PRL 112 - Legal Research & Writing I

1. Locate U.S. and Iowa Constitution
2. Identify constitutional issues
3. Use Iowa Code
   1. Describe contents of Iowa Code
   2. Select statutes through the index
   3. Discuss contents of statutes
   4. Explain meaning of statutes
4. Use Iowa Reports and Northwestern Reporters
   1. Describe contents of Iowa Reports
   2. Describe contents of Northwestern Reporters
   3. Select appropriate case law
   4. Discuss content of court opinions
   5. Explain meaning of court opinions
5. Explain digests
   1. Define digest
   2. Describe contents of digests
   3. Describe key number system
   4. Discuss digest topic selection
   5. Select appropriate cases from digest
6. Demonstrate technique for case research
   1. Explain role of case law
   2. Use digests
   3. Outline opinions
7. Compare Iowa Code and Iowa Code Annotated
   1. Explain similarities
   2. Explain differences
   3. Discuss advantages of each
8. Use Iowa Administrative Code
   1. Define administrative law
   2. Describe contents
   3. Select material through the index
   4. List necessary regulations
   5. Discuss regulations
9. Contrast statutes and regulations
10. State 5 main bodies of law
11. Label parts of court opinion
12. Analyze facts
    1. Identify parties
    2. Identify causes of action
    3. Describe pertinent sources of law
13. Analyze statutes
    1. Define statute
    2. Describe sources of statutes
    3. Explain breadth of application
    4. Discuss meaning of statutes
14. Use Iowa Rules of Court
    1. Identify sets of rules included
    2. Explain purpose of each set
    3. Identify applicable set of rules
    4. Relate rules to given situation
15. Cite all Iowa law sources
16. Summarize case opinions
    1. Identify parts of opinion
    2. Paraphrase necessary sections
    3. Select appropriate format
17. Write interoffice memos
    1. Analyze fact pattern
    2. Select applicable law
    3. Apply law to facts
    4. Utilize correct format
18. Use Shepard’s
    1. Describe Shepard’s
    2. Discuss applications
    3. Locate necessary citations