A law assignment is altogether different paperwork from other humanities subjects. It wont look like an English literary criticism or a fine arts paper. You will need a blend of both creativity and facts. For a new law student doing a law assignment alone might not be easy, they will need some assistance. It is mainly because of the need for legal terms and descriptions in those assignments.
In this article, we will be discussing all those tips that are often ignored by new law students. No, we will not be telling you the most unique or unknown tips, but will only remind you of the older ones that are often ignored. So let us get started.
1. Do not use jargon
As mentioned above, law assignments are different from other humanities subjects. You can easily use jargon and universal truths in a language assignment; however, for the law assignment it should not be the case. Almost 90 percent of a law assignment is based on facts, and you need to argue. Thus, it is only possible through insightful debate. Your essay or assignment must not make the reader feel that you are beating about the bush.
2. Always follow a format
Almost every law assignment would be research. Therefore, it is advisable to the new law students that they must follow a format. It should be an approved one, that is common at your school or college. You must check the official journals being published by your college and check the guidelines for that. There will be a format mentioned there. The reason for this is to enable you to get your assignment or research published in the official journal of your college.
If you are struggling with following the set writing format, you could use some help. You can search for some reliable online tutors to tackle this issue.
3. Think about the style
The writing style, the introduction, the main part, and the conclusion matters the most. If a writer is not following a writing style, then soon he will end up in a mess. Even if he succeeds in crafting an essay, still the readers will find it really confusing. Thus, it is better that you must think about the writing style.
One thing about style is the requirement. You should read the statement, and the questions, then consider the suitable writing style that goes with your idea. For example, if you want to put forward a counter argument for the given statement, then your assignment should have an argumentative essay style. It must not look like a descriptive essay, else there will be no point.
4. Make headings and bullets
Have you ever read an article or an assignment, that seems to be pretty messed up. It might have all the details, references, and facts, but still you need to put some effort to understand the point. Such assignments might not get full marks. So to write a law assignment like a pro you need to mention every part separately. You can try something creative with the headings, like instead of mentioning “conclusion” you can go with the heading “verdict” as it will show confidence.
Whatever the wording maybe, you should consider segregation seriously. It would be an easy task, if you have made an outline before writing the assignment. The sole reason to make several headings and bullets is to clarify and indicate. The reader should know what is being discussed and where'.
5. Proofreading
Even though a law assignment is not a language assignment, still, language is pretty important for legal matters. A single word can change the meaning of a research. Therefore, it is necessary for all new law students to proofread and edit their assignments before submission.
You can also ask your seniors or some law tutors to help you proofread or edit the assignment. Do not be in a hurry to proofread your assignment yourself; as in most cases you might end up making it look odd.
6. Be clear and direct
You should not go for story telling in a legal document. It should be crystal clear and direct. The reader should not confuse the scenarios. Even when you are not mentioning the names, you can mention their roles. Moreover, if the assignment format allows you, you should consider having footnotes. Footnotes can make it easier for the reader to understand the underlying meaning or background of some complex words.
7. Submit a draft
Students usually do not do it, as they consider it a waste of time. Regardless of drafts being in trend or not, one should always go for the draft submission. Do not be afraid of rejection, as drafts are meant to be rejected, and it will be better to have a rejected draft than to have a rejected final submission. Even though students nowadays do not consider sending drafts, we will still urge you to do so.
The main reason for draft submission is to get an idea about how well or worse you were doing. Moreover, you might get to add a few more things to polish your assignment. Lastly, draft submission is not a hassle these days as all your papers can be shared online. So there is no need to go for the hard copies.
8. Research properly
When we say proper research in the year 2022, we mean hunting down content from various sources. You should not only stick to a few websites especially when you are searching content for a humanities research.
If for instance you are working on civil rights like labor rights etc., then it would be great to search on sites that are dedicated to human rights. You can also check on the official websites of several think tanks, and NGOs as they might have shared some data regarding the issue. Such content might not give you a clear idea about the laws, but one can easily discern the impact of various related laws on the masses, and their implementation process.