7 Final Project
Project Description – Summative Assessment
The Final Project will outline, summarize, and explain all the research you have done on the client’s scenario. It should focus on the research resources and process — it is not a substantive memo in which you apply law to facts and draw legal conclusions. The purpose of the project is to identify research sources, explain information found in those sources, and organize research process and results so they can be communicated to a supervisor or colleague thoroughly and effectively.
The project is an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the research process you have been working on during the semester. Throughout the semester you reflected on your research process on a weekly basis and received substantive feedback. Now it is time to organize and synthesize all of that research to present a comprehensive, structured work product.
Project Substance
The final project should (1) clearly identify each resource, (2) summarize the information found in that resource, (3) explain how/where to find the resource, and (4) have a clear, logical organizational structure.
- Identify the Resource – Provide a title, author, chapter, name of the website, organization, government agency, statute, regulation, case, etc. A hyperlink does not count as identification of the resource. You can provide a hyperlink in addition to clearly identifying the source.
- Summarize the Information – Describe the information you found that is relevant to the legal issue and why it is relevant.
- Explain How/Where to Find the Resource – For some resources like cases or statutes, you will not need to explain how to find them. However, for government reports, proposed regulations, law review articles, treatises, or legislative history, for example, you should explain how to find the information so that a colleague or supervisor can access it. A hyperlink is not an explanation of how to find a resource. Links break or change. You can use hyperlinks in addition to explaining how to find the resource.
- Provide a Clear Organizational Structure – This is a complex problem raising several legal issues. Whenever you present your research to a colleague or a supervisor, you organize the information logically. Imagine that the colleague or supervisor is going to use your research in preparation for a meeting with the client. How can you present all of that research in a user-friendly way?
Project Form
There are many ways to present research information effectively and thoroughly. Some possible presentation forms are described below:
- Detailed Log – You might choose to use the research log you created at the beginning of the semester as a basis for your final project. You will need to reorganize some information and add more detail to descriptions of the substance and how to find the resource.
- Video – Many students enjoy creating a video in which they use Power Point slides to identify and explain resources and a screen-casting video tool to demonstrate how to find the resources on websites or research platforms.
- Research Guide – A research guide is an organized collection of resources related to a topic. You probably have encountered a research guide during your work on this problem that you can consult as a sample. If you choose this method for your project, think carefully about how to organize the research, provide thorough and meaningful descriptions of the relevant information, and explain how to find the resources.
Sample Rubric
| Grade | Description of Student Work |
| Excellent |
Organization: Clear and logical organizational structure with headings, topic sentences, road-mapping. Thoroughness of Research: Includes informative and relevant resources for each legal topic or issue; demonstrates knowledge of secondary and primary sources; demonstrates a variety of search skills; research includes use of commercial platforms, free resources, and government websites. Analysis and Synthesis: Project demonstrates careful reading and analysis of resources and ability to synthesize resources found for each legal topic or issue. Consideration of Purpose and Audience: Project demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the needs of the reader (supervising attorney) and the professional purpose for which the project will be used. Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Editing/Proofreading: No major errors in grammar, spelling, or vocabulary. Project has been proofread and edited so there are only a few (if any) minor errors. Vocabulary should be professional, rather than colloquial. |
| Good |
Organization: Clear and logical organizational structure that is obvious to the reader. Some unclear or inconsistent headings, topic sentences, road-mapping. Thoroughness of Research: Includes informative and relevant resources for each legal topic or issue; demonstrates knowledge of secondary and primary sources; demonstrates a variety of search skills; research shows limited use of free resources and government websites. Analysis and Synthesis: Project demonstrates reading and analysis of resources and some synthesis of resources for each legal topic or issue. Consideration of Purpose and Audience: Project is directed toward the intended audience (supervising attorney) and the professional purpose for which the project will be used. Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Editing/Proofreading: No major errors in grammar, spelling, or vocabulary. Project has been proofread and edited so there are only a few errors. |
| Satisfactory |
Organization: Some recognizable organizational structure. Unclear or inconsistent headings, topic sentences, road-mapping. Thoroughness of Research: Includes resources for each legal topic or issue; includes secondary and primary sources; demonstrates adequate search skills; research shows limited or incomplete use of free resources and government websites. Analysis and Synthesis: Project demonstrates minimal basic analysis and synthesis of resources. Consideration of Purpose and Audience: Project is directed toward the intended audience (supervising attorney) and the professional purpose for which the project will be used. Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Editing/Proofreading: Adequate grammar, spelling, or vocabulary that is not consistently professional. Project has had minimal proofreading and editing. |
| Below Professional Standards |
Organization: Unclear or illogical organization. No headings, topic sentences, or roadmaps. Thoroughness of Research: Incomplete resources; missing issues or topics; limited search skills. Analysis and Synthesis: Project demonstrates lack of reading, understanding, analysis or synthesis. Consideration of Purpose and Audience: Project demonstrates a lack of understanding of the intended audience and the purpose of the assignment. Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Editing/Proofreading: Unprofessional errors in grammar, spelling, or vocabulary. Project demonstrates pervasive proofreading and editing errors. |
