Writing Law Essays 101

Law essay writing can be tricky to do since it often requires a good deal of research on ever-changing and unfamiliar topics. Below are some helpful tips for students in making their law essays:

• Start the writing process for your law essays by reading the question carefully and take note of any key words or phrases you notice. Underline or mark them with a highlighter so you can easily go back to these when necessary.
• Consult your main law textbook and determine what it says about your topic. Note the resources used by looking at the footnotes. You can choose to to take notes on what you find relevant to your law essay writing as you go along or make a mental note of these for the meantime and go back to it at a later time.
• Read through your list of additional resources such as textbooks, journals, papers, and online sources in the same way you did in your main textbook. Since this may contain a long list, prioritise the most recent sources on the list, as these are likely to have the most up-to-date information. More importantly, the most recent articles will also have discussed, argued for and against and reached the same conclusions on the prior articles listed. From the most recent arguments, you can determine which of the older articles will be important enough to warrant a follow-up. You may also serendipitously find articles that would prove to be valuable knowledge sources for your law essays.

When you have already completed your preparations, you can begin writing your law essays. Use a plan that helps you tease apart the different elements of the question to ensure that you have covered all aspects of your law essay writing. If possible, present new information that you have not yet discussed in the course or in the main textbook.

In formulating your arguments and presenting your analysis for your law essays, it is important to present your original thoughts backed up with precedents and the discussion of other authors. Tutors and lecturers are likely to appreciate reading law essays that display innovative thinking and initiative. Be broad in the perspectives that you use in interpretation and analysis. Do not necessarily limit your discussion to concepts within law. Instead, explore other perspectives offered by other subjects related to law such as politics, sociology, economics, psychology, etc. Knowledge of these subjects may provide additional insights into your subject matter and give you a special angle that other students may not have considered.

As for the structure and format, always abide by the referencing style preferred by your university or professor. Try to be as concise as possible and only use as many words on an argument as it needs. It is important to remember that a good lawyer makes their points succinctly and does not need repetition to emphasise a good point
.