The course is designed to prepare law students for research in practice and their clerkships. The course will build upon the research skills students acquired in first-year Legal Research and Writing, although no previous research experience is required and we welcome advanced degree students. The coverage will go well beyond the scope of first-year research assignments, however; we will emphasize cost-effective research, legislative analysis, administrative law research, open access resources and other topics not covered in the first-year curriculum.
Objectives for the course: 1) to teach students how to evaluate sources and use them effectively, with particular emphasis on cost-effective research 2) to expand skills in primary and secondary US legal sources, in all formats 3) to develop skills for effective online research -- to also enable students to make clear choices between research formats 4) to introduce students to the array of non-legal information resources.
Since learning legal research requires a hands-on approach, students are required to complete weekly homework assignments and frequent in-class exercises. Each student is also required to analyze a recent California Supreme Court opinion. Students are required to complete a final project; choices for the project include: creating a legal research study guide, writing a book review, creating an online/multimedia legal research lesson, or another project as agreed upon between student and instructors. Class attendance is vital to the learning objectives of this class and is therefore required. Special Instructions: Students will receive Writing (W) credit for this course. Upon prior consent of the instructors, a limit of 12 students will be eligible to receive Research (R) credit in lieu of Writing credit. Those requesting Research credit will be required to write a substantial research paper based on independent research in an area related to legal research and publishing. All students will be required to complete assignments and attend class in addition to the final project. This course is open to first-year Law School students and other Stanford graduate students.