You will be given the legal authorities you need to write the memorandum, so you will not need to do any legal research. Because revision is a crucial part of the writing process, you will rewrite the memorandum after you receive comments from your lecturer. You must successfully complete Legal Research and Writing I in order to take Legal Research and Writing II in the spring semester. You will learn more about legal writing skills and you will be introduced to the process of legal research. You will learn about the use of many resources, including legal encyclopedias, legal periodicals, treatises, digests and case reporters, statutes and constitutions, administrative codes, court rules, and citators.
Instruction covers both print and on-line sources.
You are required to research the law for both writing assignments in the spring semester. The first writing assignment, an objective legal memorandum, further develops the objective writing skills you learned in the fall. The second writing assignment, a trial level brief, introduces you to the many skills needed for persuasive writing. After you receive comments from your lecturer, you will rewrite both the memorandum and the trial level brief. At the end of the semester, you will give an oral argument based on the trial level brief.