Standard |
Introduces the student to the competencies involved with legal bibliography and research methodology so that the student can effectively research issues of both state and federal law. The student will also learn to properly cite legal research sources. Topics include: identification of legal issues, sources of state and federal statutes and case law, citation of legal authorities, and computer assisted legal research.
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Competency Areas |
Hours
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Identification of Legal Issues |
Class |
5 |
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Sources of State and Federal Statutes and Case Law |
D. Lab |
0 |
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Citation of Legal Authorities |
P. Lab/O.B.I. |
0 |
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Computer Assisted Legal Research |
Credit |
5 |
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Prerequisite: |
Program admission level verbal achievement, provisional admission level math achievement, PLS 101 |
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Corequisite: |
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Course Guide |
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Competency |
After completing this
section, the student will: |
Hours |
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Class |
D.Lab |
P.Lab/ O.B.I. |
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IDENTIFICATION OF LEGAL ISSUES |
10 |
0 |
0 |
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Legal issue recognition |
Research legal issues related to state and federal law. |
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Discuss legal issues related to state and federal law. |
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SOURCES OF
STATE AND FEDERAL STATUTES AND CASE LAW
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30 |
0 |
0 |
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Sources of law |
Identify the various sources of federal and state law. |
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Describe primary, secondary, and secondary-search sources. |
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Describe differences between official and unofficial sources. |
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Identify the appropriate sources for researching a particular legal issue. |
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Locate legal research sources. |
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Research statutory law and case law, citing legal sources. |
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Use secondary sources, citing legal sources. |
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Update research on a legal issue. |
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CITATION
OF LEGAL AUTHORITIES
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5 |
0 |
0 |
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Cite statutory law and case law. |
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Cite secondary sources and updated research. |
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COMPUTER
ASSISTED LEGAL RESEARCH
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5 |
0 |
0 |
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Describe procedure for computerized research. |
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Utilize computerized legal research techniques. |
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Suggested Resources |
Suggested
Resources include textbooks shown below or most current edition.
Harvard Law Review Association. (1986). A uniform system of citation (14th
ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
Jacobstein, J. M., & Mersky, R. M. (1987). Legal research
illustrated: An abridgement of fundamentals of legal research (abr. ed.).
Mineola, NY: Foundation Pr.
ABA Journal
American Lawyer
Fulton County Daily Report
Georgia State Bar Journal
Legal Economics
Legal Professional
National Paralegal Professional
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