Sources of Law and Jurisdiction

The first seminar is schedule for two weeks from today. Ms. Field would like you to prepare for the seminar by reviewing the structure of the court in your state, jurisdiction, and the various sources of law.  She would like you to prepare a chart demonstrating the court structure and jurisdiction, and prepare a memo about the sources of law and ethics. Ms. Field will be using the following fact pattern to demonstrate the sources of law and ethics:

Phyllis Smith owns and manages a restaurant in the community, Lucky Horseshoe Restaurant. Ann Reid lives next door to the restaurant. Ms. Reid filed a complaint with the police department that the patrons of the restaurant and referred to them as “drunks” and “whores.”  She picked fights with the bartender on several occasions and even called him Satan. These encounters happened in the presence of the patrons of the restaurant. Sales dropped 30% and Ms. Smith filed a law suit against Reid.

1. Compose a memo that Ms. Field will use to present at this seminar. The memo will respond to the following questions:

1. a) Analyze and discuss the four sources of primary law, and identify which source of law may be applicable to this case being certain to explain why.
2. b) Discuss whether Reid’s statements about the restaurant’s owner, bartender, and customers are protected by the U.S. Constitution.
3. c) Evaluate whether Reid behaved unethically in the circumstances of this case. Explain why.

2. Conduct research on the court structure in your state and develop a chart identifying the various levels of the court. A sample chart can be found in the Students Resource folder. The chart should include the following components:

1. a) Local Court information and Jurisdiction;
2. b) County Court Information and Jurisdiction;
3. c) State Court Information and Jurisdiction;
4. d) State Intermediate Court Information and Jurisdiction; and
5. e) State’s Highest Court Information and Jurisdiction.

Part 1 Deliverable Directions

After you have conducted the necessary research, prepare an intra-office memorandum to the Managing Attorney. Your memo:

1. Must be formatted using the elements of an inter-office memorandum: the Heading, which will include To: (who it will be addressing, From: (the memorandum will be written by you), Date: (date in which the memorandum is written), and the Re:  (what the memorandum is in regards to).
2. Must be typewritten in Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font, and with 1-inch margins.
3. It is suggested that your memo be at least 2-3 pages in length.
4. Must include a minimum of three scholarly and credible sources (not including the text book).

After you have conducted your research, prepare a chart that meets the following requirements.

1. Must be 1 page of content.
2. Must be legible.

Combine your Memo and Chart of the Court Structure into one Microsoft Word document with a page break separating each document, and upload as a single attachment to the Week 2 Assignment dropbox.