Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This series of lectures and discussions introduces foreign-educated LL.M. students to the foundations of the U.S. legal system and the fundamentals of legal research, writing, and analysis. Exploring how U.S. lawyers analyze and frame legal positions, course topics will include: a comparative look at the American common law system and foreign civil law systems, the hierarchy of legal authorities, how to read a common law case, analogizing and distinguishing cases, avoiding plagiarism in American legal writing, and an introduction to the basics of American legal philosophy. It will meet during LL.M. Orientation in late August. Additionally, the course presupposes completion all the “0L” materials that will be made available online by the first week of August.

Note: This course is graded Credit/Fail; attendance at all sessions is mandatory.

Enrollment is limited to foreign-educated LL.M. students.