1. Log. Keep a log of assignments you are given, with brief notes about who assigned the project, when it is due, etc. For example:

2. Calendar. Plan your time! For example:

3. Project intake.

Basic things to find out for every assignment:

• When is this due?
• What is the requestor’s name, phone number, email address?
• If you have questions as you go along, can you contact the requestor? Is there someone else in the office who is familiar with the project?
• What format should the final product be in? (A list of citations, photocopies of cases, informal notes, an oral report, a formal memo, a draft summary judgment motion?)
• How much time should you spend?
• Are there resource constraints? (E.g., should/can you use LEXIS-NEXIS or Westlaw?)
• How should costs be charged (client, account number)?
• Does the supervisor have suggested starting points?
• Try to flesh out the assignment as much as you can before you start researching. Asking questions is GOOD!

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4. Preliminary Analysis. Before you start pulling books from the shelf or typing in commands at the computer, take some time to plan your research. Think and write notes:

• What is the question you need to answer?
• What jurisdiction is it?
• What are some of the key words that you might use to look up this topic in an index or database?
• What do you already know about the question?
• Where do you think you’ll start?
• How much time do you think you’ll take?

5. Research Strategy. The exact steps you take in research will vary, depending on, for instance, what you already know and what the question is.

• For example, if the question involves an area of the law you know nothing about, you probably need to get an overview and learn some vocabulary, so you should start by looking for a basic secondary source and then moving on to look for statutes and cases. A good secondary source can also lead you to relevant statutes and cases, saving you time.
• On the other hand, if you have a background in the area (say, you’ve taken a class or worked on a similar project) or if the assigning attorney told you a relevant statute to start with, you might begin with statutory research.
• Be sure to check for relevant authority — statutes, regulations, cases — and to update whatever you find.

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6. Notes. See "Top 10 Tips for Better Note-Taking in Legal Research," 4 Perspectives 51-52 (Winter 1996).

7. When do you stop researching?

When you keep finding the same answer … when you have checked all the appropriate sources … when you feel confident you have found the relevant material … when your supervisor says you have done enough …when you run out of time.

8. Communicating Results.

How you communicate will vary depending on the project, your supervisor’s preference, the time you have, and so on. Sometimes a photocopy with a post-it note is all that is needed; sometimes you need to write a formal memo.

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