Interviewing and Investigating

Book excerpt: In the Third Edition of Interviewing and Investigating: Essential Skills for the Paralegals, Stephen P. Parsons has only improved this already successful text. The author’s proven, hands-on approach gives students a strong foundation in interviewing and investigating skills. This impressive text offers the following: • a comprehensive and practical approach that gives a strong foundation not just in interviewing and investigating skills, but the civil, criminal, and non-litigation context in which they are utilized • practical emphasis throughout the text that demonstrates how to “learn by doing” and teaches the critical connection between law and fact, how to engage in effective analysis, And The essentials of good communication skills • well-crafted pedagogy that provides varied and realistic materials through which the student applies the principles studied. Illustrations, examples, hypotheticals, and "Learn by Doing" exercises are included in every chapter • examples drawn from a variety of both civil and criminal, litigation and non-litigation scenarios • strong emphasis on ethical and professional standards expected of the paralegal • four case studies designed to be used with the “Learn by Doing” exercises in each chapter and provide realistic scenarios for applying the concepts • excellent appendices that provide resources for students, including extensive information on on-line resources for investigators • flexible organization that allows instructors to pick and choose which materials they would like to cover, depending on the configuration of their course the book is part of a comprehensive teaching package that includes PowerPoint slides and an extensive Instructor’s Manual featuring: • sample syllabi including suggested sequencing of text for use as either a one or two semester course • suggested approaches to teaching the material including suggestions regarding how best to use the numerous different features in the text • helpful tips on how to best utilize the case studies, including character descriptions and instructions for role-playing • a suggested evaluation form to use in evaluating student interviewers • a Test Bank of exam questions for each chapter of the text Exciting new revisions to this Third Edition: • completely updated — text material, illustrations, examples, learn-by-doing exercises, and case studies all reviewed and updated • new material related to electronic discovery (e-discovery) including references To The changes To The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that went into effect in December, 2006 • Resources For The Investigator (Appendix E)—has been completely updated to focus more on Web resources and now includes a comprehensive list of resources for e-discovery The flexible format and extensive materials allow this text to be adapted to a variety of course structures. This versatile book is easily tailored to fit the instructor’s specific needs. Students will build a strong foundation in both theory and skills through this accessible and appealing text that effectively combines textual explanations with practical applications. An author website to support classroom instruction using this title is available at http://www.aspenlawschool.com/parsons3