Law Essay – An Effective Framework
A law essay is meant to be a clear and precise answer to a legal question. It necessitates reading and understanding legal language that has to be used to effectively communicate a message to readers. Methods used in legal communication are standard. Citations and quotes play an important role in adding validity to the essay. Without making it sound boring or monotonous, a good writer would strive to compile an interesting and complete essay.
Understanding The Essay Question
The subject matter has to be understood in total, if the essay question is to be answered with clarity. For example, students should be able to identify the legal stand to be taken. Within the framework of law, they have to refer to appropriate citations from authoritative documents and sources. It may be evident through the essay question, but students should be prepared for an obscure question that requires more effort in determining the right sources. If a question relates to consumer rights, it may include citations from patent law as well.
Answering The Essay Question
The answer to the essay question in a law essay has to be written precisely and with reasoning once it has been understood,. It could be an evaluation, a discussion on a recent law, or comparison between two legal events. In each case, students would have to answer the question differently. An evaluation may require gathering citations all related to the same event. Discussion on recent laws may entail presenting a legal case that would stand in a court of law. Comparisons can be made if similarities and differences between two events can be understood, listed, and interpreted under the law. In fact, law essays provide the ideal opportunity for students to practice writing using a definite system that is recognized in a court of law.
How To Form The Structure
The essay structure will decide if a writer has understood the precise nature of a legal essay. Generally, it would be a lengthy essay extending to several pages. A good structure would include chapters. Each chapter would cover elaborations on citations pertaining to law. The next chapter would connect with the earlier one. It is important to understand that an essay of this sort would tend to drift away. Writers would find it difficult to maintain reader interest. Writing skills would come to the fore.
How To Include Citations
Reference is what adds weight to a law school essay. Plagiarism is a serious issue that can be penalized quite seriously. Copying an essay from the original source and then adding citations to it would not be the ideal essay. Adapting the same method is acceptable, but writers should avoid copy-pasting. A useful method to include citations is to draft the paragraph in a unique style and then include citations where necessary. All reference material should be ready at hand. Quotations must be linked to the right source. It means that documentation and presentation has to be complete in every sense. The law essay has to be read through several times and edited for word usage. It should be devoid of spelling and punctuation errors. Footnotes and a bibliography including references cited and sources consulted should also be included.