In addition to first year legal research, two advanced legal research classes will be taught next semester. One is the general Advanced Legal Research class that will be taught Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-4:50. The other is a Federal Tax Research class that will be held Tuesdays from 9:30-10:20. These are great classes to expand your legal research skills and make you more marketable for employers. Below are the class descriptions.
Federal Tax Research – This course focuses on researching the basic documents generated by the IRS. Students are introduced to various hardcopy and online resources available to research these documents. They are assigned to research specific documents in assigned resources and to present an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the resources so that each resource can be compared and contrasted with other resources. The course culminates in an annotated bibliography by each student of a tax topic of the student’s choice, approved by the professor, in which the student uses the various resources introduced during the course of the semester to complete the bibliography.
Advanced Legal Research – Building on the skills taught in the first-year legal research courses, this course covers a variety of legal research topics and skills that will prepare students to become effective legal researchers in practice. Topics covered include advanced searching, free and low-cost legal research, statutory research, legislative history, administrative law, litigation practice materials, corporate and transactional research, municipal law, Utah legal research, and research in specific practice areas.