AMERICAN LEGAL RESEARCH & WRITING FOR FOREIGN ATTORNEYS
(LAWJ-3002) - 3 UNITS

This course teaches the fundamentals of legal research and writing in the United States. It is designed to introduce foreign LLM students to the practical aspects of how lawyers develop and write legal analysis in the American common law system.

Research topics covered include: ethical obligations to research, court structure, stare decisis, case reporting and precedent, digests, state and federal statutes, treatises, citation form for US law, research strategies and computerized legal research (Westlaw and Lexis).

Students learn the fundamentals of drafting objective and persuasive legal documents. Students prepare case briefs, an objective legal memorandum, and other written work. The professor extensively critiques student written work and meets individually with students to review their papers.

Pass/Fail:
No

Prerequisites:
None