 Welcome to Unit 5 of PRDV301, Introduction to Paralegal Studies. Having looked closely at the legal system, we now turn to the legal process. You'll begin by learning about civil process or litigation and the complexities of seeing a lawsuit through from beginning to end, filing of pleadings, pretrial processes, motions for dismissal, all before a jury walks through the door. But not every case needs to go through litigation, with the considerable expenses of time and money. You'll learn about alternatives to litigation, like negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. We'll steer next into criminal procedure and the range of crimes described by common law, statute, and the Constitution. The legal process is of paramount importance here. We're dealing with the denial of an individual's liberty. Maybe he is or her life. You'll learn about theories of criminal punishment and the classification of crimes, such as felonies and misdemeanors. Last, you'll learn about the paralegal's role in these processes. These complexities demand planning and calendaring, timely filings, and information management. Keeping track of it all is critical. And these skills will be developed in further units. Good luck.