Program Overview

Introduction to Legal Skills—LAWS 297

This course has two parts: (1) it develops skills in (i) how to prepare legal opinions and solve posed legal problems, (ii) using legal databases, (iii) how to refer to and cite legal sources; (2) it provides practice in oral argument and the preparation of written submissions. Not available to non-LLB students.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 Feb 2026 to 8 Nov 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1+2
• Fees:
  • NZ$680.00 for domestic students
  • NZ$3,443.60 for international students
• Lecture start times: Monday 5.40pm
• Campus: Pipitea
• Estimated workload: Approximately 100 hours or 2.7 hours per week for 37 weeks
• Points: 10

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: Either (LAWS 121 (or 124), 122, 123) or LAWS 111
• Corequisites: At least one course from (LAWS 211, LAWS 212, LAWS 213, LAWS 214)
• Restrictions: LAWS 298, LAWS 299

Taught By

School of Law — Faculty of Law

About This Course

The study of law at university typically focuses on the overall architecture of the law, and the dynamics of how the law operates. It does not normally focus on the content of specific laws that might be in place at any given time. To assist with understanding this architecture (and showing that you understand it), it is necessary to have a strong foundation in the basic skills that law school tries to teach – legal research, legal writing, legal reasoning and analysis, and advocacy. This course seeks to isolate these primary skills and to teach them directly.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Understand the basic elements of analysing legal problems in an effective manner.
2. Competently and independently identify a systematic process to research specific legal problems in a meaningful way.
3. Set out their research and analysis in a clear and structured written format.
4. Effectively advance a legal argument on behalf of a particular party through both written and oral submissions.

How This Course Is Taught

The course is primarily taught in small-group seminars. These are intended to provide you with an opportunity to practice the skills that the course teaches. A detailed outline of the seminar programme is set out in the Course Schedule. Seminars will be complemented by a lecture programme.

Assessment

• Library Exercise (Nuku Quiz): Due Noon 17 March Pass/Fail
• Legal Writing Exercise 1 (case note with open research – 1,000 words): Due Noon 31 March Mark: 25%
• Legal Writing Exercise 2 (legal opinion with a closed list of sources – 1,500 words): Due Noon 19 May Mark: 30%
• Advocacy Report: Due Noon 14 July Pass/Fail
• Written Submissions (800 words): Due Noon 28 July Mark: 15%
• Oral Submissions (moot court hearings – 10 minutes): two-week period from 3 August Mark: 25%
• Participation in seminars: Throughout the course Mark: 5%

Mandatory Requirements

In addition to achieving an overall pass mark of at least 50% students must:

1. Attend seminars.
2. Complete the prescribed assignments.
3. Complete the prescribed non-assessable tasks.
4. Obtain a minimum of 40% in each piece of assessment.

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 23 February 2026 to 5 April 2026
• 20 April 2026 to 31 May 2026
• 6 July 2026 to 16 August 2026
• 31 August 2026 to 11 October 2026

What You'll Need to Get

Required Texts: Alice Coppard and others New Zealand Law Style Guide (3rd ed, Thomson Reuters, Wellington, 2018) Recommended Texts:

• SI Strong How to write law essays & exams (6th ed, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2022)
• C Kee The Art of Argument (Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2006)
• Theresa Buller (ed) Essential Legal Research Skills in Aotearoa New Zealand (University of Auckland, Auckland, 2025)