PAR 105 - Legal Research

4 Credits, 4 Contact Hours
4 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Principles and techniques of legal research. Includes categories of research materials, citing legal material, finding and using primary and secondary authority, finding tools, Shepards and Keycite Citators, analyzing research problems, using public information websites, preparing research reports, and integration of computer assisted and traditional methods research. 

Prerequisite(s): PAR 101  and WRT 102 .
Information: Prerequisites may be waived if employed in a legal-related field, or if pursuing a post-degree certificate; see a PAR advisor or course instructor.
  

1. Discuss the fundamental concepts of legal research and explain the purpose of legal research.
2. Discuss primary sources and secondary sources of the law, how these sources are created, appropriate use in legal research and writing, and the appropriate hierarchy among these sources.
3. Discuss and apply the techniques and approaches to locating and citing primary and secondary sources in online databases.
4. Understand legal citator services such as Keycite and Shepard’s and explain their use, purpose, and importance.
5. Discuss and apply the techniques and approaches to factual and legal analysis.
6. Integrate the traditional methods of research with computer-assisted methods.
7. Demonstrate the ability to construct natural language and terms and connectors searches in online legal databases.
8. Demonstrate the ability to conduct legal research using public information websites.
9. Demonstrate how to evaluate and synthesize case law interpretation of statutes, regulations, and court rules.

A. Legal research and the practice of law

B. Reasons for learning research

C. Law library

II. Primary and secondary sources of the law

A. Primary sources of law including federal and state constitutions, statutes, regulations and case law.

B. Primary sources: creation, location, and use.

C. Secondary sources of law including Dictionaries, Thesauri, Encyclopedias, Treatises, Legal periodicals, Annotations, Restatements and Miscellaneous sources.

D. Secondary sources: creation, location, and use.

E. Hierarchy among these sources.

III. Full Text System:

A. Searching primary materials

B. Searching secondary materials

C. Uniform system of citation

D. How to cite primary sources

E. How to cite secondary sources

IV. “Shepards” and Keycite Citators

A. Reading citation lists

B. Updating procedure

C. Using for primary law

D. Using for secondary sources

V. Factual and Legal Analysis of Research Problems

A. Techniques of factual analysis

B. Techniques of legal analysis

VI.Historical Development

A. Computer-assisted methods of research

B. Traditional methods of research

C. Integration of computer-assisted and traditional methods of research

VII. Search Techniques and Display Elements

A. Elements of a search

B. Putting elements together to form a query

C. Hands-on basics

D. Viewing and browsing search results.

VIII. Demonstrate the ability to conduct legal research using public information websites

A. Search engines and websites

B. Search techniques

IV. Demonstrate how to evaluate case law interpretation of statutes, regulations, and court rules

A. Research problem requiring use of secondary authority and research report

B. Research problem requiring use of case law and research report

C. Research problem requiring use of multiple sources and memorandum