To graduate from RWU Law, each student must complete the school’s writing requirement “under the direct supervision of a professor or director of an institute” during which the student “must write an individually authored paper that reflects substantial legal research; presents a legal argument that is well-developed, organized, and supported; is at least 5500 words long; and is of sufficient…, Tip 1. , Find a supervisor early. , This paper is an excellent opportunity to work closely with a faculty member or legal professional with expertise in an area of law that you find interesting. Reach out to potential supervisors early in the process with the subject of your paper and your timeline. Everyone appreciates it when someone is considerate of their time and obligations., Tip 2., , Select a topic that is interesting to you., A directed research paper will represent a large investment of your time. In your future job search, you may need to discuss it during interviews or use it as a writing sample. But just as important, your passion, as an author, is likely to shine through your writing and make your work more engaging to readers. , Tip 3., Your topic should represent a legally significant issue that is arguable—from multiple, defensible perspectives—and is demonstrably relevant or timely., There are various ways to go about finding a suitable topic. Your supervisor or other mentor, with subject matter expertise, can provide you with guidance. You can also search news sources for issues of legal controversy. Likewise, articles in law journals and bar publications can be excellent sources of information on the developments, issues, and trends in various areas of law. Things to…, For legal news, , try browsing the Lexis Legal News Hub , Westlaw Today , or Law.com for up-to-date legal news and the cutting-edge issues facing lawyers and legal scholars today. If you want something a bit more off the beaten path, you can peruse Thomson Reuters’s Legally Weird blog , a great source for legal questions presented in emerging and unique areas of the law. , Tips 4., , Check out the helpful guides that your super smart law librarians created for you., Selecting a topic and conducting your research is exciting and work intensive. These guides are intended to help you at all stages of the writing process. TimeSaver: Selecting a Topic (basic information on selecting a topic) TimeSaver: Legal Research & Writing (information on legal research & writing) LawGuide for Law Review (information on topic development and preemption), Tip 5. Know the Policy on Using Generative Artificial Intelligence. , It is prohibited (see the student handbook ) unless you are expressly granted permission by your instructor or supervisor in writing. The prohibited conduct includes “using generative artificial intelligence, text generated by research databases, large language model chatbots, or similar tools to produce, derive, or assist in creating any materials or content for any course or program, at or…, Tip 6. Ask for help when you need it., Regardless of where you are in your topic selection and research process, meeting with a research librarian is an invaluable step to help formalize your thesis and research trajectory. The library provides individualized research consultations for students to assist in the development of research strategies based on individual needs. To schedule a research consultation with a law librarian,…
Type: Article
As an expert in National Security Law, Professor Peter Margulies focuses on the delicate balance between liberty, equality, and security in issues involving law and terrorism. Professor Margulies has written almost a dozen articles discussing the War on Terror. He currently works with RWU Law Professor Jared Goldstein, along with litigators from the law firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge,…, New York Times, , the , National Law Journal, and other media outlets., Books, National Security Law: Principles and Policy, , 3rd ed. (Aspen Publishing, 2024) (with Geoffrey S. Corn, Jimmy Gurulé, and Eric Talbot Jensen) “The Other Side of Autonomous Weapons: Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance IHL Compliance,” in, The Impact of Emerging Technologies on the Law of Armed Conflict, , edited by Ronald T.P. Alcala & Eric Talbot Jensen (New York: Oxford University Press 2019), National Security Law: Principles and Policy, , 2nd ed. (New York: Aspen Publishers 2019) (with Professors Geoffrey S. Corn, Eric Talbot Jensen & Jimmy Gurule) “Making Autonomous Weapons Accountable: Command Responsibility for Computer-Guided Lethal Force in Armed Conflicts,” in, Handbook on Remote Warfare, , edited by Jens David Ohlin (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Press, 2017) Interpretations of IHL in Tribunals of the United States (with Prof. Michael W. Lewis), in, Applying International Humanitarian Law in Judicial and Quasi Judicial Bodies, , edited by Philip Van Tongeren (The Hague, Netherlands: T.M.C. Asser Press 2014) “Valor's Vices: Against a State Duty to Risk Forces in Armed Conflict,” in, Counterinsurgency Law: New Directions in Asymmetric Warfare, , edited by William Banks (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), Law’s Detour: Justice Displaced in the Bush Administration , (New York: NYU Press, 2010) “Lawyers' Independence and Collective Illegality in Government and Corporate Misconduct, Terrorism, and Organized Crime,” in, Enron and Other Corporate Fiascos: The Corporate Scandal Reader, , edited by Nancy B. Rapoport, Jeffrey D. Van Niel, Bala G. Dharan (New York: Thomson Reuters/Foundation Press, 2009), Articles, "Textualism's Immigration Problem: Stabilizing Interpretive Rules on Noncitizens' Rights and Remedies," 50, Hofstra Law Review, 259 (2022), ", Searching for Accountability Under FISA: Internal Separation of Powers and Surveillance Law," 103, Marquette Law Review, 1155 (2021) "Autonomous Weapons in the Cyber Domain: Balancing Proportionality and the Need for Speed," 96, International Law Studies, 394 (2020), ", The DACA Case: Agencies' "Square Corners" and Reliance Interests in Immigration Law,, ", 2019-2020, Cato Supreme Court Review, 127 "The Boundaries of Habeas: Due Process, the Suspension Clause, and Judicial Review of Expedited Removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act," 34, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, 405 (2020) "Rescinding Inclusion in the Administrative State: Adjudicating DACA, the Census, and the Military's Transgender Policy," 71, Florida Law Review, 1429 (2019) "Legal Dilemmas Facing White House Counsel in the Trump Administration: The Costs of Public Disclosure of FISA Requests," 87, Fordham Law Review, 1913 (2019) "The Travel Ban Decision, Administrative Law, and Judicial Method: Taking Statutory Context Seriously," 33, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, 159 (2019) "Deconstructing Sanctuary Cities: The Legality of Federal Grant Conditions That Require State and Local Cooperation on Immigration Enforcement," 75, Washington and Lee Law Review, 1507 (2018) "Curbing Remedies for Official Wrongs: The Need for Bivens Suits in National Security Cases," 68, Case Western Reserve Law Revie, w 1153 (2018) "Bans, Borders, and Sovereignty: Judicial Review of Immigration Law in the Trump Administration," 2018, Michigan State Law Review, 1-80 (2018) "Global Cybersecurity, Surveillance, and Privacy: The Obama Administration's Conflicted Legacy," 24, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 459 (2017) "Searching for Federal Judicial Power: Article III and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court," 85, George Washington Law Review, 800 (2017) "Surveillance by Algorithm: The NSA, Computerized Intelligence Collection, and Human Rights," 68, Florida Law Review, 1045 (2016) "Reauthorizing the FISA Amendments Act: A Blueprint for Enhancing Privacy Protections and Preserving Foreign Intelligence Capabilities," 12, Journal of Business & Technology Law, 23 (2016) "Justice at War: Military Tribunals and Article III," 49, U.C. Davis Law Review, 305 (2015) "Defining Foreign Affairs in Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act: The Virtues and Deficits of Post-Snowden Dialogue on U.S. Surveillance Policy," 72, Washington and Lee Law Review, 1283 (2015) "The Boundaries of Executive Discretion: Deferred Action, Unlawful Presence, and Immigration Law," 64 A, merican University Law Review, 1183 (2015) "Deferred Action and the Bounds of Agency Discretion: Reconciling Policy and Legality in Immigration Enforcement," 55, Washburn Law Journal, 143 (2015) "Dynamic Surveillance: Evolving Procedures in Metadata and Foreign Content Collection After Snowden," 66, Hastings Law Journal, 1 (2014) "The NSA in Global Perspective: Surveillance, Human Rights, and International Counterterrorism," 82, Fordham Law Review, 2137 (2014) "Taking Care of Immigration Law: Presidential Stewardship, Prosecutorial Discretion, and the Separation of Powers," 94, Boston University Law Review, 105 (2014) "Sovereignty and Cyber Attacks: Technology's Challenge to the Law of State Responsibility," 14, Melbourne Journal of International Law, 496 (2013) "Constraining Targeting in Noninternational Armed Conflicts: Safe Conduct for Combatants Conducting Informal Dispute Resolution," 46, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 1041 (2013) "Networks in Non-international Armed Conflicts: Crossing Borders and Defining “Organized Armed Group," 89, International Law Studies, 54 (2013) "Defining, Punishing, and Membership in the Community of Nations: Material Support and Conspiracy Charges in Military Commissions," 36, Fordham International Law Journal, 1 (2013) "Advocacy as a Race to the Bottom: Rethinking Limits on Lawyers' Free Speech," 43, University of Memphis Law Review, 319 (2012) "The Fog of War Reform: Change and Structure in the Law of Armed Conflict After September 11," 95, Marquette Law Review, 1417 (2012) "Advising Terrorism: Material Support, Safe Harbors, and Freedom of Speech," 63, Hastings Law Journal, 455 (2012) "Reforming Lawyers into Irrelevance?: Reconciling Crisis and Constraint at the Office of Legal Counsel,", , 39, Pepperdine Law Review, 809 (2012), ", The Ivory Tower at Ground Zero: Conflict and Convergence in Legal Education’s Responses to Terrorism," 60, Journal of Legal Education, 373 (2010) "Judging Myopia in Hindsight: Bivens Actions, National Security Decisions, and the Rule of Law,", , 96, Iowa Law Review, 195 (2010) "The Detainees’ Dilemma: The Virtues and Vices of Advocacy Strategies in the War on Terror," 57, Buffalo Law Review, 347 (2009) "True Believers at Law: National Security Agendas, the Regulation of Lawyers, and the Separation of Powers," 68, Maryland Law Review, 1 (2008) "When to Push the Envelope: Legal Ethics, the Rule of Law, and National Security Strategy," 30, Fordham International Law Journa, l 642 (2007) "Beyond Absolutism: Legal Institutions in the War on Terror," 60, University of Miami Law Review, 309 (2006) "Judging Terror in the "Zone of Twilight": Exigency, Institutional Equity, and Procedure After September 11 ," 84, Boston University Law Review, 383 (2004) "Uncertain Arrivals: Immigration, Terror, and Democracy After September 11," 2002, Utah Law Revie, w 481 "Democratic Transitions and the Future of Asylum Law," 71, University of Colorado Law Review, 3 (2000) "Progressive Lawyering and Lost Traditions," 73, Texas Law Review, 1139 (1995) "Representation of Domestic Violence Survivors as a New Paradigm of Poverty Law: In Search of Access, Connection, and Voice," 63, George Washington Law Review, 1071 (1995)
Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
