LL.M. students start their Columbia Law School journey in August with LL.M. Legal Research and Writing and Introduction to American Law. In LL.M. Legal Research and Writing, students learn how to read and analyze U.S. case law and how to understand case law within the federalist, common-law system. Students also learn effective legal research techniques and writing skills, including common U.S. citation requirements.
The course is co-taught by writing instructors from the Academic Fellows program and research librarians, and classes are kept as small as possible. Students work on a formal memorandum over the course of the semester and conduct research to answer legal questions in that memorandum. Students receive individualized feedback on their memorandum, after which they write a second draft.