The Comprehensive Guide To Legal Research Writing And Analysis

"The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis focuses on developing the required competencies emphasized by the Federation of Law Societies in legal research, writing, and analysis and using those skills in both law school and professional environments."--

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. This comprehensive guide to modern legal research and writing offers a unique balance of traditional print research techniques with newer online methods. Throughout, LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING helps students fully understand the issues they are researching, so they can apply analytical thinking to achieve superior results. Students discover how laws are made, how to decide which law is applicable, how to read the law, how to search legal databases, and how to apply the law in a client's unique situation. The text offers insights for overcoming research obstacles, and provides many examples, figures, and reference checklists. It also offers deep insight into effective writing, including extensive coverage of case briefs, memoranda of law, external briefs, correspondence, and pleadings. A concise review of the writing process addresses everything from pre-writing to grammar and word usage. Extensive pedagogical features include opening scenarios, lists of key terms, case excerpts, media and web resources, and many forms of practice, from Quick Check quizzes to detailed Research Assignments.

This outline covers court systems, precedent, case reporting system (including regional and state reporters, headnotes and the West Key Number System®, citations, and case finding), statutes, constitutions, and legislative history, and secondary sources (including treatises, law reviews, digests, and restatements). Also discussed are administrative agencies (including regulations, and looseleaf services), Shepard's Citations®, computers in legal research, reading and understanding a case (including briefing a case), using legal source books, basic guidelines for legal writing, organizing your research, writing a memorandum of law, writing a brief, and writing an opinion or client letter.