Research Instruction for 2023-2024

Welcome (back) to Yale Law School!  As you get ready to choose your classes for this upcoming year, we offer several research courses for your consideration. Research courses range from 1-3 credits, with some meeting over the whole term and others meeting over half of the term. From generalized courses to subject specific, we are sure you'll find something valuable.

Fall Semester 2023 | Scheduled Courses

Please reach out to Julie Graves Krishnaswami with questions.

Advanced Legal Research: Methods and Sources (21027)

2 or 3 units. This course is an advanced exploration of the specialized methods and sources of legal research in the following areas: secondary legal authority, case law, statutory authority, legislative history, court rules and practice materials, and administrative law. The course also covers the legal research process, organizing and managing research, and other efficient and effective legal research strategies. Throughout the course, students will learn how to evaluate new and emerging legal research and law practice technologies and discuss historical, social, economic, and critical perspectives on legal information. Class sessions will use simulations of legal research problems. A laptop computer is required for each class session. Students are required to complete a series of assignments and presentations, in addition to other course requirements. Students who wish to qualify for a third unit will need to write a paper, in addition to the other course requirements. Taught by John B. Nann.

Research Methods in Statutory and Regulatory Law (21493)

This course will teach students to research statutes, agency regulations, agency cases, and other sources of statutory and administrative law, using a variety of print and online sources. The goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the sophisticated research skills required for finding statutory and administrative authority in its various forms, including legislative history, enabling statutes, proposed and final agency regulations, decisions, opinions and policy, and executive orders. Emphasis will be on researching using free, government resources, but students will also learn how to conduct regulatory research using directories and other databases. Although the primary focus of this course will be on researching federal statutory and administrative law, one class session will be devoted to researching state and local administrative law. Students will be evaluated based on class participation and on a final research project focused on a regulatory issue and agency of their choosing. The skills requirement may be satisfied by taking this course with another 1-unit legal research course. This course will meet weekly for seven weeks in the second half of the term. Taught by Julie Graves Krishnaswami.

Research Methods in Judicial History (20585)

1 unit, credit/fail. During oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, Chief Justice John Roberts referred to the private papers of the late Associate Justice Harry A. Blackmun. “It’s an unfortunate source,” Chief Justice Roberts observed, “but it’s there.” Long the domain of legal historians and court biographers, judicial history materials are now poised to become an increasingly serious source of persuasive authority in appellate practice. Judicial history materials, here intended as an analog to legislative history materials, refer to those documents generated by a court in the process of hearing and deciding a case. These materials include but are not limited to court filings, transcripts, internal memos, and personal papers. This course will explore methods and strategies for identifying and obtaining these materials, as well as their various uses and policies governing preservation and access. Students will be graded on a series of short assignments. The course will meet weekly for the first half of the semester. Taught by Nicholas Mignanelli and Michael VanderHeijden.

Spring Semester 2024 | Scheduled Courses

Please reach out to Julie Graves Krishnaswami with questions.

Advanced Legal Research: Methods and Sources (21027)

2 or 3 units. This course is an advanced exploration of the specialized methods and sources of legal research in the following areas: secondary legal authority, case law, statutory authority, legislative history, court rules and practice materials, and administrative law. The course also covers the legal research process, organizing and managing research, and other efficient and effective legal research strategies. Throughout the course, students will learn how to evaluate new and emerging legal research and law practice technologies and discuss historical, social, economic, and critical perspectives on legal information. Class sessions will use simulations of legal research problems. A laptop computer is required for each class session. Students are required to complete a series of assignments and presentations, in addition to other course requirements. Students who wish to qualify for a third unit will need to write a paper, in addition to the other course requirements. Taught by Julie Graves Krishnaswami and Rachel Gordon.

Introduction to Legal Research Methods and Sources (21486)

1 unit, credit/fail. This course equips first-year J.D. students with the foundational legal research knowledge and skills they will need in internships, summer associateships, seminars, journals, clinics, and research assistantships. Topics include legal authority; secondary and primary sources; search strategies; finding and validating cases and statutes; legislative history materials; regulatory research basics; AI- and LLM-based legal research and law practice technologies; and historical, social, economic, and critical perspectives on legal information. This course covers the legal research skills that will be tested on the NextGen Bar Exam beginning in July 2026. Enrollment limited to 1L, LL.M., and M.S.L. students. Taught by Nicholas Mignanelli.

Research Methods in Foreign and International Law (21487)

2 units, credit/fail. Explores methods for finding the major sources of international law, including treaties and customary law; the material from the UN and other inter-governmental organizations; and laws from nations other than the United States. Particular attention is paid to practical research issues and solutions using both print and electronic resources. Research interests of the class and other specialized topics may also be explored. Minimum enrollment of five required. This course will meet weekly for ten weeks in the first half of the term. Taught by Lucie Olejnikova and Evelyn Ma.

Research Methods in United States Legal History (21080)

2 units. This seminar will examine the methods and major materials used in American historical legal research, whether for scholarly pursuits or professional advocacy. It will cover early judicial, statutory, and constitutional sources; court records; government documents; biographical materials and personal papers of lawyers and judges; other manuscript collections; and early sources of U.S. international law and civil law. Paper required. Enrollment minimum of five students. Taught by John B. Nann.

Technology in the Practice of Law (28579)

1 unit, credit/fail. This course will explore and investigate the evolution, use, and impact of current and emerging technologies in law practice. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a game changer, fast tracking the integration of technology tools in the practice of law, and completely transforming the traditional law practice environment. While the focus will be on large practice groups, there will also be some discussion on smaller to midsized law firms. Tools for client management, electronic discovery, knowledge management, data analytics, and competitive intelligence will be analyzed. In addition, the growing adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, virtual and augmented reality devices will be explored. Ethical issues relating to proper use of technology, data management, and disparities in technology access will be discussed. This course will meet in the first half of the term. Taught by Femi Cadmus