Legal Reasoning Case Files

Legal Reasoning Case Files is designed to build legal analysis skills through hands-on work that reflects what lawyers do every day. Using realistic materials drawn from core legal topics, law students are guided to produce real-life documents while learning to reflect more deeply on what it actually means to think and work "like a lawyer."

Each case file includes a set of practice-based documents, a narrowly-tailored assignment constructed to highlight application of legal rules to complex factual scenarios, commentary to guide users in working through the problem, and an example of how the legal principles at issue might be tested in a law school or bar examination question. Problems reinforce comprehension of foundational legal subjects, increase proficiency in the study and mastery of law, and help prepare beginning lawyers for a lifetime of practice. The book also includes useful checklists; tips to help users read, understand, and apply the materials; and in-depth discussions of sample responses to the accompanying exam questions.

The materials in this text can be adapted to a wide array of law school courses: they offer a novel approach to a contemporary legal methods course, and they can also be used as a supplement for classes in torts, contracts, evidence, criminal law, property, or professional responsibility; a source for innovative projects for courses in lawyering or legal writing; or a resource for developing bar examination skills.

Professor Franklin's new book represents an important innovation. By using a case file format, this resource taps into students' innate desire to work on authentic lawyering tasks, thus promoting engagement. Setting the problems in the context of doctrinal classes increases the usefulness of the exercises for students and will lead to a richer understanding of legal rules, the development of sophisticated legal reasoning skills, and more 'practice ready' graduates."

— Louis N. Schulze, Jr., Assistant Dean and Professor of Academic Support, Florida International University College of Law.