. The difference is that attorneys are dictating to software that is transferring their words immediately...

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There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Legal Information/Research

There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Legal Information/Research

There are many meaningful career paths for law school graduates, especially those that have utilized their training at the California Desert Trial Academy to become effective attorney-advocates. One such somewhat alternative path for those law students who spend endless hours in the library is working as a legal information professional. While this may be a formal term for a law librarian, it also includes legal research, legal writing, and the analysis of legal information Law librarians are legal information professionals who work in a variety of library settings including law firms, law schools, courts, government organizations, and the legal departments of businesses...

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File Management For Attorneys: Initial Physical File Organization

File Management For Attorneys: Initial Physical File Organization

A legal matter’s initial file organization sets the standard for effective file maintenance. Right or wrong, competence is associated with organization; and client perception is crucial to malpractice claim avoidance and client retention. No file number should be assigned for billing purposes until the retainer agreement is signed and the conflicts check has been completed. Analysis of a firm’s practice areas should identify subfile categories. Along with basic client personal information, the following is a list of categories for client files: attorney notes and file memoranda substantive pleadings discovery pleadings correspondence legal research client documents drafts corporate documents demonstrative/documentary evidence   These files...

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Sole Practitioners Must Know Their Cost Per Hour

Sole Practitioners Must Know Their Cost Per Hour

I have known more than a few attorneys who were abysmal at math. Fortunately, a brilliant secretary or handy calculator was around to bail them out on almost every occasion. Of course, these individuals did not become lawyers to do math problems and as long as they could compute (knew) their target cost per hour to make their desired profits, all was well and their practices succeeded, if not, thrived. When starting a law practice, a firm commitment to marketing the firm for so many hours a week is essential to success. Estimates of costs and hours may be used when...

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More FAQ About Legal Malpractice Insurance

More FAQ About Legal Malpractice Insurance

Legal malpractice insurance is a specialized form of professional liability insurance designed for legal professionals that protects them from lawsuits alleging sub-standard work or some mistake, such as failing to file a lawsuit within the statute of limitations. Such insurance typically pays both the legal fees and any settlement associated with a lawsuit covered by malpractice insurance up to the policy’s limits. Lawyers in the market for legal malpractice insurance for the first time may want to check with the state insurance regulating agency to ensure that a carrier under consideration is presently in good standing in the state. Here are more...

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