| Course: Legal Research and Writing | |||
| 1st Nine Weeks | 2nd Nine Weeks | 3rd Nine Weeks | 4th Nine Weeks |
| Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): |
Unit: 1 Introduction to Law (3 weeks) -explain the basic concepts of a civil law legal system -explain the basic concepts of a common law legal system -explain the basic concepts of a criminal law legal system -list and describe three major philosophical theories of law -explain the purpose of substantive laws -explain the purpose of procedural laws Unit: 2 Introduction to Legal Research, Writing and Analysis (3 Weeks) -identify the employment opportunities of a legal researcher and opportunities that come after graduating law school and passing the bar exam -describe the role of a legal researcher -explain the effect of federalism on legal publications -describe the sources of U.S. law -explain the difference between a primary and a secondary source of a law -identify the four core parts to legal writing/IRAC -create a research checklist: binding, non-binding/persuasive Unit: 3 Finding and Analyzing Case Law (3 Weeks) -list where case law may be located
-explain the purpose of case law
-explain the elements of a case law citation
-list the print publications containing U.S. Supreme Court case law
-explain the differences between the official publication of the U.S. Supreme Court case law and the unofficial publications of the same material
-list other federal reporters
-explain the purpose of a regional reporter
-list and define the components of a case
-compare and contrast the facts of a reported case with a client’s factual situation | Unit: 4 Analyzing Facts and Identifying Legal Issues (4 Weeks) -state and describe the three basic factual categories
-explain how to compare case law facts with a client’s factual situation
-describe how to identify legal issues in a client’s factual situation -analyze the facts of a client’s case & identify basic legal issues (Welch Family Law Matter)
-describe how to identify legal issues in a reported case law decision
-formulate and articulate a legal issue from a set of facts
Unit: 5 Conducting Research Independently & Identifying Authority (3 Weeks) -familiarize use of Westlaw or Lexis Nexis online database
-identify the parts to a U.S. case law citation
-identify the parts to a state case law citation
-identify the parts to a U.S. Constitution citation
-identify the parts to a U.S. Code citation
Unit: 6 Reading & Summarizing Case Law Decisions (2 Weeks) -explain the purpose of a case brief
-list/describe the components of a case brief
-identify judicial history/procedural history
-identify concurrences and dissenting opinions
-distinguish relevant from irrelevant facts of a case | Unit: 7 Statutory & Constitutional Analysis (6 Weeks) -describe the various parts of the U.S. Constitution
-explain the relevance of the concept of federalism to constitutional analysis
-determine whether the U.S. Constitution or a state constitution applies to a factual situation arising under state law
-explain why it is helpful to outline statutory language
-discuss the importance of reviewing case law that interprets code provisions
-explain how legislative history affects statutory interpretation
-list the four steps used in the IRAC approach to analyze statutory law
-analyze a code section by identifying and outlining the statutory requirements/elements
-identify the free exercise clause, establishment clause, due process clause, and equal protection clause in the U.S. Constitution
-critique cases related to current legal issues
-first amendment and free exercise clause
-first amendment and establishment clause
-first amendment and due process clause
-first amendment and equal protection clause
Unit: 8 Memorandum of Law: Predictive Legal Writing (3 Weeks) -Explain the purpose of a legal memorandum
-describe the format for a memorandum of law
-explain the components of a memorandum of law
-explain the purpose of each component of a memorandum of law
-write a predictive office memorandum | Unit: 9 Demand Letters (3 Weeks) -identify relevant facts and legal issue -identify appropriate law addressing legal issue -state all facts upon which demand is based -explain relevant law -explain how the law applies to the given facts -use of active voice that is solution oriented Unit: 10 Moot Court Simulation (6 Weeks) -research case law on assigned legal issue -read appellant, respondent, and amici briefs with chosen case -identify who is the petitioner/appellant and the respondent/appellee -write an appellate brief: Table of Contents, Table of Authorities, Statement of Facts, Statement of the Case, Issues or Questions Presented, Argument, Conclusion -prepare oral argument and respond to questions during presentation of argument |
Required Project:
Order of Authority Project | Required Project:
Closed Predictive Memorandum: Injurious Speech | Required Project:
Predictive Memorandum: Is U Shop Mall liable to Victoria for negligence? | Required Project:
Appellate Brief Preparation & Moot Court |
| Additional Activities: Active Voice Activity, Case Studies- Marbury v. Madison | Additional Activities: Case studies- Holt v. Hobbs, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Kyllo v. United States, Arizona v. Hicks, Gideon v. Wainwright case brief, Comparison of Justin Myers case in Chapter 3 with Arizona v. Hicks | Additional Activities: Case Studies- Perry v. New Hampshire | Additional Activities:
Demand Letter |
| Employability Skills: | |||
Employability Skills:
Reading Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning | Employability Skills:
Teamwork-Problem Solving | Employability Skills:
Analytical Skills | Employability Skills:
Advocacy Skills |
