Finding a disagreement in the circuit courts is one good way to find a paper topic. You can read the arguments in each circuit and then decide how the circuit split should be resolved. The drawback of course is that a higher court may rule on the split and decide the issue before your paper is finished (or before your article is published). But even with that risk, this is still a tried and true way to find a topic.
BNA’s United States Law Week used to publish a popular feature called the “Circuit Split Roundup.” Professors still recommend this feature and students still come to the library looking for it, but it hasn’t been published for several years. Perhaps the best place to find current circuit splits is “Split Circuits – A blog dedicated to tracking developments concerning splits among the federal circuit courts,” written by Professor A. Benjamin Spencer from the University of Richmond School of Law.
Daily Archives: August 23, 2006
What Books Will I Use In My First Year?
We have compiled a short list of the main books used by 1Ls. We have included information about casebooks, study guides, hornbooks, and the primary resources you’ll use in your LW&R class. We also listed a few books focusing on how to succeed in law school. If you have any other questions about law books or using the law library, stop by the reference desk and we’ll try to point you in the right direction. For additional information about the library, refer to our FAQ page or simply email a reference librarian.
