November 29, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Thursday 11/29, I handed back the Jones memos, and we discussed them. For the rest of the class, I worked individually to help make sure that the memo research was proceeding well. The drafts of the research memo are due on Thursday 11/6. The assignment is to work on those research memos.

November 27, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Tuesday 11/27, we discussed the memo assignment, Jones, and I collected those papers. I also distributed a schedule for the rest of the semester. A total of 6 graded research questions will be required. The drafts of the Research Memo will be due Thursday December 6. The homework assignment is to be working on that Research Memo.

November 20, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Tuesday 11/20, we began by going over the concept of an in-office brief, discussed in Chapters 16 and 17 of the text. I distributed individual memo projects that you will research and write a memo about, using the textbook memo on p. 504 as a model. The exact schedule of due dates will be distributed when we return on 11/27. I went over the use of ALR in Westlaw. The assignment for Tuesday 11/27 is to do assignment 7 on p. 509 of the text. Use the textbook memo on p. 504 as a model, except (for this assignment only) delete the sections of "Brief Answer" and "Recommendations". This assignment is due, typed, at the beginning of class on Tuesday 11/27. Please make an additional copy for you to refer to when we discuss the memo. Have a Good Thanksgiving.---Sol Goldman

November 15, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Thursday 11/15, I distributed 4 handouts: 2 case scenarios, the Westlaw format, and the Keyciting format. We used the cottage rental scenario to explore an alternative type of search in Westlaw, using the Key number function.
Here are the guidelines that I set for the use of Westlaw and Keyciting: you need to have completed at least three Maine Key Number Digest research projects before you use Westlaw to do your research question. You need to have done at least one Shepards search before you do a Keycite search. If you do not yet have at least three graded research assignments, you should consider yourself seriously behind. The assignment for Tuesday 11/20 is to read Chapters 16 and 17 of the text, regarding the writing of an
in-office memo.

November 13, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Tuesday 11/13, we went over the basics of doing a Westlaw search, including picking a directory and formulating a terms and connectors search query. For the remainder of class, we continued working on research questions, including Shepardizing. On Thursday 11/15, we will continue to work on formulating Westlaw searches and doing research projects. If you were not in class today, you should carefully review the textbook material regarding Westlaw searches, and try doing the Westlaw searches as the textbook discusses them.

November 8, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Thursday 11/8, I handed back
the last case briefs. We spent the rest of the class continuing the
digest research and the Shepardizing. The assignment for Tuesday 11/13
is to continue your research projects--I have no papers to grade at
this point, which is not good. In addition, read in the textbook pages
220-237, which is the discussion of Westlaw. We will begin going over the workings of Westlaw next week.

November 6, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Tuesday. 11/6, we went over the brief of the DiMichel case. For the remainder of the class we worked on the research projects. The assignment for Thursday 11/8 is to continue to work on the research projects. If you believe that you have found the case, you can e-mail me for confirmation, so that you can do the write-up of the case and have it ready to hand in on Thursday. While I haven't yet set a specific number of research projects that you need to finish, you should be getting them into me on a regular basis.

November 1, 2007

PL 205--Legal Research
In class today, Thursday 11/1, we reviewed the concepts of Shepardizing, and then went through the alternate process of Keyciting. We did this in the context of a textbook case, Commomwealth v. DeMichel on p. 573 of the text. The assignment for Tuesday 11/6 is to brief the DeMichel case. Remember that the brief must be typed, and that you should make an extra copy of the brief for yourself to refer to as we discuss the case.