I. Navigating uncertainty in legal writing

Students in legal research and writing often ask two deceptively easy questions: “Where do I start?” and “How do I know when I am done?” Even after learning how to spot issues, select jurisdictions, identify sources of authority, and navigate legal research platforms, many remain uncertain about these questions. They resurface in upper-level research and writing courses, as well as in internships, clerkships, clinics, and jobs.

In the world of legal writing instruction, we’re in a transition not unlike the one agricultural workers faced when they moved from animal-powered to steam-powered farming equipment. In the pre-industrial era, many humans had agricultural jobs that involved significant physical labor. Some built muscles and motor memory naturally as they guided a horse-drawn plow. Then the industrial and technological revolutions arrived.