Schedule & Memo Topics
| Date | In-class Activities | Assessments Due |
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Introduction: How will we best develop our legal research skills and confidence in the 9 weeks we have as a class? |
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| Wednesday, January 22 |
We will get to know one another and talk about how this class will work.
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Bring to class any questions you may have about the class from the course website/syllabus.
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Monday, January 27 |
We will discuss some of the major types of secondary sources useful to legal research. We will also discuss some advanced search techniques for Westlaw and Lexis, such as boolean connectors and fields/segments, plus Lexis and Westlaw's Generative AI applications. |
Intro Survey 1 due before class. |
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Legal Research Memo 1: Your client allegedly was caught committing larceny—could "finders keepers" be a defense? How do you find and analyze all of the relevant statutes so that you can precisely explain the penalty for a particular crime? How do we analyze both the facts and the legal conclusions of cases to best apply them to our clients' scenarios? |
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Wednesday, January 29 |
We will begin our work on Legal Research Memo 1. We will also discuss our goals/my expectations in presenting our research effectively in writing (which you will do in the 4 legal research memos in this class). |
Read the Sample Initial Source List and Sample Memo prior to class so that we can discuss expectations for the written work product in this class. |
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Monday, February 3 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 1. We will discuss resources and approaches relevant to researching Memo 1. |
Intro Survey 2 due before class. |
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Wednesday, February 5 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 1. Finalizing the team's list of sources. |
Individual team member's initial source list due before class. Final team source list due at the end of class. |
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Monday, February 10 |
In-class time to work on your Legal Research Memo 1 and to ask any questions you have. We will talk as a full class about approaches to Memo 1 and the major issues you'll want to address. We will also talk about research issues that arise in current statutory and case research. |
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Legal Research Memo 2: Will California's new legislative approach to deepfake political videos be effective? How do you find and analyze legislative documents, such as current bills, reports, press releases, statutes or other sources, so that you can clearly explain how and why a legislature is responding to a particular issue? |
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Wednesday, February 12 |
Final discussion of Legal Research Memo 1. We will begin our work on Legal Research Memo 2. |
Legal Research Memo 1 due |
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Monday, February 17 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 2. We will discuss resources and approaches relevant to researching Memo 2. |
Intro Survey 3 due before class. |
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Wednesday, February 19 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 2. Finalizing the team's list of sources. |
Individual team members' initial source list due before class. Final team source list due at the end of class. |
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Monday, February 24 |
In-class time to work on your Legal Research Memo 2 and to ask any questions you have. We will talk as a full class about approaches to Memo 2 and the major issues you'll want to address. We will also talk about research issues that arise in current or historical legislative research. |
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Legal Research Memo 3: We know Chevron has been overruled, but what does that mean on the ground? How has the overturning of Chevron deference affected the Department of Labor's rules on tip wages for service workers? How do you find and analyze administrative documents, such as current regulations, proposed and final rules, public comments, statutes and cases, so that you can clearly explain how and why a federal agency is responding to a particular issue? |
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Wednesday, February 26 |
Final discussion of Legal Research Memo 2. We will begin our work on Legal Research Memo 3. |
Legal Research Memo 2 due before class. |
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Monday, March 3 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 3. We will discuss resources and approaches relevant to researching Memo 3. |
Intro Survey 4 due before class. |
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Wednesday, March 5 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 3. Finalizing the team's list of sources. |
Individual team members' initial source list due before class. Final team source list due at the end of class. |
| Monday & Wednesday, March 10 & 12 | Spring break | Spring break |
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Monday, March 17 |
In-class time to work on your Legal Research Memo 3 and to ask any questions you have. We will talk as a full class about approaches to Memo 3 and the major issues you'll want to address. We will also talk about research issues that arise in regulatory research and how the state system compares to the federal system. |
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Legal Research Memo 4: Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37, can an employee be compelled to preserve text messages on their personal phone when their employer has been sued? Lawyers often spend much of their time on procedural issues. How do you find and analyze procedural documents, such as local or national court rules, cases and secondary sources so that you can navigate the maze of procedure to best represent your client? |
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Wednesday, March 19 |
Final discussion of Legal Research Memo 3. We will begin our work on Legal Research Memo 4. |
Legal Research Memo 3 due before class. |
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Monday, March 24 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 4. We will discuss resources and approaches relevant to researching Memo 4, along with researching court rules and other procedural sources. |
Intro Survey 5 due before class. |
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Wednesday, March 26 |
Team research for Legal Research Memo 4. Finalizing the team's list of sources. |
Individual team members' initial source list due before class. Final team source list due at the end of class. |
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Monday, March 31 |
Class conclusion and wrap-up. In-class time to work on your Legal Research Memo 4 and to ask any questions you have. We will talk as a full class about approaches to Memo 4 and the major issues you'll want to address. We will also talk about research issues that arise in procedural research. |
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Wednesday, April 2 (no class) |
No class. | Legal Research Memo 4 due by 5 pm. |