1 Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing I Fall 2012, Sections 8 and ...

Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing I
Fall 2012, Sections 8 and 13
Professor Pierce
Assignments for Orientation and First Week of Class
Orientation (Thursday, August 16 & Friday, August 17)
Topics—Introduction to the Course; Foundations of Legal Analysis
Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in D. Romantz & K.E. Vinson, Legal
Analysis: the Fundamental Skill (Carolina Academic Press 2009)
(“Legal Analysis”), and prepare answers to the exercises at the end of
each chapter. I will call on students during the orientation class and
in later classes.
First Week of Classes (Tuesday, August 21 & Thursday, August 23)
Topics—Applied Reading and Briefing Cases; Evaluating Legal Rules;
Introduction to Legal Research
For Tuesday’s class
• Read Chapters 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in Richard K Neumann Jr. & Sheila
Simon, Legal Writing 2d ed. (Aspen/Wolters Kluwer 2011) (“Legal
Writing”).
o Prepare answers for the exercises at the end of chapters 2 and
8;
o identify and label the parts of Conti v. ASPCA as you are
instructed in Chapter 5; and
o be prepared to discuss how and why you labeled each
paragraph as you did.
• Prepare and bring to class two copies of the case briefs (no more than
1 page each) for the two short cases (Knight & Deason) that I will give
you at the Orientation class. You will turn in one copy of each case
brief.
For Thursday’s class
• Read Chapter 7 in Legal Analysis. Do not do the exercises at the end of
the chapter.
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• Read Chapters 2, 3, and 4 in Legal Writing. Be prepared to discuss the
answers for Part A and Part B of the “Nansen and Byrd” exercise at the
end of Chapter 3.
• Read Chapter 1 (“Introduction to Legal Research”) of Amy Sloan, Basic
Legal Research 5th ed. (Aspen) (“Legal Research”).
• Using the information from Chapter 7 of Legal Analysis and the
instructions you receive in class, write a two page, double-spaced
analytical memorandum based on the “Maine Frames” assignment
that I will give you the Orientation class. Bring two copies of the
memo to class. You will turn in one copy.
I will hand out a class syllabus during the Orientation Class. Please read it,
and let me know if you have any questions. Welcome to law school.
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