Basic Legal Research
Maloney Library reference librarians teach Basic Legal Research (BLR) as part of the required curriculum for first-year law students.
Advanced Legal Research
Advanced Legal Research (ALR) courses are offered throughout the year to upper-level law students.
Advanced Legal Research courses build upon the practical legal research skills learned in Basic Legal Research by solving real world legal research problems and receiving detailed feedback over the course of the semester. Students should expect to perform research during and outside of class.
Advanced Legal Research courses are designated as experiential courses.
Spring 2025 Research Courses
| Course | Instructor(s) | Day & Time |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Legal Research: Legal Process Innovation | Todd Melnick and Jocelyn Sagherian | Thursdays, 10:00AM-11:50AM |
| Advanced Legal Research: Essentials | Danielle Dascher and Wilson Holzhaeuser | Thursdays, 2-3:50PM |
| Advanced Legal Research: Taxation | Gail McDonald | Condensed course meeting 7 Tuesdays, 10:00AM-11:50AM |
| Advanced Legal Research: Workshop | Alissa Black-Dorward and Jamie Taylor | Mondays & Wednesdays, 11:00AM-12:25PM |
Summer 2025 Research Courses
| Course | Instructor(s) | Day & Time |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Legal Research: Essentials | TBD | TBD |
ALR Course Descriptions
ALR: Workshop (3 credits, spring semester)
Advanced Legal Research: Workshop is a 3 credit course that will focus on teaching efficient research skills, using print and online sources. We will cover the core concepts, materials and techniques for researching statutes, legislative history, regulations, cases and secondary sources. In addition, we will cover topics such as practice materials, legal analytics, non-legal research and foreign/international research. By the end of the course, students will be able to locate relevant primary and secondary materials and will be able to select the source that is most appropriate given considerations of time, cost, and availability of sources.
Law Practice Technology (2 credits, spring semester)
The Law Practice Technology course provides students with an understanding of current trends in technology for legal practice, as well as hands on experience with a number of tools. Topics covered include cybersecurity, electronic discovery, artificial intelligence, case management, competitive intelligence, and legal analytics.
ALR: Taxation (1 credit, spring semester)
The ALR” Taxation course focuses on teaching the skill of efficient research methodology for the area of federal income taxation. Significant treatment will be given to describing the tax legislative process, the importance of the various tax primary sources, and the major tax-specific research tools. Students will be able to locate relevant primary and secondary tax materials and will be able to select the source that is most appropriate given considerations of time, cost, and availability of sources.
ALR: Administrative Law (1 or 2 credits, offered every other spring)
The ALR Administrative Law course focuses on comprehensive research of administrative law sources, including statutes, regulations, regulatory decisions, and guidance. Students that complete the course will gain an understanding of what these sources are, how they relate to each other, and their functions within the practice of law. Particular attention is paid to legislative and administrative procedure.
ALR: Public Interest Law (2 credits, spring semester)
The ALR Public Interest Law course focuses on comprehensive research of sources used in public interest law, including free and low-cost resources. Students that complete the course will gain an understanding of what these sources are, how they relate to each other, and their functions within the practice of public interest work.
ALR: Foreign and International Law (2 credits, offered every other spring)
The ALR: Foreign and International Law course introduces students to researching in other jurisdictions and legal systems, including public and private international law. Students that complete the course will learn how to find and use a comprehensive selection of foreign and international legal research tools, as well as gain an understanding of what these sources are and their functions within the practice of law. Potential topics include international trade, human rights, the European Union, and mixed jurisdictions.
ALR: Copyright, Trademark, and Patent (2 credits, spring semester)
The ALR: Copyright, Trademark and Patent course focuses on researching intellectual property materials including application materials, agency materials, cases, regulations, and statutes. Students that complete the course will have an in-depth understanding of intellectual property resources and be able to locate copyright, patent and trademark information from paid and unpaid sources as well as locate relevant cases, regulatory materials, and statutes.
ALR: New York Legal Materials (1 credit, irregularly)
The ALR: New York Legal Materials course provides students with a focused overview of New York state and city legal materials. In this one-credit course, students will build upon the skills learned in Basic Legal Research while learning New York state and city resources. Students will be introduced to new topics, such as legislative history and local laws, and there will be significant opportunities for practice and feedback.
ALR: Essentials (2 credits, spring semester or 1 credit, summer)
The ALR: Essentials course provides students with an overview of the most important topics in legal research. In this one-credit course, students will re-visit and expand upon the skills learned in Basic Legal Research, including research strategy best practices and how to find cases. New topics, such as legislative history, are introduced, and significant opportunities for practice and feedback are provided. This course is occasionally offered as an online course.