Naturally, you would not expect to be able to receive a brief-writing assignment and immediately begin to draft the brief.

Nor should you expect that you can immediately go online or to the library and begin your legal research. Just as you plan before you write by conducting legal research and by outlining, you must also plan before you begin your formal legal research. The first step is to become familiar with the facts of the case and the issues that the case presents. Next, decide what questions you need to answer and what types of authorities are best suited to provide those answers. Remember that you need not always restrict your research to cases and statutes. Sometimes, your argument can be enhanced by reference to “extra-legal” authorities.