 Welcome to Unit 8 of PRDV301, Introduction to Paralegal Studies. At this point, you've already explored many of the practical skills that paralegals use on a regular basis, but you're still not done yet. There are still two more skills that paralegals must have, the ability to participate and conduct investigations and interviews. Investigating is always the first step before any evidence is collected or witnesses are interviewed. In this unit, you'll learn the importance of a good investigation. Sometimes the only difference between success and failure is how creative you're willing to be. We'll also talk about what the differences are between conducting an in-person interview and one by electronic means. Interviewing is another crucial component of the information-gathering side of a paralegal's job. Many times the first contact between a law firm and a client or witness is done by the paralegal, so it's important to make a good impression. We'll show you some strategies for doing just that. You'll also learn the right ways to question witnesses. When would an open-ended question be best? And when would a closed-ended question be better? We'll show you examples of each and to make that distinction. Good luck on working through this unit. See you on the other side.