Advanced Legal Research & Writing Certificate - Online
This exciting online course is designed to teach advanced and specialized approaches to utilize the legal resources available in a law library, and elsewhere. The conceptual differences between computer-assisted legal research and hard copy research will be taught. You will also learn how to formulate WESTLAW search queries and effectively and efficiently use WESTLAW and other online legal research methods as time-saving devices in legal research and legal writing.
This course is designed to examine more thoroughly advanced and specialized approaches to utilizing the legal sources available in the law library and online.
This is an accelerated course. Students will be expected to spend an average of 8 hours per lesson reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that extensions will not be granted for this online course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course.
Successful completion results in a Certificate of Completion from University of the Pacific.
2020 Sessions
Course Objectives:
- How to conduct manual legal research
- How to conduct electronic legal research
- How to find, interpret and use various types of legal authorities
- How to shepardize legal authorities
- How to write a legal analysis
- How to draft a Memorandum of Law
- How to brief case opinions
- How to engage in various types of legal writing
Course Outline
This course is designed to examine more thoroughly advanced and specialized approaches to utilizing the legal sources available in the law library and online.
Course Code: UPLG 025 (5 CEUs)
Lesson 1: Legal Authorities and Citations
Lesson 2: Legal Analysis
Lesson 3: Westlaw® online legal research
Lesson 4: The Legal Memorandum of Law
Lesson 5: Manual Legal Research
Lesson 6: Types of Legal Writing
Required Textbooks:
Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing, 2nd edition, by William H. Putman
Legal Research and Writing Across the Curriculum: Problems and Exercises, by Michael D. Murray and Christy H. DeSanctis
Westlaw® online legal research access.
Books are an additional cost and can be purchased directly from The Center for Legal Studies
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of the Paralegal Certificate Course©, or the equivalent, or law office experience. Must register through The Center For Legal Studies
Course Fee:
$995
Additional Information:
