myedtoday

Criminal Justice & Law

Legal Research & Writing

The Legal Research & Writing course is designed to introduce students to legal thought, writing styles and research methods used in profession every day.   Students will be introduced to various methods used to solve clients’ problems by using effective research techniques, accurate and in-depth legal analysis, and the clear and concise written and oral communication that are paramount to the legal profession.  As these skills can only improve with a great deal of practice, this course offers the foundation from which students can build on these skills for years to come.

For those students looking toward law school or who are interested in the paralegal profession, this course offers an incredibly useful and realistic look into the actual work that lawyers and legal professionals do every day.  Using a problem-solving approach, students will use the tools and techniques introduced to represent a fictional client and provide the clients with legal advice.  Students will learn essential skills of successful lawyers, including researching legal authorities, applying the law to a client’s situation, and communicating that analysis both in writing and verbally.

This course is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge of the tools available in law libraries, including both state and federal primary and secondary materials.  Students will find, analyze, and solve problems in the legal world. In addition, students will adapt the research material into legal memoranda, briefs and othe useful work product while communicating the results in a competent and ethical manner.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Summarize research practices used by a paralegal
  • Analyze ethical issues related to research
  • Describe the main products of legal research
  • Analyze the facts in a case
  • Classify legal research sources
  • Differentiate mandatory authority from persuasive authority
  • Research enacted law
  • Analyze enacted law
  • Research case law
  • Analyze case law
  • Use secondary sources as part of legal research
  • Compare researched cases with client cases
  • Validate case law using a citator
  • Apply professional writing styles appropriate for legal communica­tion
  • Write a case brief
  • Write an internal memorandum of law
  • Prepare other legal documents

Contact Us

Send us your questions!

Contact Us

Partnerships

Expand enrollment
and distinguish your
institution

Partner with My Ed Today!

Partnerships