Studies show that new associates on average spend approximately 45% of their working hours conducting legal research. While law schools typically require basic research training, it is not unusual for students to need on-the-job training from employers in their first legal job.

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law is gearing up to bridge this gap. In addition to required research programs and a rich palette of advanced research elective options, this month the law school will offer a new research training program designed for students graduating or working in the summer. Librarians Linda Kawaguchi, Brendan Starkey and Sherry Leysen, have collaborated to create the new “Bridge the Gap: Legal Research Boot Camp” at Chapman’s Fowler Law. After identifying the need for the program, they teamed up to create a comprehensive lesson plan. Brendan and Sherry will teach the boot camp focusing on typical research tasks for new attorneys and summer interns, and will also cover how to approach these research problems.

teachingLegal Research Boot Camp
Date: May 21, 2014
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Register now

This program is designed to reinforce how to:

  • Create a research plan
  • Conduct a preliminary analysis
  • Choose and find secondary sources
  • Find and analyze primary law
  • Update research
  • Put it all together

Leading up to the launch of the boot camp, the Fowler Law Library Reference Desk has been asking legal research questions and giving treats to students giving correct answers. The camp is set to start after final exams but before the students or graduates begin their jobs in the summer.

Legal Research and Writing I and II are required courses for the JD program at Fowler School of Law. The first course introduces students to fundamental legal reasoning, research, and writing skills in the context of objective legal documents, including client letters and memoranda of law. The second course helps students refine and further develop their analytical, writing, and research skills in the advocacy context.

About the Library Team Hosting the Legal Research Boot Camp
Linda Kawaguchi is the Director of the Law Library and Professor at Fowler School of Law. She has presented numerous papers on advanced legal research, critical thinking and legislative intent. Professor Kawaguchi teaches advanced legal research at Fowler. She has two decades of law school library experience, including positions at University of California Berkeley School of Law; University of Washington School of Law; University of Michigan Law School; and Gonzaga University School of Law. Professor Kawaguchi earned her B.A. in English and JD from the University of Idaho. She also holds her M.S. in library science from the University of Washington.

Brendan Starkey is the Associate Director for Library Services at Fowler School of Law. He has years of legal research experience both as a reference librarian and practicing attorney. He holds a JD and an M.S. in library science.

Sherry Leysen is the Research/Instruction Librarian-Faculty Services at Fowler School of Law. Prior to joining Fowler School of Law, she was a reference librarian at the Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington School of Law and at the Rains Library, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Leysen has her JD, an M.S. in library science, Special Certificate in Law Librarianship and is a member of the California State Bar.