Introduction to Legal Research

Catalog description

Legal research is one of the most important skills you will need entering your 1L summer. In this course, you will deepen your knowledge of the sources and methods used in legal research, including finding aids, advanced search, and tools such as Shepard's, Key Numbers, and generative AI. You will (1) engage with core secondary and primary U.S. legal information sources, to understand how this material is used, organized, published, indexed, and kept current and how to efficiently find and use these sources; (2) build research skills to approach legal research questions in any area of law; and (3) develop strategies to effectively use both familiar and unfamiliar research databases, sources, and tools, including legal AI tools. Learning legal research requires a hands-on approach, so students will be graded on: active in-class participation and engagement with in-class materials, research exercises completed outside of class, and written assignments. There will not be a final exam. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar website https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/. Click SUNetID Login in the top right corner of the page and then click the "Consent Courses" tab. See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline. This course is only open to first-year JD (1L) students.