LAWS 1230 - Legal Research and Writing I

4.5 Credits

Students learn the basics of legal research and writing. Students will become familiar with the court system, enacted laws, case law, citation format, and legal research methods. This course provides hands-on experience using computer assisted research to locate relevant, current, legal authorities. Students will learn about primary and secondary legal sources, and they understand how they are used, organized, and updated.

Recommended: ENGL 1020

Lecture Hours: 4.5
Lab Hours: 0.0
Internship Hours: 0.0
Clinical or Practicum Hours: 0.0

Course Objectives

Examine and explain the hierarchy of laws and legal authorities.
Distinguish between primary, secondary, binding, and persuasive legal authority.
Examine the various types of informational sources used in legal research.
Develop a legal research plan to identify legal issues and legal authorities.
Generate a list of legal search terms and formulate search queries.
Locate and correctly apply primary and secondary legal authority to given facts.
Use Westlaw and online legal research sources to retrieve legal authorities.
Cite-check relevant legal authorities in print and electronic sources.
Use an accepted legal citation form to cite legal authority and informational sources.
Demonstrate appreciation for ethics and professionalism in legal research and writing.

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