Legal Research Methodology: Types and Structure of Legal Writing

Legal writing is the backbone of the legal profession. It is a critical skill that justifies proper 
consideration in the legal education curriculum. However, until the introduction of the Core 
Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in undergraduate degree programmes by the 
Nigerian Universities Commission, legal writing was not given prominence in the legal education 
curriculum. It was only taught in skeletal form as part of the legal research methodology 
curriculum for postgraduate programmes. With the introduction of English for Legal Writing as a 
core course in the legal education curriculum for undergraduate degree programmes in Nigerian 
universities, there is need for standard teaching and learning material on legal writing for both 
undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines 
the types and structure of legal writing. In particular, it examines the types of legal writing and the 
development of legal arguments using various predictive and persuasive paradigms with practical 
examples. It also examines the structure of legal writing using review articles and research articles 
as case studies.