Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing » (1st Edition)

William Putman received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law and has been a member of the New Mexico Bar since 1975. For ten years he was an instructor in the Legal Assistant Studies Program at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Paralegal Studies Program at Santa Fe Community College, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Paralegals in training, those in practice and law students will greatly appreciate the wealth of information contained in Legal Research, Writing and Analysis. This book is written in laymen's terms with concepts clearly illustrated through numerous examples and hypotheticals. The material will prepare readers to perform tasks ranging from the drafting of interoffice legal memoranda summarizing research and analysis of issues involved in a client's case to the preparation of drafts of appellate court briefs. Readers will become familiar with such subject areas as conducting statutory and case law research and analysis, identifying key facts in a case, conducting counteranalysis and identifying issues. There is no other book available that covers as many areas of legal research, writing and analysis and in such an in-depth manner.

Chapter1: Introduction to Legal Principles and Authorities. Chapter 2: Introduction to Legal Research and Analysis. Chapter 3: Constitutions, Statutes, Administrative Law and Court Rules-Research and Analysis. Chapter 4: Case Law-Research and Briefing. Chapter 5: Secondary Authority'Encyclopedias, Treatises, American Law Reports, Digests, Shepards. Chapter 6: Secondary Authority'Periodicals, Restatements, Uniform Laws and Dictionaries, Legislative History and Other Secondary Authorities. Chapter 7: Computers and Legal Research. Chapter 8: Legal Citation. Chapter 9: Legal Analysis-Key Facts. Chapter 10: Legal Analysis'Issue Identification. Chapter 11: Legal Analysis'Stating the Issues. Chapter 12: Case Law Analysis-Is a Case on Point. Chapter 13: Counteranalysis. Chapter 14: Fundamentals of Writing. Chapter 15: The Writing Process for Effective Legal Writing. Chapter 16: Office Legal Memorandum Assignment, Issues, Facts. Chapter 17: Office Legal Memorandum'Analysis to Conclusion. Chapter 18: External Memorandums'Court Briefs. Chapter 19: Correspondence. Appendix A: Court Opinions. Appendix B: Appellate Brief. Appendix C: Overview of Legal Citation.