PS 374 - Legal Research and Writing

Credits 3
This course introduces students interested in a law-related career to legal research and writing. It includes an introduction to the law library, including federal and state statutory law, administrative law and case law. Computer-assisted legal research is covered, and students learn to read court decisions in order to extract the holding, summarize the court's analysis and identify any dicta. The writing component of the course introduces students to fact-based, logic-based legal writing through the use of case briefs and other writing assignments. The focus is on a writing style that identifies the facts supporting a legal analysis and leads the reader to a logical legal conclusion.