This seminar is designed to introduce J.S.D. students to research methods and techniques and to become familiar with recent legal scholarship in areas relevant to the students’ areas of study.  It meets at a time designated by mutual agreement among the participants. Only J.S.D. students may register for this course.

Sequence and Prerequisites: None

This course provides important background on the U.S. legal system, the approach to learning law in a U.S. classroom, basic legal research and writing skills, as well as effective communication and classroom participation skills. Students will learn how to research legal authorities, analyze legal problems using these authorities, and convey that analysis in a written form which adheres to the conventions of the U.S. legal profession.

In this course, students in the second semester of their third year will revisit and refine the analytical skills they acquired in their first-year course on Legal Writing and Analysis. The focus will be on mastering a systematic, stepped process for analyzing legal problems, which will prove useful to students both in the daily practice of law and in their preparation for the state bar examination. Students will practice bringing this stepped methodology to bear on problems resembling those used on the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) component of the bar examination. The students also will receive individualized feedback on these practice exercises in both group and individual settings.  This is a pass/fail course.

Sequence and Prerequisites: None

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on a pass/fail method, based on writing assignments throughout the course.

Clear writing is an essential part of law practice, particularly when your audience is, as it sometimes will be, a general one. Lawyers need to be able to explain legal concepts, circumstances, or opinions to a lay audience in a way that is interesting, accurate, and jargon-free. In this class you will read a great deal of clear and concise narrative writing that is also faithful to the law. You will also do independent research and construct your own longform narrative involving a particular case. Good writing requires a willingness to critically and constantly revise your work. With that in mind, your writing will be critiqued often throughout the semester, both by your peers and the professor. Your grade will be based on class participation and this long paper. Satisfies upper level writing requirement.

Sequence and Prerequisites: None

Evaluation: Your grade will be based on class participation and this long paper. This course is eligible to satisfy the upper level writing requirement.

Preparation of articles and notes for publication in the University of Illinois Law Review; Elder Law Journal; Journal of Law, Technology and Policy; or Illinois Law Update section of the Illinois Bar Journal. May be repeated up to maximums set forth below.

Law 699 is an individual research and writing offering designed to lend flexibility to the law school program. It is intended for students who have a strong research and writing interest in a topic not covered by the curriculum. A student wishing to write a research paper for Law 699 credit should identify a faculty member willing to supervise the project. The student and faculty supervisor will work out the details of the project, including the scope of the paper, the number of hours of credit, and any other requirements.

After working out these details, the student should fill out a petition for Law 699 credit (available on the College of Law intranet), and turn it in to the Dean of Students. The faculty supervisor must approve and sign the petition before it is submitted to the Dean of Students. The faculty has adopted these guidelines concerning Law 699: (1) Two hours of credit in Law 699, cumulatively, is the total allowable maximum. (2) Law 699 is not available to students on academic probation. (3) To earn one credit hour, the student usually must produce a research paper of at least 20 pages (excluding footnotes). To earn two credit hours, the student usually must produce a research paper of at least 40 pages (excluding footnotes). (4) Most students will require at least 60 hours of writing and research to complete a one-credit Independent Study project, and at least 120 hours to complete a two-credit project. But in no event will the student receive credit without devoting at least 45 hours per credit to the project. To ensure that this minimum 45-hour requirement is satisfied, the student must keep a record of time devoted to the project. (5) The supervisor must be a University of Illinois Law faculty member. Students may use Law 699 to satisfy the upper-level writing requirement. In that case, the project must also satisfy the guidelines of that writing requirement.

Sequence and Prerequisites: None

Independent research under faculty supervision leading to the preparation of a master’s or doctoral thesis.

Sequence and Prerequisites: Open only to LLM or JSD students.

The Advanced Legal Research course is designed to allow interested students to further expand their general legal research knowledge and skills. The course will cover the following topics: Basic legal sources and research refresher; Online searching skills (Boolean logic, advanced natural language searching); Advanced Lexis and Westlaw (Citation analysis, specialized databases); Internet-based legal resources, including commercial and open access online research systems and resources, and cost-effective use of legal sources.

Through a series of transaction related assignments, students will learn to research, analyze, and write legal documents that govern future behavior.  Students will perform tasks commonly required of attorneys performing transactional work, including drafting corporate resolutions, forming corporate entities, and completing due diligence research. Students will also negotiate the terms of a deal and draft an Asset Purchase Agreement or Stock Purchase Agreement. 

Sequence and Prerequisites: Contracts and Legal Writing and Analysis are prerequisites.

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on a series of written assignments and a final transactional document project.  In order to be eligible for an upper level writing certification, student must successfully complete the course with a grade of a C or higher, as per the requirements in the Academic Policy Handbook.

Course Classification: Experiential

When a claim is first asserted against a client, a diligent attorney should investigate whether there is potential insurance coverage for the claim and should advise the client about necessary steps to secure that coverage.  Courts have recognized that an attorney’s failure to flag the insurance issue can constitute malpractice.  The attorney who represents the insurer has a corresponding obligation to analyze the claim and provide the policyholder with a timely, appropriate response to the claim.  This course provides students with the background necessary to effectively fulfill these obligations, whether their future clients are insurers or policyholders.                       

In addition, the course offers students instruction and feedback on writing assignments involving cutting-edge issues relevant to real-world practice in insurance law. 

Sequence and Prerequisites: Successful completion of the first-year curriculum, including the legal writing series.

Evaluation: Grades will be based on participation in class discussions and three writing assignments:

• A “Reservation of Rights” Letter: analyzing coverage for a claim based on applicable law and policy provisions in plain language (5-7 pages);
• A “Covenant Settlement” Agreement: assigning a tort defendant’s  right against its insurer to the claimant (7-10 pages); and
• Memorandum of Law in Support of a Motion for Summary Judgment in a Declaratory Judgment Action: may be on behalf of insurer or insured (10-15 pages).

Course Classification: Experiential