University of Washington School of Law Course

TEXTS: Kunz,et al., The Process of Legal Research, 4th edition (Little, Brown & Co. 1996) (Kunz)
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, 16th ed. (1996)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Legal Research I and Legal Research II are designed as sequential classes, taught each fall and winter. These courses are cross-listed with the library school. The fall course does not require prior legal research experience. This sequence of courses gives students an opportunity to further develop their research skills by extensive assignments and an intensive examination of legal research tools and techniques.

In the fall, students examine legal materials in depth, focusing on state law materials. Finding assignments and research projects focus on case law, statutes, finding tools and computer assisted legal research (CALR) systems. In the winter, students build on the knowledge gained in the fall, and focus primarily on federal materials, in print and online; topics include federal legislative materials, looseleaf services, and specialized research tools. The fall course is normally a prerequisite but can be waived with instructor's permission. Both are graded courses, with multiple assignments but no examinations.

Mastering any research process takes time and practice. With luck (and hard work), by the end of the quarter, you will be a more confident, competent, cost-effective legal researcher!

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 and one oral presentation. The exercises will typically take under 2 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 5 hours each. The final assignment, a research guide, will focus on the topic of your choice.

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. 9:30 am) on the date due. All late papers, except those excused based on illness, will be penalized. *

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. Class attendance and participation will account for 6% of the final course grade.

4 Exercises @ 10 points each	40 points
2 Research projects @ 15 points each	30 points
1 Research Guide	20 points
1 Class presentation	4 points
Class attendance & participation	up to 6 points possible
Total possible points =	100

Grading Note for Law School Students: Students who began the J.D. program before Autumn 1998 will be evaluated using the distinguished, honors, pass, low pass, and no credit system. All other J.D. students will be evaluated using the grading system of A, A-, B+, B, C, F. "Honors" grades are not limited. 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 grades.

Grading Note for Library School 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 re-shelve 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 re-shelving 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 individually by you.

The Honor Code of the School of Law, adopted in 1981, governs student conduct. Please read carefully:

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

Winter quarter office hours are Tuesdays 11:30-12:30 am, Fridays 9:30-11:30 am, and by appointment.

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 review 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!

DRAFT - WINTER 2000 SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS, AND ASSIGNMENTS

Tues. 1/4

OVERVIEW; THE RESEARCH PROCESS; THE LEGAL SYSTEM & MATERIALS
Review of Syllabus; "Rombauer Method"; Review of the Legal System & Legal Materials;
Review of primary secondary sources such as treatises, law reviews & ALRs (print & online)

Thur. 1/6

FEDERAL STATUTES AND OTHER FORMS OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Statutes at Large; USC, USCA/USCS; Constitution; Treaties; Interstate Compacts, etc.

Tues. 1/11

FEDERAL CASE LAW AND CASE VERIFICATION TOOLS
Supreme Court and Federal Reporters; print and online resources for current awareness and full-text. Shepard's, Auto-cite, KeyCite; plus commercial citation-checking software

Thur. 1/13

FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The Legislative Process; Congressional Publications; CIS Universe

Tues. 1/18

LEXIS TRAINING (Section 1): Legal Research Training Center
ONLINE RESEARCH STRATEGIES (Section 2): Classroom

Thur. 1/20

LEXIS TRAINING (Section 2): Legal Research Training Center
ONLINE RESEARCH STRATEGIES (Section 1): Classroom

Tues. 1/25

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS: PRINT AND ONLINE TOOLS
Guest Lecturer: Peggy Roebuck Jarrett, MGGLL Reference/Documents Librarian.

Thur. 1/27

Tues. 2/1

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW - OVERVIEW AND REGULATIONS
The regulatory process: federal and state; administrative registers and codifications

Thur. 2/3

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW - DECISIONS AND LOOSELEAF SERVICES
Official Reports; Unofficial Sources; Verifying and Updating; Commercial Publications

Tues. 2/8

FEDERAL PRACTICE AND LITIGATION TOOLS
Federal court rules, model jury instructions, verdicts, forms, directories, and core treatises

Thur. 2/10

RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT PLUS GENERAL PRACTICE TOOLS
ABA Rules; General practice tools such as form books, public records, deskbooks, and CLEs

Tues. 2/15

INTEGRATING ELECTRONIC AND PRINT RESOURCES
Use of CD-ROMs and the Internet as cost-effective research alternatives; Judging quality and accuracy of information on the Internet; Explanation of Research Guide assignment

Thur. 2/17

INCORPORATING NONLEGAL MATERIALS
Exploring for nonlegal information: business, medical, scientific, biographical, statistical, etc.

Tues. 2/22

Return Exercise #4. Final hour reserved for individual conferences on research guides.

Thur. 2/24

SPECIALIZED LEGAL RESEARCH - INTERNATIONAL AND FOREIGN LAW
An overview of international law and foreign law resources, in print and online.

Tues. 2/29

SPECIALIZED LEGAL RESEARCH - TOPICS SELECTED BY CLASS
Potential topics include Bankruptcy, Corporations, Environmental, Health, Human Rights, Intellectual Property, Indian Law, Labor and Employment, and Tax Law.

Thur. 3/2

LEGAL RESEARCH AND WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY
Internet usage policies in the workplace; Encryption and other technologies impacting legal research and practice. Research Guides and summary sheets may be turned in during class

RESEARCH GUIDES due in my Faculty Mailbox (CDH, 3d floor) by Noon on Friday 3/3/2000.

Thur. 3/7

CLASS EVALUATION; STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Individual presentations of student research guides.

Thur. 3/9

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS; CLASS WRAP-UP
Individual presentations of student research guides. Final comments on research design.

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.

Law A599/LIS 592A, Winter Quarter

Course Home Page

Syllabus & Reading Schedule

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

COURSE STRUCTURE AND GRADING

ACADEMIC CONDUCT

OFFICE HOURS