Oregon Law’s Legal Research and Writing courses teach you to:
- research legal sources,
- analyze the law,
- apply the law to a client’s facts,
- organize a legal argument, and
- communicate that argument in writing.
Legal Research and Writing Course Overview
Because legal analysis is challenging, writing about it can be difficult. At Oregon Law, you develop the skills you need to hit the ground running in any legal job.
Fall Semester: Objective Writing
Spring Semester: Persuasive Writing
In this first-year course, you learn how to advise hypothetical clients on arranging their legal affairs, or predict how a judge would decide a case if it were litigated.
You also learn the fundamentals of legal research through class instruction and hands-on workshops in the library’s new interactive classroom.
These workshops are often related to the topics of writing assignments, strengthening your analytical skills as you learn vital research techniques.
You will write a brief for a trial or appellate court and present an oral argument in a court setting. The term concludes with practical research exercises similar to those you may encounter in your summer work.
Each spring, you have the opportunity to hear some of the state’s best advocates argue actual cases before the the Oregon Supreme Court. Following the arguments, the justices answer students' questions.