Research Instruction
Please reach out to Julie Graves Krishnaswami with questions.
Fall Semester 2024 | Scheduled Courses
History and Language Research in Legal Practice (20045-01)
Units: 2, Credit or Fail
Instructor: Steven Mitchell
Thursdays 4:10 PM -6:30 PM, SLB- 111
In recent decades, American courts have taken an increased interest in incorporating interdisciplinary research into their legal decision-making process. This course introduces students to interdisciplinary research sources and methodologies in legal practice through the lens of two areas which have recently gained legal valence: history and language. Through exercises, research projects, and discussions of readings, students will learn how to critically address the pragmatic and theoretical questions a practicing lawyer should consider in research and apply them to legal research: namely how to practically identify, find, evaluate, apply, and ethically use information in the context of legal advocacy.
Practical Artificial Intelligence (20041-01)
Units: 1, Grade Mode: Credit or Fail
Instructors: Jason Eiseman, Steven Mitchell, and Nor Ortiz
Wednesdays 3:10 PM -5:00 PM, SLB- 122 (first seven weeks of the term)
This class will explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence in the field of legal research. Students will gain hands-on experience with AI technology, gaining a solid foundation in AI and its practical applications within law: how AI tools can enhance general productivity, innovative scholarship, and revolutionize law practice. Through hands-on workshops, case studies, and discussions with industry experts, students will learn to leverage AI responsibly and effectively, preparing them for a future where AI is an integral part of legal work and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to navigate the AI landscape with confidence and creativity.
Rare Books and Manuscripts for Legal Historical Research (20042-01)
Units: 1, Credit or Fail
Instructor: Kathryn James
Wednesdays 1:10 PM -3:00 PM, LAW LIBRARY - RARE BOOK ROOM (first seven weeks of the term)
This course equips J.D., LL.M., and M.S.L. students with the skills and experience to engage with rare book and manuscript collections for legal historical research. The course focuses on medieval and early modern legal practices of textual production, circulation, and reception, to introduce practices and methodologies applicable to the study of textual artifacts for other historical periods. The course will meet in the Law Library’s Rare Book Room and the Beinecke Library, drawing on Yale University’s internationally-recognized law rare book and manuscript collections. Topics include: manuscript and print traditions; approaches to paleography; professional writing and legal documents; histories of law publishing, circulation, and readership; material cultures of law practice; collection development and canon formation.
Assignments will be hands-on, asking students to engage with rare book and manuscript collections each week. Some examples include: transcribing a passage from an early modern manuscript; locating a citation in early manuscript and printed editions of a text; describing the material and textual components of an historical legal document.
Research Methods and Sources in Critical Legal Theory (20043-01)
Units: 1 or 2, Credit or Fail, counts toward experiential unit requirement
Instructor: Nicholas Mignanelli
Wednesdays 3:10 PM -5:00 PM, BAKER 124 (first seven weeks of the term)
This research course intended for aspiring movement lawyers and critical legal scholars begins with a deconstruction of the traditional legal research process and an exploration of Critical Legal Research methods and strategies. In the classes that follow, students will be exposed to the respective research methods, practices, and sources of critical legal studies, feminist legal theory, and Critical Race Theory. This course concludes with an examination of the political economy of legal information and critical assessments of emerging law practice technologies. Students who wish to qualify for a second unit will need to write a paper. Late Drop Policy: Students must attend the first class meeting.
Spring Semester 2025 | Scheduled Courses
Note: Courses will be updated with times when they are available.
Advanced Legal Research: Methods and Sources (21027)
Units: 2 or 3, graded, counts toward experiential unit requirement
Instructor: John Nann
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 must complete a series of assignments and presentations in addition to other course requirements. Students who wish to qualify for a third unit must write a paper in addition to the other course requirements.
Introduction to Legal Research Methods and Sources (21486)
Unit: 1, Credit or Fail
Instructor: Nicholas Mignanelli
Thursdays 4:10 PM -6:00 PM (first seven weeks of the term)
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 first-year J.D., LL.M., and M.S.L. students. Note: Attendance on the first day of class is required.
Research Methods in Environmental Law (21484)
Unit: 1 Grade: Credit or Fail
Instructors: Michael VanderHeijden and Joy Hovestadt
Thursdays 10:10 AM -12:00 PM (meets once weekly for the first half of the term)
This course will provide in-depth exposure to the resources and research strategies used in the practice of environmental law. Although there is a particular focus in the first half of the course on both legislative and administrative law research, students will also explore current awareness tools, specialized databases of business and company information, science and statistics resources, and information generated and gathered by state and federal governments. The course is designed to prepare students to research environmental legal materials and non-legal materials for use in their clinical, academic, and professional pursuits. Students will be required to complete a series of practical assignments, applying the methods, and using the sources discussed in class.
Research Methods in Foreign and International Law (21487)
Units: 2, Credit or Fail, counts toward experiential unit requirement
Instructors: Lucie Olejnikova and Evelyn Ma
Meets for the first ten weeks of the term
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.
Research Methods in Statutory and Regulatory Law (21493)
Unit: 1, Credit or Fail
Instructor: Julie Krishnaswami
Meets for the first nine weeks of the term
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.
Research Methods in United States Legal History (21080)
Units: 2, Graded, counts toward experiential unit requirement
Instructor: John Nann
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.
Specialized Legal Research in Corporate Law (21489)
Unit: 1, Credit or Fail, counts toward experiential unit requirement
Instructors: Rachel Gordon and Jason Eiseman
Tuesdays 10:10 AM -12:00 PM (first seven weeks of the term)
1 unit, credit/fail. This legal research course will focus on corporate law research in a law firm setting. Secondary sources and research techniques specific to the practice of corporate law will be covered. Research topics may include transactional legal research, company and market research, securities research, competitive intelligence, financial analysis, current awareness, form finding and document construction, corporate and nonprofit governance, practitioner's tools, and other relevant areas based on student interest. Students will be required to complete a series of in-class assignments. The course will meet once weekly for the first half of the term.