Research and Writing Seminar
All LL.M.s take a fall semester two-credit Legal Research and Writing seminar, specifically designed to introduce foreign lawyers to the basic principles of American legal writing. In small class settings and individual conferences, students receive guidance on drafting and editing memoranda and agreements. Their work is critiqued and rewritten. The research component of the seminar trains students to locate cases, statutes and secondary material through indexing systems and the latest computer technology. Research assignments are integrated into writing assignments -- exposing students to the methods of US legal analyses -- so that by the end of the term, students obtain the skills needed to write memoranda appropriate for submission to US law firms
The LL.M. Writing Seminar will be supervised by Professor Robert Volk, the Director of the First Year Writing Program. His office, as well as the Writing Program office, is located in Room 752.
BOOKS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Writing seminar classes will begin the week of September 5th and will meet most weeks during the first semester.
A. Booklist and Syllabus
1. Bouchoux, Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers (2d ed. 2009)
2. Sloan, Basic Legal Research (3d ed. 2006)
3. The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed. 2005)
Recommended (but not required): Strunk and White, The Elements of Style
B. Assignments for the first class
For the first class, please read Bouchoux, ch. 4 and Appendix B.
C. Notices
All notices regarding the Writing Program will be posted on Blackboard and on the 7th floor bulletin boards. The course number is JD893 (Writing LLMs). LL.M.’s are responsible for checking for information about class schedules, room changes, assignments, messages from instructors, and other assignments.
SCHEDULE
You will receive your class section assignment at orientation. All writing seminars will begin during the week of September 3rd. Please note that Monday September 3rd is a holiday and the law school will be closed. Class for sections 1 and 2 will be rescheduled for that week only. If you are not able to attend the make-up class, please contact Erin Checka at echecka@bu.edu.
| SECTION | DAY | TIME | ROOM | INSTRUCTOR |
| 1 | Monday | 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm | 1470A | Marni Caputo |
| 2 | Monday | 11:00 am to 12:15 pm | 520 | Nadine Donovan |
| 3 | Friday | 10:00 am to 11:15 am | 1470C | Christine Durkin |
| 4 | Monday | 11:00 am to 12:15 pm | 832 | Alexis Hamdan |
| 5 | Friday | 11:00 am to 12:15 pm | 832 | Alexis Hamdan |
| 6 | Thursday | 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm | 1470B | Ingrid Houghton |
| 7 | Wednesday | 9:45 am to 11:00 am | 832 | Lauren Michael Korn |
| 8 | Tuesday | 10:00 am to 11:15 am | 1470B | Marjorie Lichtenberger |
| 9 | Friday | 11:00 am to 12:15 pm | 1470B | Seema Lynch |
| 10 | Tuesday | 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm | 1434 | Eva Zelnick |
Section 1:
The first class for this section will be rescheduled for Wednesday, September 5th at 6:30 in room 832.
Section 2:
The first class for this section will be rescheduled for Tuesday, September 4th at 6:40 pm in room 832.
Seminar schedules will be posted each week on the web site for the class (JD 893).
LIBRARY RESEARCH AND WRITING CLASSES (1 hour each, 3 classes total):
The library research classes are designed to introduce students to the basics of legal research in the United States legal system. The three classes are designed to model the research process: starting with secondary sources, moving on to statutes and finishing with cases. The first class will demonstrate analyzing a research problem, selecting research terms and applying these in an appropriate secondary source. The second class will introduce statutory codes as found on the federal and state level. The class focus on the best way to find and use a statutory section. The last class will deal with researching and updating cases. Students will be introduced to search techniques used in the two major U.S. legal databases: Lexis and Westlaw. All classes will integrate print and electronic research with hands-on exercises.
| SECTION | ROOM # | TIME | DAY & DATES |
| 1 | 334 | 2:00-3:30 pm | Wednesdays, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26 |
| 2 | 334 | 3:30-5:00 pm | Fridays, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 |
| 3 | 334 | 3:30-5:00 pm | Mondays, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24 |
| 4 | 323 | 11:00 am-12:30 pm | Tuesdays, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25 |
| 5 | 323 | 3:30-5:00 pm | Fridays, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 |
| 6 | 334 | 11:00 am-12:30 pm | Fridays, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 |
| 7 | 323 | 11:00 am-12:30 pm | Fridays, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 |
| 8 | 323 | 2:00-3:30 pm | Wednesdays, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26 |
| 9 | 323 | 3:30-5:00 pm | Mondays, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24 |
| 10 | 334 | 3:30-5:00 pm | Fridays, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28 |
PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend a library class because of a scheduling conflict, you must contact David Bachman at dbachman@bu.edu to arrange to attend a makeup session.