, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
Test Bank
Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4
Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The term paralegal is often used interchangeably with which of the following terms?
a. Legal secretary
b. Law clerk
c. Legal assistant
d. Partner
ANSWER: c
2. In addition to the term legal assistant, a paralegal may be referred to as which of the following?
a. Legal technician
b. Legal research specialist
c. Official legal specialist
d. Legal technician or legal research specialist
ANSWER: d
3. The tasks that paralegals perform today were traditionally performed by:
a. doctors.
b. law professors.
c. low-paid secretaries.
d. attorneys.
e. law professors and low-paid secretaries.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 1
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
4. Paralegals typically obtain their training through:
a. experience.
b. education.
c. undergraduate courses.
d. law school.
e. experience and education.
ANSWER: e
5. Today, paralegals often work in which of the following environments?
a. Corporations
b. Government agencies
c. Courts
d. Insurance companies
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
6. Which of the following are tasks that paralegals may perform?
a. Draft legal documents
b. Conduct legal research
c. Interview clients and witnesses
d. Conduct legal investigations
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
7. Which of the following must a paralegal be careful not to do?
a. Draft legal documents
b. Contact clients
c. Give legal advice
d. Draft legal documents and contact clients
ANSWER: c
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 2
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
8. A paralegal working in a one-attorney office is likely to:
a. perform certain secretarial functions.
b. assume the role of an attorney.
c. perform only high-level tasks.
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: a
9. A paralegal working in a large law firm is likely to:
a. spend all of his or her time completing low-level paperwork.
b. have a support staff.
c. give legal advice.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: b
10. Paralegals are likely to use which of the following technologies?
a. Time-and-billing software
b. Online legal databases
c. Litigation support software
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
11. Which of the following spurred the growth of paralegal education programs?
a. The demand for lower-cost legal services
b. The public’s use of paralegals
c. Lawyers’ realization of the benefits
d. The demand for lower-cost legal services and lawyers’ realization of the benefits
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 3
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
12. A paralegal who _____ will be very marketable to employers.
a. speaks only English
b. only graduates from high school
c. majors in another field such as nursing
d. completes only a certificate program
ANSWER: c
13. Substantive law is law that creates:
a. procedures for enforcing rights.
b. legal rights.
c. legal obligations.
d. court rules.
e. legal rights and legal obligations.
ANSWER: e
14. Procedural law is law that does which of the following?
a. Creates legal rights
b. Defines how rights are enforced
c. Creates legal obligations
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: b
15. Which of the following states requires paralegals to be certified?
a. Texas
b. California
c. New Jersey
d. None of these—no state requires paralegals to be certified.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 4
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
16. NALA and NFPA are:
a. affiliate paralegal associations.
b. state bar associations.
c. the two leading national paralegal associations.
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: c
17. Educational options for paralegals include which of the following?
a. Postgraduate certificates
b. Paralegal certificates
c. Associate’s degrees
d. Bachelor’s degrees
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
18. A certified legal assistant (CLA) is which of the following?
a. A legal assistant who has passed the bar exam
b. A legal assistant who has passed the NFPA certification exam
c. A legal assistant who has passed the NALA certification exam
d. A licensed paralegal
ANSWER: c
19. The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) can be taken by paralegals who:
a. have at least two years of work experience and meet specific educational requirements.
b. belong to a paralegal union.
c. have at least a year of work experience.
d. are sponsored by their employer.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 5
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
20. Which of the following are skills needed by paralegals?
a. Organizational skills
b. Analytical skills
c. Computer skills
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
21. Which of the following is not part of professional paralegal behavior?
a. Objectivity
b. Courtesy under pressure
c. Responsibility/reliability
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: d
22. Which of the following is an important part of oral communication?
a. Body language
b. Hair color
c. Position in room
d. Age
ANSWER: a
23. Legal analysis is critical to a paralegal’s duties because:
a. it is integral to helping lawyers formulate arguments.
b. the Paralegal Code says it is.
c. paralegals must be able to offer unique legal advice to clients.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 6
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
24. Communication skills include which of the following?
a. Reading skills
b. Oral communication skills
c. Listening skills
d. Writing skills
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
25. According to the text, at a minimum, with which computer software should paralegals have
experience?
a. Document control software
b. Client billing software
c. Word-processing software
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: c
26. Legal assistants must be able to keep confidences because:
a. clients do not like their secrets told.
b. paralegals should not gossip.
c. it is an ethical rule imposed on attorneys.
d. clients do not like their secrets told, and it is an ethical rule imposed on attorneys.
ANSWER: c
27. As a paralegal, you will be judged based on your:
a. actions.
b. appearance.
c. attitude.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 7
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
28. A paralegal educational program that has satisfied the standards for paralegal training set forth by the
ABA is called a(n) _________ program.
a. NALA-approved
b. ABA-approved
c. ABA-accredited
d. NALA-accredited
ANSWER: b
29. Growth in the paralegal profession is occurring because law firms are hiring more paralegals to
______ of legal services.
a. lower the cost
b. improve the efficiency
c. increase the availability
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
30. Paralegals should be:
a. detail oriented and organized.
b. inflexible.
c. focused on making as much money as possible.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 8
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
Subjective Short-Answer Questions
31. Why does the paralegal profession continue to grow? Are paralegal salaries increasing?
ANSWER: Over time, law firms have been giving more and more responsibilities to paralegals. Attorneys
realized that using paralegals was cost-effective and benefited both the client and the firm. The
opportunities for paralegals who want to work outside of law firms (in corporations or
government agencies, for example) are also expanding. As the profession has grown, the
average paralegal salary has increased. According to one survey, in 2009, paralegals earned
average compensation of $54,859.
32. What are the key elements of the ABA and NALA definitions of a legal assistant or paralegal?
ANSWER: The key elements of the ABA and NALA definitions of a legal assistant or paralegal include:
• That a legal assistant or paralegal may be qualified by education, training, or work
experience—that is, persons can acquire through work experience, as well as education, the
knowledge and skills necessary to perform paralegal tasks.
• That a legal assistant or paralegal can be employed in a variety of settings—by a single
lawyer, a law office, a corporation, a governmental agency, or other entity.
• That a legal assistant or paralegal performs work for which a lawyer is responsible—that is,
only a lawyer can give legal advice, and the lawyer must adequately supervise the work of
paralegals.
33. List and describe the major tasks that paralegals may perform.
ANSWER: Paralegals may perform the following tasks:
• Interviewing clients and witnesses—to gather relevant facts and information about a lawsuit,
for example
• Calendaring and tracking important deadlines—such as the dates when certain documents
must be filed with the court
• Conducting legal research—to identify, analyze, and summarize the appropriate laws, court
decisions, or regulations that apply to a client’s case
• Drafting legal documents—such as legal correspondence, documents to be filed with the
courts, and interoffice memoranda
Other tasks that paralegals may perform include conducting legal investigations, organizing and
maintaining client files, and coordinating legal proceedings.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 9
website, in whole or in part.
Test Bank
Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4
Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The term paralegal is often used interchangeably with which of the following terms?
a. Legal secretary
b. Law clerk
c. Legal assistant
d. Partner
ANSWER: c
2. In addition to the term legal assistant, a paralegal may be referred to as which of the following?
a. Legal technician
b. Legal research specialist
c. Official legal specialist
d. Legal technician or legal research specialist
ANSWER: d
3. The tasks that paralegals perform today were traditionally performed by:
a. doctors.
b. law professors.
c. low-paid secretaries.
d. attorneys.
e. law professors and low-paid secretaries.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 1
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
4. Paralegals typically obtain their training through:
a. experience.
b. education.
c. undergraduate courses.
d. law school.
e. experience and education.
ANSWER: e
5. Today, paralegals often work in which of the following environments?
a. Corporations
b. Government agencies
c. Courts
d. Insurance companies
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
6. Which of the following are tasks that paralegals may perform?
a. Draft legal documents
b. Conduct legal research
c. Interview clients and witnesses
d. Conduct legal investigations
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
7. Which of the following must a paralegal be careful not to do?
a. Draft legal documents
b. Contact clients
c. Give legal advice
d. Draft legal documents and contact clients
ANSWER: c
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 2
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
8. A paralegal working in a one-attorney office is likely to:
a. perform certain secretarial functions.
b. assume the role of an attorney.
c. perform only high-level tasks.
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: a
9. A paralegal working in a large law firm is likely to:
a. spend all of his or her time completing low-level paperwork.
b. have a support staff.
c. give legal advice.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: b
10. Paralegals are likely to use which of the following technologies?
a. Time-and-billing software
b. Online legal databases
c. Litigation support software
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
11. Which of the following spurred the growth of paralegal education programs?
a. The demand for lower-cost legal services
b. The public’s use of paralegals
c. Lawyers’ realization of the benefits
d. The demand for lower-cost legal services and lawyers’ realization of the benefits
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 3
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
12. A paralegal who _____ will be very marketable to employers.
a. speaks only English
b. only graduates from high school
c. majors in another field such as nursing
d. completes only a certificate program
ANSWER: c
13. Substantive law is law that creates:
a. procedures for enforcing rights.
b. legal rights.
c. legal obligations.
d. court rules.
e. legal rights and legal obligations.
ANSWER: e
14. Procedural law is law that does which of the following?
a. Creates legal rights
b. Defines how rights are enforced
c. Creates legal obligations
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: b
15. Which of the following states requires paralegals to be certified?
a. Texas
b. California
c. New Jersey
d. None of these—no state requires paralegals to be certified.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 4
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
16. NALA and NFPA are:
a. affiliate paralegal associations.
b. state bar associations.
c. the two leading national paralegal associations.
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: c
17. Educational options for paralegals include which of the following?
a. Postgraduate certificates
b. Paralegal certificates
c. Associate’s degrees
d. Bachelor’s degrees
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
18. A certified legal assistant (CLA) is which of the following?
a. A legal assistant who has passed the bar exam
b. A legal assistant who has passed the NFPA certification exam
c. A legal assistant who has passed the NALA certification exam
d. A licensed paralegal
ANSWER: c
19. The Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE) can be taken by paralegals who:
a. have at least two years of work experience and meet specific educational requirements.
b. belong to a paralegal union.
c. have at least a year of work experience.
d. are sponsored by their employer.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 5
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
20. Which of the following are skills needed by paralegals?
a. Organizational skills
b. Analytical skills
c. Computer skills
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
21. Which of the following is not part of professional paralegal behavior?
a. Objectivity
b. Courtesy under pressure
c. Responsibility/reliability
d. None of these choices is correct.
ANSWER: d
22. Which of the following is an important part of oral communication?
a. Body language
b. Hair color
c. Position in room
d. Age
ANSWER: a
23. Legal analysis is critical to a paralegal’s duties because:
a. it is integral to helping lawyers formulate arguments.
b. the Paralegal Code says it is.
c. paralegals must be able to offer unique legal advice to clients.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 6
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
24. Communication skills include which of the following?
a. Reading skills
b. Oral communication skills
c. Listening skills
d. Writing skills
e. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: e
25. According to the text, at a minimum, with which computer software should paralegals have
experience?
a. Document control software
b. Client billing software
c. Word-processing software
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: c
26. Legal assistants must be able to keep confidences because:
a. clients do not like their secrets told.
b. paralegals should not gossip.
c. it is an ethical rule imposed on attorneys.
d. clients do not like their secrets told, and it is an ethical rule imposed on attorneys.
ANSWER: c
27. As a paralegal, you will be judged based on your:
a. actions.
b. appearance.
c. attitude.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 7
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
28. A paralegal educational program that has satisfied the standards for paralegal training set forth by the
ABA is called a(n) _________ program.
a. NALA-approved
b. ABA-approved
c. ABA-accredited
d. NALA-accredited
ANSWER: b
29. Growth in the paralegal profession is occurring because law firms are hiring more paralegals to
______ of legal services.
a. lower the cost
b. improve the efficiency
c. increase the availability
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: d
30. Paralegals should be:
a. detail oriented and organized.
b. inflexible.
c. focused on making as much money as possible.
d. All of these choices are correct.
ANSWER: a
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 8
website, in whole or in part.
, Test Bank: Miller, Paralegal Today, 8e ©2022 978-0-357-45424-4; Chapter 1: Today’s Professional Paralegal
Subjective Short-Answer Questions
31. Why does the paralegal profession continue to grow? Are paralegal salaries increasing?
ANSWER: Over time, law firms have been giving more and more responsibilities to paralegals. Attorneys
realized that using paralegals was cost-effective and benefited both the client and the firm. The
opportunities for paralegals who want to work outside of law firms (in corporations or
government agencies, for example) are also expanding. As the profession has grown, the
average paralegal salary has increased. According to one survey, in 2009, paralegals earned
average compensation of $54,859.
32. What are the key elements of the ABA and NALA definitions of a legal assistant or paralegal?
ANSWER: The key elements of the ABA and NALA definitions of a legal assistant or paralegal include:
• That a legal assistant or paralegal may be qualified by education, training, or work
experience—that is, persons can acquire through work experience, as well as education, the
knowledge and skills necessary to perform paralegal tasks.
• That a legal assistant or paralegal can be employed in a variety of settings—by a single
lawyer, a law office, a corporation, a governmental agency, or other entity.
• That a legal assistant or paralegal performs work for which a lawyer is responsible—that is,
only a lawyer can give legal advice, and the lawyer must adequately supervise the work of
paralegals.
33. List and describe the major tasks that paralegals may perform.
ANSWER: Paralegals may perform the following tasks:
• Interviewing clients and witnesses—to gather relevant facts and information about a lawsuit,
for example
• Calendaring and tracking important deadlines—such as the dates when certain documents
must be filed with the court
• Conducting legal research—to identify, analyze, and summarize the appropriate laws, court
decisions, or regulations that apply to a client’s case
• Drafting legal documents—such as legal correspondence, documents to be filed with the
courts, and interoffice memoranda
Other tasks that paralegals may perform include conducting legal investigations, organizing and
maintaining client files, and coordinating legal proceedings.
© 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible 9
website, in whole or in part.
