Effective Research Assistance and Scholarly Production in Legal Writing
6 Pages Posted: 6 Feb 2008
Abstract
Professors who teach legal research and writing (LRW) can face unique challenges in producing scholarship, and some of those challenges relate to research assistants (RAs). Unlike many casebook professors, we use research assistants both for help with our scholarship and for designing writing assignments and research exercises. Balancing these different demands can be difficult for students and professors. In addition, given the status inequities that have existed in the past, some LRW professors came of age without the benefit of research assistants. After years of doing everything themselves, they may struggle to find effective ways for research assistants to help. At the beginning of the summer of 2005, I arranged a roundtable discussion for faculty to share ideas about effective use of research assistants. Participants included LRW faculty and casebook faculty. Throughout the summer, I implemented a number of the suggestions shared in the roundtable. This essay reports on that experience and makes recommendations for others who need more effective ways to work with research assistants.
Keywords: legal research and writing, scholarship, legal scholarship, research assistants, research assistance
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation