Sheri H. Lewis : Courses and Seminars
Advanced Legal Research
LAWS 79802
The purpose of this course is to enhance students' knowledge of legal sources and to develop their ability to research the law. The course will cover the basic categories of legal research in depth and with a focus on practical skills and efficiency, including statutes, administrative law, legislative history, cases, and secondary sources. This course also will address a series of practice areas such as corporate and securities, tax, transactional, federal procedure, and intellectual property, focusing on the substantive resources and practical research skills for each. Upon successful completion of the course, students will expand their understanding of research resources in a variety of areas, will improve their skills in using legal research tools, and will develop extensive research knowledge in at least one area from their work on a final research paper. To receive credit for this course, students must complete several research assignments (30 percent of grade), submit a research paper on a topic approved by the instructor (60 percent of grade), and attend and participate in course meetings (10 percent). Students may earn either one or two credits for this course depending upon the number of research assignments completed, their class participation/attendance, and the length of their final paper. In the research paper, the student should extensively and comprehensively address sources for researching the topic, discuss successful and less useful techniques, and recommend research strategies. The course will be limited to twenty students with priority to third years.
Winter 2010
Sheri H. Lewis
