IMPORTANT DATES

Course Overview

• First of its kind workshop-based course on practical aspects of writing and research.
• Personalised feedback on project assignments and your papers for publication.
• Post-workshop support.
• Seminar-style sessions: no lecture and not theory-based.
• Access to handy writing materials.
• Applicable to all research types, be it law firms, consultancy, academia, and/or litigation.
• Classes on weekends.
• Flipped classroom method followed: a mix of homework and classroom workshops.
• Selected articles will be considered for publication in SCC Journal or Practical Lawyer magazine published by EBC. If your article is not selected we will guide you on how to bring it up to publishable standards.
• Senior EBC editor guest lectures.

REGISTRATION FOR THE COURSE

• To participate in live classes you must register for the course by the last date for registration.
• Once the course starts you can still register for the course, and you will have access to the recorded classes that you have missed. You can participate in any live classes that are remaining in the course.
• CLASSES
• The course provides you with access to live classes and pre-recorded video classes.
• One live class will be scheduled per week, typically on a Saturday.
• If you miss a class the recorded version of the class will be available to you.

ASSIGNMENTS, CERTIFICATES AND GRADING

• You can submit assignments anytime before Dec 1, 2021.
• You must score a minimum of 50% to get a certificate.
• 50% of your grade is based on course assignments and 50% is based on your final paper.
• E-Certificates are given when the course assignments are completed and the final paper is submitted. We typically take a week to evaluate and grade your work.
• Hard copy certificates will be posted to you.

Instructors

SHASHIKANT YADAV

Shashikant Yadav is a writer, energy law researcher, and academic with more than seven years of experience in legal research and writing. He has been associated with the University of Dundee, Scotland, as an academic researcher and is currently affiliated with Central European University, Vienna. 

Recently, he reviewed Columbia Law School’s Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law Report’s titled “Legal Levers for Cleaner Air in Kolkata”. His work, mostly on natural resources law, is published with: The Ecologist (UK); The Wire; The Hindu; The Swaddle; The Sunday Statesman; The Hindu Businessline, among others. 

His academic work is published with leading (Scopus indexed) journals, including Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law; Economic and Political Weekly, Global Energy Law and Sustainability, Edinburgh University Press.  

GUEST LECTURER: ABHINANDAN MALIK

Abhinandan Malik is Director Publications at EBC, India's top law publisher with a demonstrated history of working in publishing, the information technology and services industry. He is a graduate of NALSAR University of Law with an LLM from the University of Toronto. He is skilled in E-Learning, Legal Assistance, Legal Research, and Legal Writing.

 He has 10 + years of editorial experience, conceptualising, guiding and editing publications at EBC. He has also authored the course on Contract Law at EBC Learning and is fond of guiding students, especially in the area of legal writing. At NALSAR he was the founder editor of an inter-law school magazine and law review called The Edict. It comprised students from the top national law schools across India as editors.

 At the University of Toronto, he specialised in private law. His thesis was on the Horizontal Application of Fundamental Rights. He was also invited to be part of the Academic Council for the Refresher Program in Law titled “Evolutions in Legal Pedagogy” offered by NALSAR University, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Course introduction and timetable

1. Week 1: Selecting your topic and identifying legal issues

I. LIVE CLASS 1: Introduction and orientation

1.1 Video: Welcome

1.2 Video: Who is a ‘law’ researcher?

1.3 Video: Approaches to legal scholarship

1.4 Video: Research methodology: prognostic or diagnostic?

1.5 Video: No to shortcuts: choosing a topic

II. Practice Exercises

III. Pre-Class Assignment: Selecting your tentative topic

IV. LIVE CLASS Workshop 1: Identifying your topic and legal issues

V. Post-Class Assignment: Submit a tentative topic for your article

2. Week 2: Literature review

I. Introduction

2.1 Video: Literature review

2.2 Video: Applicability of literature review beyond academia

2.3 Video: Objectivity in your research

II. Homework Exercises

III. Pre-Class Assignment: Identify the legal gap that your paper has filled

IV. LIVE CLASS Workshop 6: How to review literature?

V. Post-Class Assignment: Finalise the research gap that you wish to address

3. Week 3: Thinking it through and outlining

I. Introduction

II. Pre-Class Assignment: Trace an author's argument and identify the core argument

III. LIVE CLASS Workshop 3: Class on organising your thoughts and identifying legal issues

IV. Post-Class Assignment: Submit flowchart and core argument

4. Week 4: Getting your logic and reasoning right

I. Introduction

4.1 Video: Introduction to analogical reasoning

4.2 Video: Analogical reasoning and judicial precedents

4.3 Video: How to identify ratio and obiter

II. Practice Exercises

III. LIVE CLASS Workshop 4: Logic and reasoning

IV. Post-Class Assignment: Know and check your reasoning

5. Week 5: Undertaking comparative and interdisciplinary research

I. Introduction

5.1 Video: Introduction to comparative and interdisciplinary research

5.2 Video: Steps in contemporary research

II. Practice Exercises

III. Pre-Class Assignment: Find a suitable comparator

IV. LIVE CLASS Workshop 5: Identifying comparative and multidisciplinary elements

V. Post-Class Assignment: Identify comparative and multidisciplinary elements in your paper

6. Week 6: Using empirical tools in research

I. Introduction

6.1 Video: Introduction to empirical research

6.2 Video: Steps in empirical research

II. Practice Exercises

III. Pre-Class Assignment: Identify a paper that uses empirical research

IV. LIVE CLASS Workshop 6: How to use empirical tools in research?

V. Post-Class Assignment: Evaluate the empirical scope of your paper

7. Week 7: Editing and refinements

I. Introduction

7.1 Video: Legal writing sins

7.2 Video: What serious researchers write?

7.3 Video: Do’s and don’ts when you want to get published

7.4 Video: Performance indicators in research

II. Practice Exercises

III. LIVE CLASS Workshop 7: Substantive and technical editing

IV. Post-Class Assignment: Editing text

8. One-on-one feedback session and final paper submission

8.1 LIVE CLASS 8: Schedule a one-on-one session with your instructors

8.2 Final paper submission