Law Commons^™

Research Strategies And Organization, Courtney Selby

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The model for the research process outlined in Chapter 1 assumes a project that is undertaken from scratch, with no prior knowledge of the area of law or essential relevant authorities. Chapter 1 calls this a “fresh search.” However, each research project is by nature unique, and thus requires a distinctive strategy. This chapter explores the ways a judicious researcher can take the essential elements of a fresh search, consider the practical confines of the research environment, develop a strategy for approaching the research process that fits the unique problem, and implement that strategy in a cost-effective and efficient …

The Power Of A Positive Tweet, Patricia G. Montana

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

I am not naively suggesting that all we need are more positive tweets to solve the inequity problems that still plague many law schools’ treatment and advancement of legal writing faculty. But I do wonder whether more positive tweets from administrators, tenured colleagues, and others can help (and more instantaneously) spread positive feelings, heal past harms, build relationships, forge new connections, and ultimately help create more opportunities for success.

Getting It Right By Writing It Wrong: Embracing Faulty Reasoning As A Teaching Tool, Patricia G. Montana, Elyse Pepper

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In the early days of legal writing, we use exercises that have clear "right" answers. The rules are very simple and their meaning, even without looking at the cases, is usually clear. So, the "right" answer is often obvious. Indeed, it is intuitive. Though these exercises give students a sense of accomplishment and allow them to track achievement and understand success and failure, in some ways, they reinforce a common problem in first-year law students: their inability to see beyond the surface of a legal rule.

To ensure the "right" answer, students must distill not only a general rule, …