LLAW 2017
LECTURE 2
30 JANUARY 2023
LEGAL RESEARCH
AND WRITING II
Stephanie Biedermann
Senior Lecturer
[email protected]
WELCOME
BACK
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LAST TIME WE COVERED
• Introduction
• Course timetable and structure
• Overview: purpose of the course
• Approaches to legal writing and research
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COURSE TIMETABLE
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¡ No tutorials this week
¡ Tutorials begin the
REMINDERS week of Feb 6th (next
week)
¡ Finalize tutorial group
selection ASAP
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OUTLINE
• Follow-up from the end of Lecture 1
• Oral presentation skills
• Intro to Assignment 1
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LEGAL WRITING
AND LEGAL
RESEARCH ARE
MAKING CONNECTIONS INTER-DEPENDENT
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¡ Term papers / essays / thesis / dissertation
¡ Law exam answers
¡ Supervisor / boss assignments or questions
LEGAL ¡
¡
Law journal articles or other articles
Moot court / oral arguments
RESEARCH ¡ Law coursework assignments
SITUATIONS ¡
¡
Experiential learning classes
Client questions
¡ Letters of advice
¡ Legal agreements
¡ Court submissions / skeleton arguments
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LEGAL RESEARCH
SITUATIONS
Term papers / Law journal Law
Law exam
Academic essays / thesis
/ dissertation
answers
articles or
other articles
coursework
assignments
Experiential Moot court /
Hybrid learning
classes
oral
arguments
Supervisor / Court
boss Client Letters of Legal submissions /
Practical assignments questions advice agreements skeleton
or questions arguments
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TYPES OF PROFESSIONAL LEGAL ROLES
¡ Solicitors ¡ Barristers
¡ Practical legal research ¡ Court written and oral submissions
¡ Letters of advice ¡ Persuasive writing and oral advocacy
¡ Agreement / contract writing ¡ Skeleton arguments
Same fundamental legal skillset required
We will practice elements of both
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OUTLINE
• Follow-up from the end of Lecture 1
• Oral presentation skills
• Intro to Assignment 1
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PLANNING STAGE
¡ Adequate, careful preparation is key
¡ Preparation is as important (if not more important) than delivery
Let that sink in for a minute…
Do we really believe this? If so, why?
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SIMILARITIES TO LEGAL WRITING
Importance of audience Need to know your goal
- Level of legal knowledge - What is the purpose of your presentation?
- Knowledge of subject matter - What are you trying to achieve?
- Familiarity with specialized vocab
- Framing / points for emphasis
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Explain
• Share knowledge
• Communicate ideas
2 TYPES OF • Demonstrate your
own research /
GOALS competence / Persuade
expertise
• Encourage a particular point
(USUALLY…) of view or interpretation
• Advise on a particular action
or decision
• Recommend that someone
think in a certain way
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¡ Key takeaway points
¡ Be clear about your main theme and the major
WHAT IS elements that support the theme
YOUR ¡ Be thoughtful about scope – if you try to cover
too much, your takeaway points have less
MESSAGE? impact (or get lost entirely)
¡ Think about how to come back to your main
points (strategic repetition for emphasis)
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1. Overview / preview / executive summary / interest grabber
2. Introduction
SIMPLE 3. Main content Addresses classic audience Q:
Why should I care?
STRUCTURE
How does this involve me?
¡ Logical progression Why should I be interested?
¡ Thoughtful sequence
¡ Appropriate level of detail for time /audience (not overloaded)
4. Conclusion / reiteration of key messages or takeaway points
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UNDERSTAND PARAMETERS
¡ Part of your design and planning process, not an
afterthought
¡ Time limit most important
¡ Tailoring to entirety of presentation environment
(audience, format, room set-up)
¡ Will reflect on your planning ability to your listeners
¡ Running over – may lose your audience, be forced to rush
your content (or skip parts entirely)
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¡ Fixed topic vs. topic of your choice
ARE THESE
DIFFERENT
QUESTIONS?
¡ What do I need to
explain?
¡ What does my audience
need to know?
¡ What do I want my
audience to know (and is
this up to me?)
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PRESENTATION TIPS
¡ Signpost your key messages
¡ Link back to main theme often
¡ Preparation serves several purposes:
¡ Speak more slowly than conversational pace
¡ Opportunity to see actual timing
¡ We tend to speed up when are nervous /
feel attention directed at us ¡ Gives you practice using visuals + planning what to
say vs. what’s on the slide
¡ Breathing room is important – pauses will
allow time for your key messages to sink ¡ Will ease nerves + help you feel ready
in with the audience ¡ Will show you what’s not working / flowing and
¡ Pauses impart emphasis where adjustments are needed
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¡ Watch for filler words and phrases
¡ Avoid reading from notes
¡ Use bullet points or slides themselves
¡ Notes not full sentences / scripts (why not?)
REHEARSALS ¡ Try to make eye contact with members of the audience periodically –
look around room
¡ Body language – act natural if possible
¡ Gestures ok if these are something that you typically use when
speaking (but no need to adopt if not)
¡ Think about Q&A (anticipate direction of potential follow-up and think
about how you would respond)
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TIPS FOR ONLINE MODE
¡ Your location (privacy / quiet area)
¡ Headphones vs. not Use as a tool even for talks that will be delivered in
person.
¡ Angle / height of computer
¡ Connection reliability
Create a meeting of 1, record yourself, then watch
¡ Good lighting the video to check your delivery and timing.
¡ Background (virtual / blurred / real one that you’re
comfortable showing) Local recording vs. cloud recording
¡ Check and confirm settings
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TIPS FOR PRESENTATION SLIDES
(OR OTHER VISUAL AIDS)
¡ Beware of too much text
¡ Balance between enough info to be understandable vs. overloaded
¡ Should be visual cues / reminders, not sentences to be read
¡ Thoughtful use of colors, graphics, and Smart Art – these should enhance understanding and
retention rather than be distracting
¡ Do include images, charts, tables, etc. if these will help you, but:
¡ If you put it in, refer to it
¡ If you don’t need it, take it out
¡ Cite properly
¡ Data in charts vs. data as text
¡ Think about how audience will most effectively see the point you are making
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23
HK Immigration’s
USM flow chart
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https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/d
ata-hub/charts/us-annual-refugee-
resettlement-ceilings-and-number-refugees-
admitted-united
WE’RE ALL STILL IMPROVING
• “Do as I say and not as I do”
• Public speaking is hard
• These are suggestions for improvement – few people get it right all
the time
• You will become more confident in time and with practice
• Take deep breaths
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OUTLINE
• Follow-up from the end of Lecture 1
• Oral presentation skills
• Intro to Assignment 1
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ASSIGNMENT 1:
NOW POSTED ON
MOODLE
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¡ You are applying for trainee contract or similar
legal position
¡ As part of the interview and selection process,
you have been asked to do a short
YOUR ROLE presentation on a legal topic of your choice
that is of personal interest to you
¡ You will be delivering this presentation to the
search committee (a.k.a. your tutor and
classmates during tutorial, as part of either
Tutorial 1 or Tutorial 2)
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PARAMETERS
¡ Free choice of topic (legal-related)
¡ Focus on practical aspects / application
¡ Goal: explain (not to persuade)
¡ Application of law in practice
¡ Audience: some legal background (but not experts on
topic)
¡ Time limit: 15 minutes (~10 min for presentation, up to 5
min of Q&A)
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YOUR TASK
¡ Plan your presentation and prepare PPT slides to accompany it
¡ Refer to suggestions from this lecture
¡ Submit the final version of your slides via Moodle by Friday, 03 February at 6 pm (this Friday)
¡ For fairness, no subsequent edits may be made to the submitted version
¡ You will receive credit on your slides based on completion and whether you submit them on time (you will not
receive a letter grade)
¡ Practice your presentation before tutorial
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QUESTIONS?
