Course Outline for Paralegal Studies 35
Advanced Legal Writing and Research

Effective: Fall 2019
SLO Rev: 10/04/2018
Catalog Description:

PLGL 35 - Advanced Legal Writing and Research

3.00 Units

This course is designed to build upon the skills developed in Legal Writing and Research. This course will provide a more in-depth, advanced understanding of legal writing, research, proper citation format, and preparation of legal documents.
Prerequisite: PLGL 31.
1402.00 - Paralegal*
Optional
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. identify and understand the techniques of effective computer assisted legal research, including WESTLAW and LEXIS, among other tools;
  2. analyze and apply efficient writing and editing skills using timed assignments;
  3. enhance oral and presentation skills in order to provide legal analysis and research to clients and attorneys;
  4. identify and understand how to formulate computer assisted legal research queries and effectively and efficiently use online legal research methods as time-saving devices in legal research and legal writing;
  5. summarize and draft more complex legal documents such as briefs, legal office memoranda, and citation forms;
  6. understand and apply court rules in the format required to prepare facets of a brief, including cover sheets, table of contents and table of authorities;
  7. understand and summarize correct case citation,
    including jurisdiction and number of the volume of the reporter;
  8. identify and understand the array of non-legal information resources useful to legal practice;
  9. identify and develop effective search strategy skills for specialized research topics.
Course Content:
  1. Court opinions and the legal system
    1. Difference between primary and secondary authority
    2. Various types of authorities
    3. Steps of basic case analysis
    4. Organization of the federal and state court systems
  2. Briefing cases and identifying parties
    1. By name
    2. By category or relationship
    3. By litigation status
  3. Identifying objectives and theories of the parties
    1. Objectives of main parties 
    2. Plaintiff's causes of action 
    3. Defendant's defenses and counterclaims 
  4. History of the Litigation
    1. Types of prior proceedings
    2. Prior proceedings 
    3. Courts within a judicial system
  5.  Issues and holdings
    1. Definition of "issue" and "holding"
    2. Difference between issues of fact and issues of law
    3. Possible types of rules of law
    4. Legal issues in a court opinion
    5. Legal holdings in a court opinion
  6. Applying court opinions and fact comparisons
    1. Similarities between two cases
    2. Differences between two cases
    3. Fact gaps between two cases
    4. Fact similarities, differences, and gaps in analysis when researching and writing 
  7. Researching and writing memorandum
    1. Sources needed to complete a memorandum on a particular point of law.
    2. Locate various legal sources
    3. Update various legal sources
    4. Properly structure interoffice memorandum of law
    5. Legal analysis format in a memorandum
    6. Properly cite any source in a legal memorandum
  8. Stautory analysis
    1. Court's rule in statutory construction
    2. Canons of construction and what they mean
    3. Grammar and statutory interpretation
    4. Statutes and regulations
    5. Mandatory versus discretionary language
Methods of Instruction:
  1. Class and group discussions
  2. Group Presentations
  3. Lecture/Discussion
  4. Written assignments
  5. Oral and Written Analysis
  6. Problem Solving
  7. Distance Education
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Research and write a pleading document and support your position with facts, legal analysis and evidence.
  2. Prepare and respond to interrogatories, requests for documentation, and other forms of discovery used during the litigation process.
  3. Work in a group to research key facets of a judicial opinion or new piece of legislation and present research findings to the class.
  1. Attendance
  2. Class Participation
  3. Exams/Tests
  4. Final Examination
  5. Quizzes
  6. Group Projects
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Identify and perform legal research from both primary and secondary sources and apply the salient holdings of decisions to related fact patterns.
  2. Understand and prepare drafts of documents used in a broad range of legal environments and in support of attorneys, including legal memoranda and litigation documents such as complaints, interrogatories, and discovery materials.
  3. Enhance and hone efficient writing and editing skills, including analyzing and conceptualizing legal issues and structuring legal arguments and documents.
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. Yelin, A., B. (2018). Legal Research and Writing Handbook (8th). Aspen.
  2. Columbia Law Review (2018). The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (20th). The Harvard Law Review Association.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
This course is designed to build upon the skills developed in Legal Writing and Research. This course will provide a more in-depth, advanced understanding of legal writing, research, proper citation format, and preparation of legal documents.
Prerequisite: PLGL 31.