Legal Research Techniques |
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Class Schedule Course Description and Requirements | |||
Course Description and Requirements | |||
Course Description Learning Outcomes |
Text Office Hours |
E-mail Assignments |
Research Guide Recordings |
This course will focus on teaching "real-world" legal research skills to prepare students for the challenges they will face in legal practice. Students will develop effective research skills, and an in-depth knowledge of research tools. Specifically, this course will expose students to research methods and strategies that are employed in practice to effectively and efficiently research using secondary sources, statutes, cases, regulations, legislative materials, and practice materials, utilizing both current and emerging legal research tools and technology. The course will also review legal authority, how it is organized, and how to access it efficiently with particular attention on evaluating information and conducting cost-effective research.
You must review and abide by the School of Law's Honor Code for all assignments. Do not accept assistance, give assistance, or collaborate on assignments except as expressly permitted in writing in the instructions for the assignment. Conditions permitting, the class will meet from 3:30-4:45pm on Thursdays in Room F309. You will need to use a computer in every class. If you own a laptop or tablet, please bring it to class. If you do not own a laptop or tablet, please contact me before the first day of class, so we can make the necessary arrangements for you. By the end of the course, students should be able to:
The recommended text is Kent C. Olson, Legal Research in a Nutshell (13th ed. 2018 or 14th ed. 2021). Recommended readings/recordings are on the class schedule where appropriate. There is also a copy of the Nutshell on Reserve in the Law Library, and it is available as part of the West Academic Study Aids package to which the law library subscribes on your behalf. Some required readings/recordings will be designated as such on the class schedule. E-mail use is required of all students in the class. E-mail will be used for announcements, questions and changes in the syllabus. I am typically in my office during regular business hours, and I am happy to meet with you in-person whenever the door is open. Or, you can email me to set-up an appointment for us to meet in-person or online--whichever you prefer.
The research guide is a description of effective techniques and useful resources for researching a specific legal issue. It is intended to guide a researcher to the material he or she would need to do research on a specific subject. The point of a research guide is to describe the research process and to evaluate all relevant resources, not to reach any specific answer. It is basically a comprehensive instruction manual for another person researching the legal topic you select. The research guide should include all relevant sources, not just cases and statutes but also regulations, treatises, periodicals, practice materials, databases, internet sites, search strategies, non-legal resources, and more. Moreover, all formats should be discussed. (More detail on formats-to-be-included will be provided later in the semester.) Of course, the subject of the research guide will determine what types of resources are relevant. Begin the research guide with an overview of the legal issue being researched. The overview is basically an explanation of the legal issue itself. The overview should also set out any boundaries to the material covered in the research guide. For ease of use, the research guide should also include a table of contents and any other finding aids you deem useful. You will be selecting the legal issue for the research guide. The legal issue may be on any area of United States law, but you must receive prior approval of the subject. The subject selected must be on a very specific real-life LEGAL ISSUE (not a theoretical criticism of the law). I expect the final product to be about 15 (double-spaced) pages (more detail to follow). Topic submission is due by September 16. You may submit the proposed topic to me on the course web page. I strongly recommend that you make an appointment to discuss your topic with me. Be sure to pick a topic in which you are interested. It will make the research more appealing. Masks are mandatory Recordings Disability and Accommodation Title IX Intellectual Property |
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