How to Write a Good Law Essay, how to write a law research paper.

Secondly, you need to present your arguments in a clear and persuasive manner. The best way to do this is by including alternative sides of your argument, which shows that you have considered all aspects of issue before concluding on that matter.

The title of your paper is a vital concern as it determines whether a reader will be compelled to read a paper or whether it makes the reader lose interest when reading. A good title should be precise and clear, using most familiar terminology.

Personal insight and correct referencing of the legal essay

There are two things that are crucial in writing a body paragraph. These are topic sentence and transitions.

What makes a good legal essay introduction?

The legal essay must be developed logically and systematically from issue identification/question to the analysis and authority as well as conclusion.

A good way of how to answer a legal essay question in the introduction would be:

In addition, subheadings are equally useful to clarify arguments in a paper by allowing a reader to signpost commentary and provide the most coherent structure.

So, if it's primary law you want, it makes sense to begin searching there first, right? Not so fast. While you will need primary sources of law to support your case, in many instances, it is much easier—and a more efficient use of your time—to begin your search within secondary sources such as practice guides, treatises, and legal articles.

Black's law dictionary defines legal research as “[t]he finding and assembling of authorities that bear on a question of law." But what does that actually mean? Essentially, it means that legal research is the process you use to identify and find the laws—including statutes, regulations, and court opinions—that apply to the facts of your case.

Another bonus of using a citator like KeyCite is that is also provides a list of other cases that merely cite your source—it can lead to additional sources you previously didn't know about.

• Case law, which are court opinions/decisions issued by federal or state courts
• Statutes, including legislation passed by both the U.S. Congress and state lawmakers
• Regulations, including those issued by either federal or state agencies
• Constitutions, both federal and state

What is the relevant jurisdiction?

For instance, if a case, statute, or regulation has any negative history—and therefore may no longer be good law—KeyCite, which is the citator on Westlaw, will warn you. Specifically, KeyCite will show a flag or icon at the top of the document along with a little blurb about the negative history. This allows you to quickly know if there may be anything you need to worry about.

No matter the legal research project, you must identify the relevant legal problem as well as the outcome or relief sought. This information will guide your research so you can stay focused and on topic.

So, whether you are a student still in law school or a seasoned attorney with years of experience, having solid research skills is crucial to be able to craft a winning argument. This is why it is so important to know how to perform legal research, including where to start and the steps to follow.

Conclusion. The final of your work where you make an inference to what you’ve stated before. No new ideas or statements are needed here!

References. List of all your browser tabs and literature you’ve used for writing.

1. Compose a well-targeted topic. That is important as this problem is too wide to discover it on the whole.
2. Read a lot. Firstly, find some general information about divorce to understand the very basics. Then consult as many sources as needed on your specific topic. Remember that you should be aware of all the questions you’re going to write about.
3. Make an outline. This will help you to structure your research and be logical in your presentation. Look through it and think whether your ideas are placed in a consequent way. The outline example you may find below.
4. Structure. You should have three parts of your research – introduction, main body, and conclusion. They also need to be divided into paragraphs. A good idea is to write a separate paragraph for every new idea.
5. References. Don’t close all your browser tabs at once after finishing writing! As a rule, you are to add a roster of the sources you’ve used for your research.
6. Reread. If you haven’t written your research paper at the last hours before the deadline, it may be useful to leave it for a day or a couple and then reread it. You’ll be amazed at how you’ll see it with a clear mind! You may want to add or remove something.
7. Check. Before handing your work over to a teacher, you should check it for possible lexical or grammar mistakes. Fortunately, there are lots of websites that can do that quickly and free.

If your assignment is to write a research paper on divorce, this means that you may choose any aspect of the problem and examine it. As the topic is an emotional one, I believe it won’t be difficult to decide what exactly you want to work on. Nevertheless, here are some useful hints for you:

How to write a research paper on divorce?

Although divorce law varies extremely from country to country and may be easier or more difficult, a huge amount of couples still make the decision to divorce.

This is exactly why the problem is newsworthy, just imagine that your research may save someone’s family one day!

As you’ve already noticed, much attention is paid to the structure of the research paper. So below, you may find a two-in-one hint – an outline example for “Reasons for divorce” research paper and explanation of the structure.

Introduction. Here you are to give some background information, explain the problem, and introduce the reader to it.

Now, let’s take a look at a sample assignment. Say you have to write a paper for your Linguistics class. Take a look at this assignment from an actual college professor:

You’ve finished your preliminary draft and now you need to get it looking sexy for your prof. There are two ways to do this—revising and editing.

– students use their phones in class, which is a distraction to learning.

Now that you have that figured out, let’s move on to the next step: Crafting a reminder that you can revisit while you write.

– Look at the Assignment With a Critical Eye

– Revising comes first. Revising is when you literally re-vision the piece. You make big changes—fix transitions or pieces research alongside organization and structure.

All this should take you no more than 10 or 15 minutes. It may seem counter-intuitive, but using time to get organized saves you time later, and makes the writing process so much simpler. So, here it is, step-by-step:

Now that you have an idea of what’s needed, go ahead and write one or two sentences combining steps 1 and 2:

It is important to bear in mind that every new idea, in this case, an aspect of Shakespeare’s life and work, requires a separate paragraph.

Let’s say your research paper is about global warming, besides info (previous and current studies and such) about this topic, it’s useful to write about two opposing views or mention that some people believe it is a hoax. That way, you are covering both sides of the issue and show how unbiased you are.

Example: The history of medieval times in Europe and the Middle East was primarily characterized by armed conflict between Christians and Muslims. Christians called these conflicts the Crusades because they were fighting under the sign of the cross to save the holy lands of the Bible from being desecrated by non-Christians. However, the true reason for fighting for these lands was less than holy. What was the real reason behind Crusades? The underlying cause for Crusades was mainly a desire for economic gain that prompted the Christian leaders to send soldiers to fight in the Holy Land and efforts from the Church to, still, remain the biggest and undisputable authority.

• Assume that your reader isn’t familiar with the topic and start with basic info first. Imagine you’re reading a paper for a five-year-old. Give background, historical context, etc. You don’t have to go into the tiniest details, mentioning something useful, memorable will do the trick too
• It’s useful to research and include opinions of other, respected historical figures about your topic. For example, what other authors had to say about Shakespeare
• Don’t forget about conflicting views e.g. some people didn’t like Shakespeare and thought he was a fraud, it’s useful to mention that as well. Regardless of the topic, there are always pro- and anti- opinions, mention both sides
• Only include information you can support with reliable and trustworthy evidence. Don’t use Wikipedia, blogs and such, go for journals, books, respected websites, it all depends on the topic of course
• Give credit where credit is due, don’t forget to cite your sources
• The overall tone of your paper should be formal, don’t be scared to demonstrate your vast vocabulary skills
• Avoid wordiness, sentences should be concise. Every word you use should only contribute to the overall meaning of a sentence. Don’t use “fluff” just meet the word count
• When writing conclusions, briefly mention the most important arguments or research, explain the importance of the subject and what we can learn from it.

Writing an Outline for a Research Paper

• Introduction (explained above)
• Body – the central part of the paper and includes context or general information about the subject, existing arguments, detailed research. Here you can also include your argument, but only if a professor specifies it when sending out assignments. As mentioned above, research papers are usually concerned with facts, not opinions
• Conclusion – summary of main points, why the subject matters

Writing research paper for the very first time can be overwhelming, you’re nervous because you don’t want to make mistakes. Or maybe you’ve already worked on this type of paper before, but you want to know how to improve. I am going to help writing papers you out, regardless of your experience, by providing useful info and tips for writing a high-quality work. Let’s see how to write introduction and outline for a research paper (it’s easier than you think).

Research papers usually discuss serious topic or ideas, or the ones that are subjected to numerous debates. A writer i.e. you, has to a thorough research, find out as much as possible and combine previous and current research data on the topic. The paper should, also, include conflicting ideas or attitudes.

To simplify, use the following diagram when you have to work on a research paper.

The reference section is where you provide detailed information about all the references you used throughout your paper. This section should begin on a new page, with the word “References” centered at the very top of the page.

If you’ve never written an APA paper before, the formatting rules and guidelines can seem daunting and difficult at first. You might be used to writing papers in another format such as MLA or Chicago style, so it might take some time to get the hang of writing in APA format. Familiarizing yourself with some of the basics is a great place to start.

The title page is the cover page of your APA format paper. As its name suggests, the goal of the title page is to present the title. This is where you can inform and engage your reader without being too wordy.

If you need additional help with APA format, consider purchasing your own copy of the APA publication manual.

References

The exact format of this section can vary depending upon the type of paper you are writing. For example, if you are writing a lab report, the main body will include an introduction, a method section, a results section, and a discussion section.

The APA format is a set of citation and formatting guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. These guidelines are documented in the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" and are used by students and professionals in a variety of disciplines, including business, economics, nursing, and, of course, psychology.

The publication manual provides writers with a consistent formula for acknowledging the works of others. It also provides fairly comprehensive guidelines for how to order, structure, and format a paper, as well as practical writing and grammar tips.

According to the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," if there is a citation in the body of the paper, it must also appear in the reference list and vice versa.