LEARNING OUTCOMES
By graduation a Delaware Law student will have competency in the following:
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PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
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Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law
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- Identifying, describing and interpreting the fundamental terms, rules, and principles (including variations) in given subject area
- Comparing and contrasting principles, cases, or arguments
- Demonstrating ability to identify and employ the processes through which legal disputes are resolved and legal rights and duties are established and enforced.
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Legal reasoning and analysis
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- Identifying legal issues raised by a particular set of facts
- Selecting and articulating the appropriate doctrinal or procedural framework/s to address legal issues
- Effectively applying the relevant doctrinal or procedural framework to facts
- Demonstrating ability to identify legal problems as they arise in a variety of factual contexts.
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Legal research
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- Mastering fundamental research tools
- Effectively and efficiently researching legal issues to find relevant primary and secondary authority
- Critically reading primary and secondary authority to ascertain and explain its relevance, meaning and weight
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Written and oral communication in the legal context.
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- Listening actively to determine audience needs and the appropriate response (audience may be client, court, opposing counsel, witness, etc.)
- Employing appropriate methods of communication to the different stakeholders in the legal system.
- Speaking in a clear, concise, thoughtful, well-organized and professional manner appropriate to the audience and context
- Preparing legal documents such as letters, motions, and memoranda of law in a clear, concise, thoughtful, well-organized and professional manner appropriate to the audience and context
- Using standard legal citation format
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Problem-solving
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- Identifying all legal issues raised by a particular set of facts
- Applying principles of law to sets of facts
- Generating alternative solutions and strategies
- Developing a plan of action
- Considering practical implications, ethical issues, or other non-legal issues relevant to the problem
- Demonstrating self-learning skills
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Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and civility in the legal profession.
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- Identifying ethical problems
- Knowing the appropriate and relevant ethical standards raised in a problem
- Articulating potential solutions to the problem
- Demonstrating ability to organize and manage time and meet professional deadlines.
- Demonstrating ability to work cooperatively with others in a professional setting.
- Utilizing self-regulated learning principles to develop an appropriate understanding of new areas of law.
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Lawyering skills including fact development, client counseling, drafting and analysis of common legal documents, and ability to work collaboratively with others.
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- Gathering facts relevant to legal issues
- Drafting legal documents that are clear, concise, and appropriate to the audience and context
- Practicing active and empathetic listening with clients
- Conducting effective negotiation, counseling, or court hearing
- Working effectively with colleagues on a legal matter
- Using effective briefing, note-taking, and drafting techniques
- Managing time
- Strategic planning to accomplish a goal
- Understanding the relationship between effective work habits and meeting professional responsibilities
- Engaging in self-reflection about the student’s own learning process
- Learning from experience through self-critique
- Understanding the relationship between ongoing acquisition of information and skills and meeting professional responsibilities
- Taking practical considerations into account such as time and financial constraints
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