Legal Research I A598
Autumn 2004
Syllabus
LEGAL RESEARCH I
LAW A598/LIS 591A - Fall Quarter
2004
Prof. Mary A.
Hotchkiss
William H. Gates Hall, Room 207 --
Monday/Wednesday
Office Hours: Tuesdays
(UW) 206-616-9333 / e-mail
hotchma@u.washington.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS:
[Deskbooks will be sold during
the first week of class by Gallagher Library Staff; cost with tax is
$48.96]
Recommended: (you will need access to): The Bluebook:
A Uniform System of Citation, 17th ed. (2000).
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Legal Research I and Legal Research II are designed as
sequential classes, taught each fall and winter. These classes are cross‑listed
with the
COURSE STRUCTURE AND GRADING
This course uses a combination of lectures, library
labs, online training sessions, and hands-on exercises to alert each of you to
the variety of tools and techniques used in legal research. Students will be
expected to be fully prepared for each class meeting. At a minimum that means
reading the assigned materials and completing class assignments on time. There
will be a total of seven written assignments due throughout the quarter.
The exercises will typically take under 3 hours to complete. The research
projects will involve memos of 3-5 pages plus a research log. The research
projects will typically require at least 8 hours each.
Please read the syllabus carefully for both the
distribution dates and due dates of assignments! If you must miss class, it is
your responsibility to arrange to turn in materials on time and/or pick
up class handouts. Unless
otherwise noted, all assignments are due at the beginning of the class hour
(i.e.
Students are expected to attend
at least 80% of scheduled classes.
In‑class participation is crucial for understanding the tools and
strategies of legal research. Questions and discussion are encouraged and
expected.
Participation can include questions or commentary
offered via email or in other written form. Class attendance and
participation will account for 6% of the final course grade.
Your final course grade will be
based on the following criteria:
|
4 Exercises @ 10 points
each |
40
points |
|
1 Timed Exercise @ 14
points |
14 points
|
|
2 Research projects @ 20
points each |
40 points
|
|
Class attendance and
participation |
up to 6 possible
points |
|
Total possible points =
100 |
|
* For each assignment not turned in by the time
due, you will be penalized 1 full point per
day.
Grading Note for Law School Students: J.D.
students will be evaluated using the grading system of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, D,
and F. “Honors” grades will not necessarily be capped at the top 35 percent.
This qualifies as a skills course. Students who turn in assignments on time,
demonstrate superior academic effort, and actively participate in learning will
be rewarded. Please note: I have in the past given low pass (D)
grades.
Grading Note for SLIS and/or LL.M.
Students: You will receive a decile grade for this
class, with 4.0 being the highest grade and 2.7 being the lowest grade for which
academic credit is given. “Honors” grades (3.7 to 4.0) are not limited. Students
who turn in assignments on time, demonstrate superior academic effort, and
actively participate in learning will be rewarded. Please note: I have in the
past given grades below 2.8.
Disability-related needs: To request academic accommodations due to a disability,
please contact Disabled Students Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY).
If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services, please present the letter
to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need in this
class.
ACADEMIC
CONDUCT
While working on your assignments, you may often have to
share materials with other students. Please be considerate. Ideally, you should
reshelve most materials after use. At the very least, please do not remove
materials from their original area. If materials are missing, (a) look around
the copy machines, (b) check the reshelving areas on the upper floors, (c)
contact me and I will try to suggest alternative
resources.
You will be permitted to work collaboratively on most of
the assignments. However, each assignment submitted must be your own original
work, drafted and handwritten or typed by you.
The
Honor Code of the School of Law, adopted in 1981, governs student
conduct. Please read carefully:
Section
2-201:
A
student may not incorporate into work the student offers for credit passages
taken either word for word or in substance from work of another person unless
the student credits the original author and identifies the original author’s
work with quotation marks and footnotes or with an appropriate written
explanation.
Section 2-202:
A student may not offer for credit as the student’s work any work prepared by
another person.
The
Student Conduct Code of the University of Washington, adopted in 1972,
also sets high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity.
Legal research and writing relies heavily on careful
documentation of controlling and persuasive authority. Deliberate failure to
provide proper attribution constitutes plagiarism and warrants disciplinary
action.
OFFICE HOURS
Fall office hours are Tuesdays,
MISCELLANEOUS
Research and writing courses are challenging. At times
during the quarter it will seem as if there is more work than can be humanly
done in a 24-hour day. This is true for even the most organized among us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please
schedule an appointment with me. As we go over the class assignments, we’ll talk
about developing efficient research habits, including ways to divide projects
into smaller, conquerable tasks. Remember that we’re in this learning process
together!
FALL 2004 SCHEDULE OF TOPICS,
|
Mon.
9/27 |
OVERVIEW; LEGAL
SYSTEMS AND LEGAL MATERIALS |
|
|
Introduction to Course; Review of Syllabus;
Overview of the Legal System & Legal
Materials. |
|
|
|
|
Wed.
9/29 |
THE PROCESS OF LEGAL
RESEARCH |
|
|
Strategies for Effective Legal Research; Role of
Secondary Legal Materials; Encyclopedias; Treatises; Periodicals;
American Law Reports; Restatements; Managing Your Legal
Research. |
|
|
|
|
|
Hand out Exercise A
(due Wed.10/6) |
|
Mon.
10/4 |
LEGAL DICTIONARIES,
CITATION FORM & ABBREVIATIONS |
|
|
Bluebook Basics –
Comparison of Practitioner and Law Review Citations; Other Citation
Manuals (ALWD, AALL, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also,
please skim Legal Dictionaries < http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/dict.html>. |
|
|
Please note
Introduction
to Basic Legal Citation < http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation> |
|
Wed.
10/6 |
SECONDARY LEGAL
MATERIALS: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hand out Exercise B
(due Wed.10/13) |
|
Mon.
10/11 |
STATE STATUTES:
LOCATE, READ AND UPDATE |
|
|
Session Laws; Codes;
Annotated Codes; Uniform Laws; City and
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wed.
10/13 |
STATE ADMINISTRATIVE
MATERIALS: REGULATIONS AND DECISIONS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hand out Research
Project #1 (due by |
|
Mon.
10/18 |
STATE CASE LAW:
LOCATE, READ AND UPDATE |
|
|
Official & Unofficial Reports; Unpublished
Cases; Locating Case Law Through Digests. |
|
|
|
|
|
<http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/repdig.htm>
and The Art of Selecting Cases to Cite, 63 Tex. B.J. 340 (2000)
< http://www.stcl.edu/faculty-dir/mcgaugh/selectingcases.htm> |
|
Wed.
10/20 |
CITATORS: FINDING AND
UPDATING TOOLS; BASICS OF ONLINE RESEARCH |
|
|
Shepard’s and KeyCite; Advantages and Pitfalls of
Online Research; Query Formulation. |
|
|
|
|
|
Please skim Online Citators <http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/oncite.html> |
|
Mon.
10/25 |
WESTLAW TRAINING
(Section 1): |
|
|
ONLINE CASE
VERIFICATION TOOLS (Section
2): Classroom |
|
|
In-class overview of verification tools: KeyCite
& WestCheck v. Shepard’s & CheckCite.
|
|
|
Hand out Exercise C to
both sections (due
Mon.11/1) |
|
Wed.
10/27 |
WESTLAW TRAINING
(Section 2):
|
|
|
ONLINE CASE
VERIFICATION TOOLS (Section
1): Classroom |
|
Mon.
11/1 |
DISCUSS RESEARCH
PROJECT #1; CALR COSTS; ONLINE ALTERNATIVES |
|
|
Return and Discuss First Project; Discuss Costs of
Online Searching; Explore Quality and Accuracy of Low Cost or Public
Access Alternatives such as SCOMIS and
LoisLaw. |
|
|
|
Tues.
11/2
PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE!
|
Wed. 11/3 |
WASHINGTON LEGISLATIVE
HISTORY, INITIATIVES, & BILL TRACKING |
|
|
Process and Documentary Sources; Researching
Initiatives & Referenda; Legislative
Resources |
|
|
|
|
|
Hand out Exercise D
(due Wed.11/10) |
|
Mon.
11/8 |
|
|
|
Quick review of subject-specific resources such as
deskbooks, manuals, and CLE materials. Focus on Benchbooks; Pattern Forms;
Jury Instructions; Jury Verdicts; Expert Witnesses; Judicial Biographies;
Ethics Opinions. |
|
|
|
|
Wed.
11/10 |
SPECIALIZED LEGAL
RESEARCH: INDIAN LAW RESEARCH |
|
|
Indian Law:
Terminology; Jurisdiction; Practitioner’s Checklist; Research Tools.
|
|
|
Guest Lecturer:
Professor Penny A. Hazelton. |
|
|
Reading for 11/10:
WLRD, pp.212-234. Please skim Indian Law Research
|
|
|
|
Mon.
11/15 |
LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW
AND PUBLIC RECORDS |
|
|
Free and
Fee-Based City and |
|
|
Reading for
11/15: WLRD,
pp.167-181 |
|
Wed.
11/17 |
INFORMATION ETHICS AND
UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW |
|
|
Appropriate Use and Disclosure of Public Records;
Increase in Non-lawyer Practitioners: Concerns of the Bar; Reference
Assistance versus Legal Advice. |
|
|
|
|
|
Please skim materials
posted on the Washington
State Practice of Law Board at <http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/practiceoflaw/> |
|
|
Hand out Research
Project #2, due by |
|
Mon.
11/22 |
RESEARCH PROJECT WORK
SESSION: |
|
|
Question & Answer Session for Research Project
#2. (Can also make individual appointments.) |
|
|
|
Wed. 11/24
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
|
Mon.
11/29 |
MULTI-STATE PRACTICE
MATERIALS
|
|
|
AmJur Trials; AmJur Proof of Facts; Causes of
Action; Pattern Discovery Series;
Court Rules; Use of Records and Briefs; Online
Resources. |
|
|
Reading for
11/29: Handout “Westlaw
Research Tips: Litigation Practice Tips” and skim Briefs and Oral Arguments
< http://lib.law.washington.edu/collect/briefs.html> |
|
Wed.
12/1 |
NONLEGAL RESOURCES:
DIRECTORIES AND FACTUAL INFORMATION |
|
|
Tools for Finding People, Organizations, Agencies,
Corporations, Facts and Statistics |
|
|
Reading for 12/1: WLRD, pp.235-242 |
|
|
Research
Project #2 due by |
|
Mon.
12/6 |
EVALUATION;
SPECIALIZED LEGAL
RESEARCH TIPS |
|
|
How to do research in
an area of law you know nothing about! |
|
|
|
|
|
Hand out Exercise E
(This is a timed “cumulative” exercise due by |
|
Wed.
12/8 |
COURSE
WRAP-UP |
|
|
Strategies for
Efficient, Cost-Effective Research; Keeping Skills
Sharp. |
Feedback is essential in
a legal research class. All papers will be returned promptly after receipt. It
is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor promptly if an
assignment will not be submitted when due.
