Check the list of the mistakes carefully and do your best to avoid the mistakes listed. Knowing what you should do, you’ll be able to create a high-quality legal essay.
Essay writing has never been easy. It’s that sort of writing where you’re supposed to present a deep knowledge of a certain subject field. Legal essays differ from other types of academic papers by being even more specific. Each piece of writing is aimed to reach its target audience. So, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of each kind of essay.
Most students do the same mistake – they don’t see the difference between essay types and fail to create an insightful paper. If you doubt that you’ll write it well or you simply do not have time for this, you can contact a professional essay writing company online. The best specialists of legal essay writing service are always ready to help and quickly solve any problem, saving your time and effort.
What Three Main Types of Legal Essay are Distinguished?
You may be assigned to write one of the following types of essays:
- Essay on a quote. The task is to reveal the meaning of the expression (to reasonably express agreement or disagreement with it).
- Essay on legal theory. You should characterize one of the theories of law or the direction of jurisprudence.
- Essay from legal practice. You need to consider a specific episode or analyze a document.
What Mistakes Do Most Students Make in Their Legal Essays?
If you are a law student, then you probably already faced the question of how to write a legal essay. This is not an easy task, because the requirements for an essay often vary. Besides, you need to clearly state your position and back it up with arguments.
Find out what typical mistakes most students do when writing a law essay. It’s how you’ll be able to prevent the same errors in your piece of writing.
- Writing an essay without taking into account the distinctive features and peculiarities of each legal essay type. If you need to comment on a quote, it is better to start the essay with brief information about the author, then consider the meaning of the quote in his/her time and modern conditions, to note whether you agree with the statement. In an essay on legal theory, describe the history of the issue, highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the direction you are analyzing. Try to draw a parallel with modernity, indicate how relevant it is now. When considering a specific legal case or document, one should not be distracted by extraneous elements and provide a description of such situations. Consistently evaluate the actions of the characters or discuss all the points of the normative act.
- The topic is researched poorly. Before you get started, you need to conduct deep research on the topic. Few students do this, creating a paper that doesn’t contain a detailed analysis of the main issue.
Library shelves lit by hanging bulbs; image by Janko Ferlič – @specialdaddy, via Unsplash.com. - Writing a too short or too large law essay. In a regular legal essay, the volume is 300-1000 words. An essay can rightfully be a little larger: for example, if a legal case is being considered, the volume of words can be up to 1500-2000.
- Creating an essay that doesn’t correspond to the main topic. Do not write unnecessary information, trying to show erudition. Stick to the topic and do not deviate from the main topic.
- Not following the correct essay structure. Like any other kind of essay, a legal essay should consist of three parts. Sometimes, students avoid this rule and write legal essays without having an attractive introduction, the main body, and the conclusion. In the beginning, you should formulate the thesis of the entire essay, which you will reveal in the subsequent text. Instead of this, some students make the beginning too long, which reduces interest in the next part.
- Absence of arguments for each opinion expressed in the main body. The main body is the most important element of the work. It should contain an analysis of a quote, legal theory, case study, or document. Opinion on this or that aspect needs to be argued: for example, with references to other documents or practice.
- No concise conclusion. Many students don’t pay the necessary attention to the final part of the legal essay. Remember that it summarizes, formulates the results of what was written above. A good conclusion should contain the paraphrased thesis of the whole essay.
- The bibliography isn’t formatted properly. The list of information sources called bibliography is a must for a legal paper. It should list the documents (laws and other regulations) and books that were used in the preparation of the essay.
- Arguments aren’t supported with expert opinions. The sayings of great people will decorate any work. This is especially true for a legal essay: tutors appreciate it when students reinforce their own opinions with the standpoint of authoritative lawyers. Quotations for an essay can be easily found on the Internet. Use expressions that state the importance of law in regulating human relations and its role in society. An example is a statement by Thomas Jefferson: “Laws are written for ordinary people, so they should be based on the ordinary rules of common sense.”
- Papers include plagiarism. Of course, you need to use some sources for your legal essay, but this doesn’t mean you should just steal the statements of famous people. To avoid plagiarism, you need to use in-text citations and mention each information source in the list of references.
Knowing what you should do, you’ll be able to create a high-quality legal essay. Check the list of the mistakes carefully and do your best to avoid the mistakes listed. If you find this difficult, turn to professional writers who know how to create a great essay on legal topics.
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