Law Dissertations: A Step-by-Step Guide provides law students with all the guidance and information they need to complete and succeed in their LLB, LLM or law-related dissertation. Written in an accessible, clear format and with plenty of tools to help put the theory into practice, Laura Lammasniemi will show students how to make writing a law dissertation easy, without compromising intellectual rigour.
The primary aim of this book is to tackle the issues that cause anxiety to law students undertaking a dissertation so that they can focus on the research that you find exciting. As well as explaining the process of research and outlining the various legal research approaches, the book also provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how to formulate a proposal, research plan, and literature review. The second edition expands guidance to LLM and Masters students, and provides up-to-date guidance on how to complete your project using both online resources and remotely. Unlike other law research skills books, Law Dissertations: A Step-by-Step Guide includes a section on empirical research methodology and ethics for the benefit of students who are studying for a Masters in law.
Packed full of exercises, worked examples, and tools for self-evaluation, this book is sure to become an essential guide for law students, supporting them on every step of their dissertation journey.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Finding and perfecting your topic
Chapter 3: From a topic to a question
Chapter 4: Creating a good research proposal
Chapter 5: Planning the project
Chapter 6: Creating a research plan
Chapter 7: Online research
Chapter 8: Legal research methods and approaches
Chapter 9: Empirical research
Chapter 10: Assessing literature
Chapter 11: Literature review
Chapter 12: Writing the dissertation
Chapter 13: Referencing
Chapter 14: Structuring the dissertation
Chapter 15: Navigating supervision
Chapter 16: Aiming for a first and avoiding fails
Chapter 17: Preparing for submission
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Laura Lammasniemi is an Assistant Professor at Warwick School of Law. She has convened dissertation modules in several institutions and her teaching focuses on dissertations and on criminal law. Lammasniemi has published extensively in the areas of criminal law and gender, mainly from a historical perspective. In 2020, she was awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship to work on a project exploring the history of sexual consent in criminal courts, 1870–1950. Lammasniemi has spoken at the House of Commons on the issue of human trafficking and has participated in BBC TV and radio shows as a legal history expert.
"This new edition of Law Dissertations: A Step-by-Step Guide provides law students - both undergraduate and postgraduate - with a handbook to excel in writing their dissertations. This book breaks the process of crafting a dissertation down into smaller exercises that will help students to move from framing research questions to fine-tuning their writing. This book is an excellent guide for law students of different abilities: from those who are beginning to navigate their way through the research process and for those who want to refine their dissertations."
Dr. Mayur Suresh, SOAS, University of London"This book, now in its second edition, is the go-to-guide for LLB and LLM students writing a dissertation or assessed essay. It gives practical, helpful advice on how to do research, which sources to use and how to present your knowledge so as to achieve the best results."
Laura Giachardi, Kings College London"Law Dissertations expertly unlocks the confusing and often daunting process of writing a dissertation in law. A well-researched book that is an invaluable guide for students and an essential resource for educator."
Dr. Fred Cowell, Birkbeck College"Dr Lammasniemi's book tackles the issues that other dissertation books leave out. Students are given confidence to explore their research interests and the skills to turn enthusiasm into a well-formulated research plan."
Dr Maebh Harding, University College Dublin, Ireland
