Overview
This course develops foundational skills in legal research, analysis, writing, and oral communication. Students learn to identify legal issues, formulate research questions, plan efficient investigations, and locate authoritative primary materials, including constitutions, statutes, regulations, and cases. The course also examines secondary authorities, legislative and administrative materials, citator functions, legal databases, precedent, hierarchy, jurisdiction, and the evaluation of legal authority.
Students apply these skills through case briefs, citation exercises, objective and persuasive memoranda, client letters, motions, and persuasive briefs. Emphasis is placed on issue framing, rule synthesis, application to facts, counterargument, professional judgment, ethical research practices, and recognition of uncertainty and research limitations. Students revise their work through substantive and editorial feedback and present research findings orally in a clear, precise, and professional manner.
Learning Outcomes
- Formulate focused legal research questions from factual and doctrinal problems.
- Locate, retrieve, and verify relevant primary and secondary legal authorities using appropriate databases and research techniques.
- Evaluate the weight, relevance, currency, jurisdiction, and precedential value of legal authority.
- Synthesize legal rules from multiple authorities and identify areas of uncertainty or limitation.
- Apply legal rules to facts through structured analysis, including treatment of competing arguments and counterarguments.
- Construct logically organized legal documents for objective and persuasive purposes.
- Use accurate and consistent legal citations in accordance with the prescribed citation system.
- Produce professional case briefs, legal memoranda, client letters, motions, and persuasive briefs for different audiences.
- Revise legal research and writing in response to substantive, editorial, and professional feedback.
- Present legal research findings orally with clarity, precision, and appropriate professional judgment.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Lab | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Citation drills (4 × 5%) | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Database research assignments (2 × 10%) | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Case brief and oral presentation | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Legal memorandum | 20.00% |
| Capstone | Final integrated research project | 30.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 5 NCEA Level 2 English credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
