Legal Case in the Media: Research Paper
Order Description
Legal Case in the Media: Research Paper

• The paper is worth 15% of your grade.
• Please refer to the URCourses posting for additional information.

Purpose of the Paper
• The purpose of the assignment is to be able to identify and analyze a legal issue reported in the news.
Subject of the Paper
• The subject of the paper is a story reported in the media relating to a legal issue from the course material taken in class.
• You must choose a Saskatchewan based news article.
• NOTE: Please do not choose a criminal law article because we do not discuss criminal law fully in this course.
• It will be helpful if you start monitoring the news (TV, radio, print and online sources) as soon as the class starts so that you can choose an article which interests you and gives you plenty of time in which to research and write the paper.

Content of the Paper
• You must include:
o Introduction (stating the purpose and scope of the paper, the article you have chosen and its URL),
o Facts,
o Legal Issue (specifically described),
o Legal Analysis (for each party: Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s)),
o Outcome,
o Strategies to Manage Legal Risk,
o Why I Chose This Article, and a
o Conclusion.

• Introduction: state the purpose and scope of the paper, the article you have chosen and its URL.
• You must succinctly and accurately identify the legal issue in the news article. This section is not intended for a recitation of the facts of the case. Its purpose is to tell the reader what legal issue or problem is raised in the article. E.g. “This case is about whether the company discharged its contract with the customer by performance or whether there was a breach of the contract.”
• Research and apply the relevant law to analyze the story with respect to the relevant statutes, policies, cases, etc.
• Analyze the legal position of each of the parties involved: the plaintiff and defendant(s) (assuming the parties if the matter were to go to court, or perhaps has already been decided).
• Discuss the outcome of the story. What happened and what may yet happen?
• Identify legal risk management strategies which would have helped avoid the problem from the perspective of each of the parties (the plaintiff and defendant(s).
• Include a section as to why you chose the article. Why is this story of interest to you? What did you discover in doing your research? Etc.
• Include a short conclusion.

Format of the Paper
• Please use headings in formatting your paper: this is not optional!
• The paper should be no fewer than 8 pages and no more than 10 pages.
• Times New Roman, 12 point font. Please do not use another font size or style.
• You must use page numbers (bottom/centre of the page) in your paper.
• Please use APA formatting and citations. Do not use footnotes or endnotes.
• Please include a separate Title Page and separate Reference List
• You must use the appropriate case and statute citations. There are hundreds of examples in the text. Remember that the name of the statute and the case is italicized.
• Use Saskatchewan statutes: All Saskatchewan statutes are cited with “R.S.S.” (Revised Statutes of Saskatchewan) or “S.S. (Statutes of Saskatchewan) in their title.
• Specific sections or provisions in a statute are denoted by “s. number” in the statute and are written as Section or “s. number”.

Research Required
• You have to research the case: It is NOT sufficient to use only the text and the Power Point slides.
• Use academic and legal information such as textbooks, academic articles, cases, statutes, organizational databases, government policies and programs, other media websites, etc..
• Do not use Wikipedia as a source in your paper and do not include it in your list of references. It is not an acceptable source in a university research paper.
• Since this is a formal academic paper, you MUST source your writing with appropriate references.
• You should follow the customary university standards for writing and submitting a formal research paper which uses external sources.
• Please be mindful of the rules regarding plagiarism and consult the University of Regina website on this topic if you have never done so.

Submitting the Paper
• You must submit a print copy of the paper, with required appendices, at the beginning of class, on the due date, and an electronic copy by email, with appendices, on URCourses as a Word or PDF attachment, at the same time.
• It is necessary to attach the media article you used and an excerpt of the cases and statutes you used in your paper to both the PRINT AND ONLINE versions of the paper.