Law first year

Hello,im in my first year studying law .I struggle in writing up essays and problem questions and i would like if someone can tell me step by step(maybe with examples as well) how to write a first class law essay+problem questions .

Reply 1

Joleee

well it's complicated :tongue:

have you submitted a formative essay yet? did you get feedback?

seems to me the biggest issue in first year is students being descriptive of law - not argumentative. so you tell the person marking it what the law is - but not making an argument for whether it's right, wrong or neither and having the experts to back you up.

second issue is you haven't fully answered the question; also make sure you stick to the point. if the question is 'should abortion law be reformed' - then the question is literally 'should the law be reformed' - not whether abortion is good, bad, a human right or whatever your personal opinion is.

third mistake is proper referencing and making use of primary sources. do not use The Guardian when you could/should have used legislation.

fourth mistake, not exploring the issue enough (not enough research) or making an original argument with primary sources. one of my best friends consistently got a first cuz they always argued from an unexpected point of view.

fifth mistake, strawmanning or not exploring the holes in your argument then having the ability to cover them up.

i'm sure you think that's too vague, and it is. but honestly how can one explain good writing as you just know it when you see it. there is a formula but there's too many moving parts. it just takes practise and you won't know what you're struggling with till someone reads your essay and says 'this is what you're missing'. i would say the best advice is when you read legal arguments, do you ask yourself what they did right and how can you emulate it?