SAN BEDA COLLEGE ALABANG

School of Law

SAN BEDA UNIVERSITY MENDIOLA

College of Law

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE CODE:
COURSE TITLE: LEGAL RESEARCH and WRITING
COURSE CREDIT: 3 UNITS
COURSE PREREQUISITE/S: None
FACULTY: DEAN ULPIANO P. SARMIENTO
ATTY. SARAH LILIANA S. TRONQUED
EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]
TERM/ACADEMIC YEAR: FIRST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2024-2025
DAY/TIME/ROOM/SECTION:
COURSE DELIVERY MODE: SEMI-ONLINE/SEMI-FACE-TO-FACE
CONSULTATION DAY/TIME:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A detailed evaluation of how to conduct proper legal research and to write

legally, with an emphasis on distinguishing primary and secondary legal
resources, how to cite these legal resources in legal papers, and how to write
a legal research paper.

COURSE GOALS: Expected College of Law Graduate Attributes (ELGAs)

Know and understand the legal writing and research rules; be effective in written
and oral communication, logical reasoning, and sound judgment; exercise proper
professional and ethical responsibilities

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES (LOs):

1. Knowledge/Remembering: define, list, recognize

2. Comprehension/Understanding: describe, explain, identify, recognize
3. Application/Applying: choose, demonstrate, implement, perform
4. Analysis/Analyzing: analyze, categorize, compare, differentiate
5. Evaluation/Evaluating: assess, critique, evaluate, rank, rate
6. Synthesis/Creating: construct, design, formulate, organize, synthesize

Upon completion of the Legal Research and Legal Writing course, the student is expected to
be able to:

Expected College of
Law Graduate LEARNING OUTCOMES (LOs)
Attributes (ELGAs)
Critical and analytical LO1. Assess client concerns and translating them into responsive
thinking legal arguments and strategies.

1
 Effective in written and LO2. Analyze the practical and policy implications of current and
oral communication proposed statutes, regulations, judicial rulings, legal arguments, and
Logical reasoning strategies in preparing a Legal Research Paper.
Sound judgment LO3. Learn how to cite primary and secondary legal sources
Exercise of proper properly.
professional and ethical LO4. Utilize legal research tools to gather information that aids in
responsibilities the analysis of legal issues in submitting the Research Paper.

ASSESSMENT/GRADING SYSTEM:

The student will be graded according to the following:

Percentage
(Weight is based
Scope of Work
Requirements (Based on the Learning Outcomes) on the
(Individual)
importance of
the LO)
LO1 Class recitations, writing exercises Individual
LO2 and discussion Individual
LO3 Legal Writing Proposal Group
LO4 Legal Writing Paper Group

Class standing before Midterms Individual 16.67%

Midterm Paper = Legal Writing Proposal Individual 16.67%
Class Standing after Midterms Individual 33.33%
Final Paper = Legal Writing Paper Individual 33.33%
TOTAL 100

LEARNING PLAN:

Design or the structure of the course that includes content/topics to be covered,

learning resources to be used, weekly schedule of the topics to be taken up, and
the learning methods to be utilized that will lead students towards the goals and
learning outcomes defined.

WEEK/ LEARNING
LEARNING DATE METHODS
TOPIC/CONTENT RESOURCES (schedule of (activities designed
(arrangement or sequence of (print and non-print each topic, or deployed by the
the major topics is based on materials and online/ assignment, teacher to bring
a logical order) open-access exam for about or create the
resources) the entire conditions for
semester) learning)

Course Introduction
 Course overview Syllabus Week 1 Lecture
 Course assignments Discussion
 Course requirements Introduce yourself

Primary and Secondary c/o CD Asia Week 2 Lecture

Sources Discussion

Legal Writing 1. Kenneth J. Week 3 Lecture

2
 WEEK/ LEARNING
LEARNING DATE METHODS
TOPIC/CONTENT RESOURCES (schedule of (activities designed
(arrangement or sequence of (print and non-print each topic, or deployed by the
the major topics is based on materials and online/ assignment, teacher to bring
a logical order) open-access exam for about or create the
resources) the entire conditions for
semester) learning)
 Overview and Scope Vandevelde, Thinking Discussion
 Stages of Writing Like A Lawyer: An Exercise # 1: Case
 How to Write Case Introduction to Legal Digests
Digests Reasoning (2011).
(pp. 241-249)
2. In the Matter of the
Charges of
Plagiarism, etc.
against Justice
Mariano C. Del
Castillo, 647 Phil. 122
(October 10, 2010)
and 657 Phil. 11
(February 8, 2011)
3. Hipos v. Bay, 600
Phil. 720 (March 17,
2009)
Legal Writing Week 4 Lecture
 Fact-Finding Discussion
 Issue-Spotting Exercise # 3: Writing
Down Facts; Spotting
the Issue
Legal Writing Week 5 Lecture
 Argument-Making Discussion
Exercise # 4: Rough
Out Arguments
Exercise
How to Answer the Exams Week 6 Lecture
and Eventually, the Bar Discussion
Exams

PRE-MIDTERMS BREAK Week 7

MIDTERM Week 8
EXAMINATIONS

Legal Research 1. M.S. Feliciano, Week 9 Lecture

 Legal Citation Lecture Philippine Manual of Discussion
Legal Citations
(2017).
2. T.S. Dizon, Legal
Writing and Legal
Research Updates.
Legal Research 1. Agustin Parise, The Week 10 Lecture

3
 WEEK/ LEARNING
LEARNING DATE METHODS
TOPIC/CONTENT RESOURCES (schedule of (activities designed
(arrangement or sequence of (print and non-print each topic, or deployed by the
the major topics is based on materials and online/ assignment, teacher to bring
a logical order) open-access exam for about or create the
resources) the entire conditions for
semester) learning)
 Introduction to 13 Steps of Successful Discussion
Writing a Legal Academic Legal
Research Paper Research,
International Journal
of Legal Information,
Vol. 38, Issue 1,
Article 4 (2010).
Legal Research Week 11 MIDTERM PAPER:
 How to Write a Legal Legal Writing Paper
Writing Proposal Proposal (Group)

DEADLINE: TBA
Legal Research Week 12 Lecture
 How to Write a Legal Research
Writing Bibliography Exercise # 4: Legal
Writing Bibliography
(Group)
Legal Research Week 13 Lecture
 Writing Arguments Discussion
for Both Sides Exercise # 5:
Arguments (Group)
Legal Research Week 14 Lecture
 Writing the Discussion
Introduction and the Exercise # 6:
Conclusion Introduction and
 Tying Everything Conclusion (Group)
Together Exercise # 7: Self and
Peer Evaluation
PRE-FINALS BREAK Week 15 FINAL PAPER
WRITING BREAK

FINAL EXAMINATIONS Week 16 FINAL PAPER:

Legal Writing Paper
(Group)

DEADLINE: TBA

TEXTBOOK/REFERENCE BOOK:
1. M.S. Feliciano, Philippine Manual of Legal Citations (2017).
2. T.S. Dizon, Legal Writing and Legal Research Updates.
3. R.A. Abad & B.B. Abad-Gamo, Fundamentals of Legal Writing (2014).
4. Kenneth J. Vandevelde, Thinking Like A Lawyer: An Introduction to Legal Reasoning (2011).
5. Richard C. Wydick, Plain English for Lawyers, 66 CAL. L. REV. 72 (1978).
6. Agustin Parise, The 13 Steps of Successful Academic Legal Research, International Journal of Legal
Information, Vol. 38, Issue 1, Article 4 (2010).

4
POLICIES:
Policies and values that the teacher might want to communicate through the
syllabus concerning attendance, participation, academic integrity (e.g.
plagiarism, cheating, fabrication), missing assignments, missed exams, recording
classroom activities, online behavior during synchronous sessions, etc.

1. For undone and not submitted exercises, the student will receive a grade of 70.
Medical Certificates will be accepted to cancel the 70 grade. No other
certificates/excuse letters will be accepted.

2. All exercises, the Midterm and Final Paper must be uploaded to the online portal or
sent to the above-mentioned e-mail address. Late submissions will be accepted but
only until one (1) week after the deadline, subtracting 5 points for every day late.

For the Midterm and Final Paper, there can only be a maximum of 5 people in a
group, minimum of 3. The group members must come from the same section.

3. All papers will pass through a plagiarism checker. Any form of plagiarism will
merit a grade of 65%, subject to the school’s disciplinary procedures.