Paralegal Professional: Unit 3 Project

Essay on the US Court Systems

DUE: June 26th, 2012PA 101 A Term

What are we doing?

We are writing a short essay describing the United States Court systems. This includes both the federal court system and a little on your own state court.The Essay is due at the close of unit 3. It is worth 100 points!

Formatting •Use Font size 12•Double space the Essay throughout

▫This makes it easier to read•Label each section with a clear heading

▫See my notes in the “Body of the Essay” slide•DO NOT USE ANY QUOTATIONS over

4 words!• This writing should be completely in your

own words. • Clearly, no cut & pasting• Remember that paraphrasing and summaries

also require citations.

CITATIONS• CITATIONS must be used when you

reference your source materials. • Our text:

Cheeseman, H. & Goldman, T. (2011) The paralegal professional: essentials, 3e. Prentice Hall, NJ: Pearson.

▫ Additional sources you might use are the Federal Courts web site and your own state court web site

▫USCourts.gov▫Remember to include the date you retrieved internet information in your citation.

▫Additional criteria Paper should be 2-4 pages, excluding cover

or reference page. Keep your focus clear. Write in complete sentences. Use spell check. In-text citations should be included per APA

and/or BlueBook standard. Put a citation at the end of the sentence where

the source material is used. A Reference List of cited sources should

also be at the close of your paper. All writing should be YOUR OWN work in

your own words.

APA GUIDE

There is a GUIDE to writing in APA format in our

Course Home. Use it. It is good!

No need to panic. Here is a quick overview!

Title Page

•Title of the project centered on the page.

•Student’s name just below the title•University Name just below the student

name

You can include the assignment title and unit number if you prefer below as well.

United States Court SystemsStew Dent

Kaplan University

PA 101 Unit 3

Break down of paper sectionsThese are the expected sections in your writing assignment. Remember to use headings to help organize your materials.

INTRODUCTION ( 1 paragraph, don’t label it) •Give a short introductory paragraph•Can be 2-5 sentences•Explain what you are going to talk about

in the essay•Foreshadow the content areas you are

going to discuss in the essay▫The Federal Courts▫Federal Court jurisdiction.▫Comparison between federal and your state

courts•Transition into the body of the paper

where you will begin to discuss the topics.

BODY of the Essay (not labeled)•This is the area where you include all the

content information for the paper. •This section answers the questions posed

in the assignment objective•Headings can be a great way to divide

this section•This Body can be divided into three

sections▫The Federal Courts▫Federal Jurisdiction▫Comparison of Federal & my state courts

The Federal Courts (heading 1) (3-6 paragraphs)•Describe each of the three main tiers in the

federal system (one paragraph each)▫Trial Courts▫Intermediate Appellate Courts▫Highest Courts

•Be sure to give the specific name of each court from the federal system

•Give general information on each like the kinds of cases they hear, what sorts of procedure is required to get into that court, the number of judges on the bench and locations.

Federal Jurisdiction (heading 2)( 1-2 paragraphs)•The federal courts are limited in their

jurisdiction in that they can only hear cases where there is▫a Federal Question▫Diversity of Citizenship

•Explain in a couple of sentences the requirements needed for federal question jurisdiction

•Explain in a couple of sentences the requirements for a diversity of citizenship case.

Comparison with My State (heading 3)(1-3 paragraphs)

Use your own state as a comparison to the federal courts.

Examine what aspects your state has in common with the federal courts (one paragraph)

Examine what your state does differently than the federal courts (one paragraph)

-or-Bring these conclusions together into a paragraph showcasing the similarities and/or differences between your state and the federal courts.

Possible Comparison Points

Federal Courts Your State Court

• Describe the structure

• Jurisdictionally restricted

• Has many lower courts with specific limited jurisdictions

• How many judges sit on each case? How are judges selected for the federal bench?

• Does your state court have three tiers?

• What kinds of jurisdiction does a state court assert?

• What kinds of limited jurisdiction courts does your state have?

• Judges, selection and numbers

Example of a comparison/contrast

•My home state of Florida closely parallels the federal court system. Florida has a three tier system like the federal system. However, Florida has a very complex trial court level including many different divisions. The Florida Supreme court is the highest court in the state, just like the Supreme Court in the federal court system.

Example of a comparison/contrast•My home state of Florida closely parallels

the federal court system. Florida has a three tier system like the federal system. However, Florida has a very complex trial court level including many different divisions. The Florida Supreme court is the highest court in the state just like the Supreme Court in the federal court system.

CONCLUSION•Give a short summary paragraph to

wrap up your essay.•Showcase the key points from the essay

sections.▫One introductionory / transitional sentence

into the concluding remarks▫One short sentence summarizing each of

the areas of content discussed (Federal Courts, Federal Jurisdiction, State Courts contrast)

▫One summary closing statement

Possible Essay Outline• Introduction• The Federal Courts

▫Trial Courts▫Intermediate Courts▫Highest Court

• Federal Court Jurisdiction▫Federal Question▫Diversity of Citizenship

• State Court Comparison▫Similarities between state and federal courts▫Differences between state and federal courts

• Conclusion

Main headings to include

Things to remember• Spell check is great, but doesn’t catch wrong

word issues. • Be sure to write in complete sentences

throughout!• Watch the wrong words (Trail/Trial,

Statue/Statute). These are only caught by physically proof reading.

• Don’t rely on Wikipedia or Answers.com for your information. Use the primary and secondary sources.

• Don’t wait until the last minute. • Check out the APA Guide in our Course

Tools for further resources and guidance.

GOT QUESTIONS?Come to office hoursThursday 8-10 PM ET

Or email me. We can chat via phone or email to help clarify! Don’t let your questions go unanswered!!!