Assignment: Legal Journal Assignment

Length: 5 - 10 pages, double-spaced (Times New Roman 12 font with standard 1" margins).

It is suggested that you start working on the journal the first week of class. Your journal may be about any one of the following three things described in more detail below (pick ONE):

1) Recount a personal experience where a friend, relative or acquaintance gave you "legal advice" that you later discovered was not prudent, wise or even accurate, e.g., perhaps a time when someone said to you "you should sue them."

2) Recount a personal situation/event that you were involved in, in which legal advice or guidance would have helped you proceed, handle and/or resolve the situation;

3) Evaluate a current legal situation that you are involved in and connect what you have learned in this class that would demonstrate a legal, ethical, effective and efficient manner to proceed;

Your Journal will be at least five pages and may be up to ten and will be based upon your research and what you have learned in this course that now casts doubt upon the advice you received or will provide a better road map for future action. The Journal is not just a laundry list of information. It is a formal paper written in APA format, including citations. You must use and cite the text at least five times and you should also have four additional primary sources in your Journal from your private research.

You will probably want to correspond with your instructor in Week's 1 and 2 about the topic you will use for this assignment. This is open ended so that you can apply this material in positive ways for future behaviors.

You must decide on one of the two examples below for your Journal (once you decide contact your instructor for comments, suggestions and approval - Do not begin your Journal without instructor approval):

1. Clearly describe a time when someone told you to "sue" and compare and contrast their advice with what you have learned in this class. Give a clear picture of the problem and a clear picture of their advice, then give a clear picture of how their advice either did or did not align with the law and the practices you have learned in this class.

OR

2. Clearly describe a prior situation or event that you were involved in where receiving some legal advice or guidance would have helped your resolve the problem. In other words you will take this class and apply it to helping you to handle a prior issue where some legal advice would have been helpful.

OR

3. Clearly describe a current situation that you are involved in where applying this class and additional information and research will give you a good plan for successful behaviors in the future. In other words you will take this class and apply it to helping you to handle a potentially litigious situation in a way that will keep you "on this side of the law."

Introduction

• Have you stated the purpose of your paper (Briefly mention which option you have chosen and in a couple of sentences what your "situation" is)?

• Is your introduction interesting?

• Do you explain the story you are going to tell?

Analysis

Be sure your paper answers, at least, these comments/questions:

• What is the situation?

• Who are the people involved? What is the relationship of the people involved?

• Clearly describe the complexities of the situation.

• What contracts, if any, are involved?

• What contracts should be involved? Who should initiate this document?

• What are the risks to action?

• What are the risks to inaction?

• Are there any insurance implications?

• What is the standard of practice concerning this issue?

• Has the law changed in the past decade concerning this issue?

• Is this issue addressed in the Constitution? The Bill of Rights? The Amendments?

• What are your feelings about this situation?

• Do you feel that the law is correct and helpful to you? More helpful to others

• In a perfect world how would this be resolved?

• Lastly, what specific laws apply, are the Federal, State or local?

Process, Punctuation and Grammar

• Are all of the words spelled correctly?
• Are the correct words used?
• Is the wording smooth to read?
• Is proper grammar used?
• Does the paper follow APA Guidelines?
• Is the paper interesting?

Conclusion

• Is the conclusion clear?
• Does it connect with the Introduction?
• Does it contain no new information?
• Is it clever and/or interesting?