Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing

1. Introduction to Legal Research, Writing and Analysis

2. The Starting Point: Analyzing Facts and Identifying Legal Issues

3. Finding and Analyzing Case Law

4. How to Read and Summarize a Case

5. Constitutions, Statutes, and Administrative Regulations

6. Statutory and Constitutional Analysis

7. Secondary Sources

8. Digests

9. Validating Your Research: Using Shepards, Keycite and other Citators

10. Computer-Assisted Legal Research (CALR): Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law

11. Computer-Assisted Legal Research (CALR): The Freely Accessible Internet

12. Basic Legal Writing Skills

13. The Memorandum of Law: Predictive Legal Writing

14. Writing to the Court: Persuasive Writing

15. Motion Practice: Research and Writing Issues

16. Legal Correspondence

 

Appendix A: Research Case Files

Appendix B: Research and Writing Problems Based on Short Stated Fact Patterns

Appendix C: Basic Citation Reference Guide

Appendix D: Research Strategies: An Overview

Appendix E: Defendants’ Joint Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction: Initial Research Memoranda

Appendix F: Appellate Brief

Appendix G: Case Briefing Practice

Appendix H: Supplemental Cases

Appendix I: Answer Key to Test Yourself

Appendix J: U.S. Court System