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Course Work Answer Book
UNIVERSITY COURSE WORK
REGISTRATION NUMBER VU-LLB-2311-0309-DAY
Title of The Program (eg BBA, BSC, BPH, BSWA) LLB
Bachelor of Laws
Department Other Depts in School of Law
Faculty School of Law
Year Of study (YrI , YrII, YrIII, or YrIV) 2
Module Code and Name 1204 LAW
Legal Methods
Semester 1
Retake: Yes ☐ No ☒ (Tick whichever is applicable)
Date of Course Work Sun Jan 26 2025 14:24:29 GMT+0300 (East Africa Time)
DIRECTIONS TO CANDIDATES (Turn to page ii for FOR USE BY EXAMINERS ONLY
more instructions). Question Internal External
1. Leave margin blank. Number Examiner Examiner
2. Begin each answer on a fresh page.
3. Write the number of each question and
theCandidate's Number at the top of each page.
4. Write the numbers of the questions
which you have attempted, with sub
sections where necessary, in the spaces
provided below
TOTAL
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS you have answered in the order in which you have written them
Class Presentation
How and where should I submit my Course Work script?
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Every student will be required to submit their Course Work via HYPERLINK "https://vclass.ac/"VClass
Students Portal E.g. you go to HYPERLINK "http://www.vclass.ac"www.vclass.ac and login, to your
account, then on the left sidebar menu click on Course Work.
Under Course Work you will see the following: -
a) Instructions for that particular Course Work with time required to finish your Course Work
as per instructions,
a) A student will be required to download the question paper and the answer sheet provided
by the university within the same module Course Work, or a student can be required to
attempt structured questions within the system depending on how the Course Work was
set.
b) Submission of answered questions is done,
c) Student is required to click to consent to show that the answered Course Work belongs to
them.
d) Note that if Course Work is for download, a student will be required to download the
question paper and answer sheet, do their Course Work within the given stipulated time.
e) Required to scan and upload back the answered booklet through the same portal as per
format available.
f) Course Work uploaded will directly be received by the Registry department.
g) Students here are required to use HYPERLINK "https://vclass.ac"VClass e-Learning systemfor
all Course Work and for any failure they can contact the Registry department for guidance.
h) No late submission will be accepted.
Avoid any malpractice because this will attract severe penalties such as invalidating the
answered script whose consequences will attract retakes.
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Class Presentation – Written Submission
Topic: Legal Research and Writing
Group Members: Angubua Peter & Abwooli Muzamilu
Definition:
Legal research can be defined as the process of identifying and retrieving information
necessary to support legal decision-making1.
Black's Law Dictionary 11th Edition defines legal research as (1) the finding and assembling
of authorities that bear on a question of law. (2) The field of study concerned with the
effective marshalling of authorities that bear on a question of law 2. It means that legal
research is concerned with the process you use to identify and find the laws including
statutes, regulations, and court opinions that apply to the facts of your case.
In most cases, the purpose of legal research is to help one find support for a specific legal
issue or decision. For example, lawyers must conduct legal research if they need court
opinions (that is, case law) to back up a legal argument they are making in a motion or brief
filed with the court. In Masaba & 3 Others v Makheti & 2 Others 2025 UGHC 8
(_250130_162221) Misc Application No. 131 of 2024, the learned trial Judge stated “Before
addressing any preliminaries in this matter, I find it necessary to express my disappointment
with Counsel for consistently bringing applications under repealed provisions of the law. It is
judicially noted that, effective 1st July 2024, Uganda’s principal laws were revised under the
7th Revised Edition which introduced several changes to legal provisions. Despite this
Counsel has failed to reflect these updates and continues to cite outdated provisions. For
instance, Counsel cited section 33 of the Judicature Act, which is now Section 37, and
referenced incorrect chapter numbers for both Civil Procedure Act and the Judicature Act.
Such oversights reflect lack of diligence on the part of Counsel”. This is a clear manifestation
of Counsel not doing proper legal research in the instant matter.
1
Wikipedia
2
Bryan A. Garner, Black’s Law Dictionary, 11th Edition
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Lawyers must do sufficient legal research to provide clients with accurate legal guidance. In
the case of law students, we use legal research to complete assignments and case briefs in
case analysis for class work.
Meanwhile, Legal writing in English refers to the practice of crafting written documents
within the legal field, utilizing specific terminologies and a formal style to clearly
communicate legal arguments, analysis, and information related to a case or legal matter.
This often includes writing legal contracts, briefs, and letters with the goal of achieving a
desired outcome for a client. Black's Law Dictionary defines legal writing as the expression
of ideas using letters that can be seen.
Therefore, one can say that Legal research and writing is concerned with the processes of
finding and analysing legal information and then effectively presenting that information in a
clear and persuasive manner.
Legal Research involves:
a. Identifying relevant laws, statutes, regulations, and case laws that are relevant for a
particular matter. In Masaba & 3 Others v Makheti & 2 Others 2025 UGHC 8
(_250130_162221) Misc. Application No. 131 of 2024, Counsel demonstrated that he did
not do sufficient legal research in the matter before the trial Judge. The trial Judge stated
“Before addressing any preliminaries in this matter, I find it necessary to express my
disappointment with Counsel for consistently bringing applications under repealed
provisions of the law. It is judicially noted that, effective 1 st July 2024, Uganda’s
principal laws were revised under the 7th Revised Edition which introduced several
changes to legal provisions. Despite this Counsel has failed to reflect these updates and
continues to cite outdated provisions. For instance, Counsel cited section 33 of the
Judicature Act, which is now Section 37, and referenced incorrect chapter numbers for
both Civil Procedure Act and the Judicature Act. Such oversights reflect lack of diligence
on the part of Counsel”
b. Utilizing various resources such as legal databases, law libraries, or online legal
information sources to retrieve legal information. In the case of doing legal research
within Ugandan legal framework, such sources can be ULII, published law reports and
other legal materials, published High Court Bulletins etc.
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c. Evaluating the reliability and relevance of the legal materials found. In Masaba & 3
Others v Makheti & 2 Others 2025 UGHC 8 (_250130_162221) Misc Application No.
131 of 2024, it appears Counsel did not evaluate reliability and relevance of the
referenced laws before filing the Misc Application No. 131/2024.
Legal Writing refers to the creation of legal documents, which may include but not limited to
Legal Memoranda, Legal Briefs, Pleadings, Legal Contracts, Legal opinions etc. In Uganda,
legal research conducted is guided by a framework that incorporates aspects of English
Common Law and African customary law. Key elements to consider when conducting legal
research within the Ugandan context:
a. Legal Foundations: While conducting legal research, it is important to consider that
Uganda's legal system is primarily based on the English Common Law, supplemented by
African customary law, which applies as long as customary law does not conflict with
statutory laws of Uganda.
b. Primary Legal Materials: While conducting legal research in the context of Uganda, it is
important to note that the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended) is
the highest law and serves as the foundation for all other national legislation. When
conducting research in any matter, it is crucial to start with this supreme law of the land.
c. Legal Institutions: While conducting legal research, it is important to consider that the
Law Development Centre is responsible for publishing law reports and other legal
materials, though it has primarily issued High Court Bulletins to date. Hence legal
institutions like LDC form a critical source of information for legal research.
d. Legal Information Resources: While conducting legal research, it is important to know
that the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII) offers free access to legal information,
hence making it a valuable resource of information for legal research on any matter in
Uganda.
e. Research Approach: For students like the LLB 2.1, it is important to note that effective
legal research often starts with secondary materials, such as legal textbooks, journals, and
dictionaries. These sources help students gain context and understanding before delving
into case law and statutory laws.
To conduct effective legal research and writing on a matter under the Ugandan legal system,
it is important one follows the following basic steps:
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1. Identifying the Legal Issue:
This is the first step into conducting an effective legal research in any matter at hand. One
must clearly define the legal question or issue you need to research on, without which no
effective legal research and writing can be done.
2. Gathering Primary information:
Primary information concerning the subject matter can be obtained from statutes,
regulations, and case laws. For our case, key resources include:
o The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda as amended
o The various Acts of Parliament (Legislation from the Parliament of Uganda)
o Judgments from the Uganda Supreme Court and Court of Appeal
3. Consult Secondary Sources:
Use of legal textbooks, journals, and commentaries that analyse and interpret the law
relating to the matter at hand.
4. Use of Online Sources:
Access legal databases such as the Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII) for case
law and legal materials.
5. Organize Findings and Drafting legal documents:
It is good practice to take notes and categorize the information gathered based on
reliability and relevance to your legal issue at hand. It is good practice to follow a
structured format for legal writing, including the following as minimums:
o Introduction
o Brief facts or statement of facts
o Legal analysis
o Conclusion
6. Proper citation:
It is important to use appropriate citation styles as per Ugandan legal standards. It is also
important to make reference to relevant laws applicable to the matter at hand unlike in
Masaba & 3 Others v Makheti & 2 Others 2025 UGHC 8 (_250130_162221) Misc
Application No. 131 of 2024 which forced the trial judge to state his position on
appropriateness and relevance of laws cited by Counsel.
7. Review, Revise and Seek Guidance:
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It is important to review, edit research work for clarity, coherence, and legal accuracy
before publishing of filing. There is the common saying that “no man is an island”.
Seeking guidance from colleagues, seniors in the profession if needed, consult with
mentors for insights and feedback on a particular matter always enhances research work
quality and relevance.
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