ETMD EP Paralegals study guide
ETMD EP Paralegals · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ETMD EP Paralegal credential is an entry-level certification for paralegals and paralegal students who want to demonstrate foundational competence before or while entering practice. It is aimed at candidates preparing to work under attorney supervision in law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, or nonprofit legal services. The ETMD EP Paralegals study guide has 10 sections and about 4,354 words.
01Ethics, Professional Responsibility, and Unauthorized Practice of Law
This domain tests whether you can draw the line between lawyer work and nonlawyer work, apply the ethics rules as adopted in your jurisdiction, and handle client funds, confidences, and conflicts without creating risk for the supervising attorney. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct are a model, not binding law; each jurisdiction adopts its own version and adds ethics opinions, so a paralegal must read the state's adopted text.
546 words, about 3 min02Legal Terminology, Court Structure, and Jurisdiction
This domain tests vocabulary precision and the structural map of the court system: which court hears a case, which court reviews it, and which doctrines and deadlines decide whether a court may act at all. State systems generally run limited-jurisdiction courts (small claims, probate, family, justice of the peace), general-jurisdiction trial courts, an intermediate appellate court, and a court of last resort.
459 words, about 2 min03Legal Research, Citation, and Writing
This domain tests whether you can find the controlling rule, verify that it is still good law, cite it in the correct form, and organize analysis so a reader can follow the reasoning from rule to conclusion. Start with secondary sources (treatises, practice guides, law review articles) to learn the vocabulary and the leading cases.
443 words, about 2 min04Civil Litigation and Pre-Trial Procedure
This domain tests command of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and their state analogues: how a case starts, how defenses are preserved, how discovery is scoped and compelled, and how a case ends without trial. A case begins with a complaint (Rule 3), and the summons and complaint must be served within 90 days (Rule 4(m)).
448 words, about 2 min05Criminal Law and Procedure
This domain tests the elements of offenses, the constitutional rules governing police conduct, and the procedural stages from arrest through appeal and collateral attack. Crimes require actus reus and mens rea.
396 words, about 2 min06Contracts and Business Organizations
This domain tests formation, enforceability, and remedies, plus the agency and entity rules that determine who is liable on a business obligation. Common law governs services and real estate; UCC Article 2 governs transactions in goods.
466 words, about 2 min07Torts, Real Property, and Estates
This domain tests the elements and defenses of civil wrongs, the estates and interests in land, and the transfer of property at death. Negligence requires duty, breach, actual cause, proximate cause, and damages.
419 words, about 2 min08Family Law and Domestic Relations
This domain tests the formation and dissolution of marriages, division of property, support, custody, and the interstate statutes that decide which state's order controls. Marriage requires a license and solemnization, and a few states still recognize common-law marriage.
381 words, about 2 min09Legal Document Preparation, Drafting, and Filing
This domain tests whether you can produce a filing-ready document: correct caption, correct court, proper signature, and proof that the other side was served. Caption (court, parties, case number, document title), body, signature block, certificate of service, and any required verification.
401 words, about 2 min10Client Communication, Interviewing, and Office Administration
This domain tests the front office: intake, conflict checks, engagement terms, calendaring, file management, and the communication that keeps a client reasonably informed under Rule 1.4. Intake captures the names of all parties and adverse parties, the nature of the matter, deadlines, and how the client found the firm.
395 words, about 2 min