Course Competency:Describe paralegal codes written by attorneys and paralegals.

Instructions:

Content:

The ethics committee in your law firm came to a conclusion based on your reports of concerns over your conversation with your supervising attorney. They were impressed with your application of the ethical rules and have asked you to become a member of the ethics committee. The committee has decided to report your attorney, the paralegal and judge from last week's assignment to the appropriate authorities. However, as the committee is new, it has never been tasked with such an endeavor before. Therefore, they have asked you to prepare a report detailing the differences between the various codes concerning attorneys and paralegals, as well as the enforcement of each. You should at a minimum address (1) the differences between attorney and paralegal codes of ethics, (2) explain the investigation process for the governing body or bodies for attorneys and paralegals in Minnesota, including any further involvement the firm might have in the process and (3) discuss the potential outcome of the investigation(s).

Format:

• Your assignment should be formatted as a memorandum to the firm's ethics committee. Your memorandum should be 1-2 pages in length, with proper formatting, spelling, and grammar. You must use at least 3 primary legal sources in your memorandum, including case law, as well as citations to the ethical rules for paralegals and attorneys. Primary legal sources include your home state's ethical rules or rules of professional responsibility for attorneys, state statutes, cases, and other actual enforceable rules and laws. Conduct research to locate your state's ethical rules or rules of professional responsibility for attorneys to complete the assignment. Use the ParalegalGuide for help using Lexis and Fastcase for research. For additional help, schedule an appointment with a tutor or librarian.

• **Note: NALA, NFPA, ABA model rules, or other model rules, articles, blogs, and other sources about the law are not primary legal sources for purposes of the assignment.

• Your memo should contain the following sections:

• Heading or Caption
• Facts
• Issue(s) Presented
• Answer to Issue
• Reasoning or Discussion
• Conclusion