Legal Skills is structured in three parts, covering a full range of legal skills. The first part deals with sources of law and includes information on finding and using legislation, case law, books, journals, and official publications, making sure you understand where the law comes from, and how to use it. The second part covers academic legal skills and provides advice on study and writing skills, legal reasoning, referencing and avoiding plagiarism, essay writing, dissertations, problem solving, and revision and examinations. The final part of the book covers the practical legal skills of oral presentation, mooting, negotiation, and drafting.
Chapter
14. Essay writing
This chapter focuses on essay writing. Earlier sections of the book outlined techniques for locating and understanding primary and secondary legal sources. The chapter builds upon those skills by exploring the ways that this source material can be used in coursework. It guides students through the stages of planning, research, and construction of an essay, with practical advice on interpreting the question and producing a structured response that demonstrates the required skills and knowledge.
Chapter
9. Assessments and Assignments in Law
This chapter looks at some of the many different forms of assessment a law student may come across, depending on where they are studying and the subjects they choose. These include coursework, exams, multiple-choice tests, advocacy or other oral presentations, posters, and reflective reports. The chapter also considers dissertations and other research projects, and group work for assessment. The chapter gives advice on how to approach different types of assessment to enhance their chances of success. Specific guidance is also provided on responding to problem questions and essays, whether in coursework or exams including consideration of the IRAC and CEEO methods.
