Fundamentals of California Litigation for Paralegals [Connected eBook with Study Center]

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Fundamentals of Litigation for California Paralegals offers a complete understanding of the litigation process from the time the client walks into the office through to trial and post-judgment, including settlements and alternative forms of resolutions. Tailored to California practice, the authors’successful, balanced approach presents a complete overview of the litigation process, with clear explanations and examples of the rules and procedures. The text’s flexible organization allows the instructor to easily pick and choose the areas to cover in the course. Intended specifically for California paralegals, each chapter references specific California statutes, and relevant California forms are included throughout the book.

Professors and students will benefit from:
• Text tailored to California Law with California-specific Judicial Council forms and references to specific California statutes in each chapter.
• A balanced and reader-friendly presentation.
• Concise and clear writing—students will not get lost in the details of the rules.
• A flexible organization that lends itself to a variety of teaching objectives.
• Helpful pedagogy, including bold-face terms defined in the margins and in the glossary; numerous examples, charts, checklists, and sample documents; chapter overviews and summaries; and review questions.
• A companion workbook, available as a downloadable file, with review questions (including true-false, short answer, and essays, with answers and explanations) and case scenarios for the student to use in completing assignments for the course and for use by the instructor as case studies in class.

New to the Eighth Edition:
• Updated with changes to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California Rules of Court, and Judicial Council forms.
• Includes new developments in e-discovery.
• Includes a new section on the use of artificial intelligence in litigation.
• Updated review questions and research questions at the end of each chapter to supplement the readings.

Summary of Contents

Contents 
Preface 
About the Authors 

Part I. Investigating and Planning the Litigation
Chapter 1. Introduction to Litigation 
Chapter 2. Informal Fact Gathering and Investigation 
Chapter 3. Case Evaluation and Strategy 
Chapter 4. Parties and Jurisdiction 

Part II. Pretrial Litigation 
Chapter 5. Pleadings 
Chapter 6. Complaints, Answers, and Cross-Claims 
Chapter 7. Special Pleadings 
Chapter 8. Introduction to Motions 
Chapter 9. Motions Attacking the Pleadings 
Chapter 10. Summary Judgments 
Chapter 11. Provisional Remedies 
Chapter 12. Evidence 
Chapter 13. Introduction to Discovery 
Chapter 14. Written Discovery 
Chapter 15. Depositions

Part III. Settlement, Trial, and Post-Trial
Chapter 16. Settlements 
Chapter 17. Trial Preparation, Trial, and Appeal 
Chapter 18. Enforcement of Judgments 
Chapter 19. Alternative Dispute Resolution 
Chapter 20. Social Media and Artificial Intelligence in Litigation 

Glossary 
Index