To prepare entering students for the scope and rigor of the
legal program at a premier New York law school, we have instituted
a highly innovative first-semester course entitled Introduction to
Law. It begins a week before other classes and includes instruction
on how to read and brief cases to give first-year law students a
footing to traverse the unfamiliar ground of a legal education.
As one of New York’s top law schools, we have a comprehensive
commitment to enhancing the experience of first-year law students.
The introduction to law course’s components include:
Case Analysis
You will explore the significance judges give precedent in
making their decisions as well as examine changes and developments
in the law in light of new circumstances and the evolution in legal
thinking.
Statutory Analysis
You will examine the approach taken to read and interpret
statutes, referring when necessary to legislative history and legal
maxims.
Legal Writing
You will complete several writing assignments dealing with
case analysis and statutory construction.
The course is complimented by the Legal Research and Writing
course, which includes instruction in legal research (traditional
and computerized), the preparation of a memorandum of law, and an
appellate brief and the presentation of an appellate oral argument
(moot court).