LEGAL RESEARCH AY 2020 - 2021 ATTY. FERDINAND S.

NICOLAS 

Class Policies and Course Outline 

Description of the Course

Legal Research is a basic course in the Juris Doctor program involving the basic skills that are utilized by 
students studying law as well as personnel and practitioners in the legal profession. Through this
course,  students will learn how to search for pertinent laws and jurisprudence necessary in legal
investigations  they will conduct in all the different areas of law. This will involve the use of the different
law books but,  more so, the electronic legal resources that has become the main medium in conducting
legal research. 

In order to facilitate the understanding of Legal Research in the Philippines, a cursory knowledge of
the  Philippine Legal System is necessary. This will involve a brief revisiting of Philippine legal history
and  tradition and an abbreviated discussion of the legal institutions that play a part in the creation
and  interpretation of Philippine law.

Textbook 

No textbook is prescribed for the course. However, a reference book will be used as a guide for part
of  the course. 

Reference Book: A Guide to Philippine Legal Information, Antonio M. Santos, U.P. College of Law,  2013

Classes 

In light of the ongoing pandemic, classes will generally be conducted online unless otherwise 
announced. For this term Google Classroom shall be used. All students shall be required to log on to
the  Google Classroom for this purpose. 

Attendance will only be taken during synchronous online activities and face-to-face classes. During
these  sessions, students are expected to dress appropriately. Men are required to wear collared shirts. 
Women are to wear smart casual attire. Revealing or distracting attire shall be avoided. 

During synchronous online activities and face-to-face classes, students are expected to mute their 
microphones unless called upon to speak. The surrounding background should also be managed to
avoid  disruptions in class. 

Students are expected to be prepared when attending classes and to conduct themselves
professionally when engaging in discussions whether verbally or in writing. Respect and courtesy shall
be the norm in  all engagements in and outside of class.

Grading 

Class standing will be comprised of the following: 

∙ Quizzes 
 ∙ Assignments 
∙ Participation in Online Discussions 
∙ Recitation/Reports 

In place of examinations, research papers shall be required for each period (Preliminary, Midterms
and  Finals). 

The Final Grade shall comprise of 50% average Class Standing and 50% average grade in the
Research  Papers. 

Intellectual Integrity 

In light of the mode of delivery of instruction, all students shall be required to take the following pledge: 

I, (insert name), as a student of Northwestern University, College of Law, hereby

pledge  that: 

1. All the work I will submit in fulfillment of the requirements of this course shall be from 
my own personal efforts and I shall not submit the work of others in place of my own; 2. I
will avoid all instances of plagiarism or any intellectual dishonesty and shall ensure that  I
will cite the sources of any quoted text in my work; 
3. I understand that should I violate any of the following undertakings, I shall be subject to  the
disciplinary processes of Northwestern University, which may involve the imposition  of
academic and disciplinary sanctions, including suspension, exclusion and expulsion. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereby affix my signature below this ____ day of

September  2020 at ________________. 

Students are expected to abide by this pledge and are required to post their duly executed pledge in
a  discussion board to be created. 

Course Outline 

I. Introduction 
A. Definition of Legal Research
B. Purpose 
C. Practitioners 

II. Philippine Legal History

A. Pre-Colonial Legal System 

B. Spanish Legal System 
C. American Legal System 
D. Japanese Period 
E. Philippine Republic 
III. Philippine Legal Tradition

A. Civil Law 
B. Common Law 
C. Mixed Tradition 
D. Philippine Legal Tradition

IV. Sources of Philippine Law and Legal  Institutions 

A. Sources of Law 
B. Government Structure 
1. Executive Branch 
2. Legislative Branch 
3. Judicial Branch

V. Other Philippine Legal Institutions

A. Local Government Units 
B. Autonomous and  Administrative Regions 
C. Administrative Agencies

VI. Statutory Law 

A. Concept, Scope and  Classification 
B. Statutory Law – Proper 
1. Constitutions 
2. Treaties and International  Agreements 
3. Statutes Proper 
4. Presidential Issuances 
5. Administrative Rules and  Regulations 
6. Charters of LGUs 
7. Legislation of LGUs 
8. Rules of Court/Tribunals 
9. Legislative Rules 
C. Citation of Statutory Law 
1. Primary and Secondary  Sources 

VII. Case Law 

A. Concept, Scope and  Classification 
B. Parts of a Decision 
C. The Philippine Court System 
D. Case Law Materials/Publication
E. Citation of Case Law 
1. Primary and Secondar Sources

VIII. Search Books and Law Finders

A. Definition 
B. Legal Textbooks and  Commentaries 
 1. Primary and Secondary  Authorities 
C. Law Encyclopedia 
D. Law Dictionaries 
E. Legal Digests and Indices 
F. Legal Periodicals 
G. Citators

IX. Electronic Resources 

A. Websites 
1. Philippine Websites 
a. Official Websites 
b. Private Websites 
2. International Resources 
B. Applications