LLAW2017

General Course Information

1.1 Course details

Course code: LLAW2017
Course name: Legal Research and Writing II
Programme offered under: LLB Programme
Semester: Second
Designated research course: Not applicable
Specialization: Not applicable
Prerequisites / Co-requisites: Legal Research and Writing I
Course offered to non-law students: No
Credit point value: 6 credits

1.2 Course description

Legal Research and Writing (‘LRW’) II is a foundation skills course offered in the second semester of the second year. It follows on the LRW I course offered in the first semester of the first year. LRW I introduces students to basic legal research and writing skills, while LRW II builds on those skills and concentrates on the development of more lawyerly skills including drafting and oral presentation skills.

LRW II is a skills-training course and has been certified as a communication intensive course. It emphasizes maximum participation –  how much you gain depends on how much you put in. The lectures and tutorials work in tandem to help students develop skills such as oral presentation, legal drafting, conducting research, problem solving, legal reasoning, and constructing persuasive arguments.

The skills that you acquire in this course will be useful to you throughout your legal study and your future career.

1.3 Course teachers

Name E-mail address Office Consultation
Course convenor / tutor Stephanie Biedermann sbied@hku.hk CCT 802 By email
Course tutor Jack Chan chanykjack@gmail.com N/A By email
Course tutor Raymond Chu rchu@bernacchichambers.com N/A By email
Course tutor Simon Kwok simon.kwok@lokschambers.com N/A By email
Course tutor Kevin Leung kevin.leung@lokschambers.com N/A By email
Course tutor Alex Mak makalex@hku.hk CCT 704 By email
Course tutor Dickie Mok ham-dick.mok@law.nyu.edu N/A By email
Course tutor Ivan Suen ivan.suen.27@gmail.com N/A By email
Course tutor Dixon Tse dixontse@plowmanchambers.com N/A By email
Course tutor Natasha Trapla ntrapla@@hku.hk N/A By email

Learning Outcomes

2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course

CLO 1 Legal research and analysis skills: identify and analyze the legal issues from factual problems, and use appropriate legal research resources to look for relevant materials.

CLO 2 Legal drafting skills: demonstrate appropriate use of plain English and applicable legal terminology in drafting simple legal documents and legal memoranda, and to express complex ideas clearly and concisely in writing.

CLO 3 Oral presentation and submission skills: prepare for oral presentation (in groups and individually); in conducting oral presentation, students will demonstrate confidence and persuasiveness, logical organization of ideas, effective design and use of slides, handouts, and/or other visuals to support the presentation, as well as effective teamwork.

2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/

2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course

PLO A PLO B PLO C PLO D PLO E PLO F
CLO 1
CLO 2
CLO 3

Assessment(s)

3.1 Assessment Summary

Assessment task Due date Weighting Feedback method* Course learning outcomes
Class contribution, participation in tutorials ongoing 15% 1-5 1, 2, 3
Writing exercises / presentations TBC 35% 1-5 1, 2, 3
Final in-hall exam 14 May 2024 50% 1-3 1, 2, 3
*Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher)
1 A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle
2 Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle
3 Individual review meeting upon appointment
4 Group review meeting
5 In-class verbal feedback

3.2 Assessment Detail

We will discuss each assessment area in more detail during class. Rubrics and additional guidelines will be available as assignments are distributed.

Final assessment will be in May 2024 (precise date TBA). Details will be announced via Moodle nearer the time.

Grading for assignments, in-class participation, and final assessment will follow the grading criteria issued by the Department of Law: https://course.law.hku.hk/content/uploads/2020/12/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf

3.3 Grading Criteria

Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf

Learning Activities

4.1 Learning Activity Plan

Lecture: 1 hour / week for 12 teaching weeks
Tutorial: 2 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks
Private study time: 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks

Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150  ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.

4.2 Details of Learning Activities

Details posted on Moodle, including course organizational information and schedule.

Learning Resources

5.1 Resources

Reading materials: Reading materials are posted on Moodle
Core reading list: TBA
Recommended reading list: TBA

5.2 Links

Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/