TMLL Research Guide - Chapter 12

Presenting Research Results to a Supervisor

The most basic of all lawyers' communication to a supervisor is the oral report: a description of what you've found through research, investigation or analysis. Distilling the essence of your research and analysis in an oral report - simplifying complex substantive rules, forcing yourself to generalize from the facts, etc. - presents much the same problem as whittling a five page letter down to two pages. Learning to handle a reporting conference well is good basic informal practice both for beginning to write and for oral appellate argument (and can also help you in answering questions in class).

The goal is a thorough, complete and timely response to the problem. What your supervisor will evaluate you on is your ability to express the best answer to the issues presented to you, based upon accurate research and the client you represent, in an organized, clear and concise manner.

Questions to ask yourself before presenting your results to a supervisor:

Questions to ask yourself before presenting your results to a supervisor:

Have I responded to the problem presented to me?

1. Have I understood the facts and identified those facts relevant to answering the question?
2. Have I identified the appropriate issues, or understood the issues presented by the supervisor?
   
3. Have I located the best resources which would provide an answer to the question?

Have I used good professional judgment and logic in reaching an answer?

1. Have I personally reviewed all the research sources and fully read all relevant primary law?
   
2. Have I analyzed and handled appropriately any authority which would oppose my conclusion?
   
3. Have I taken care to function not only as an accurate reporter but as a good interpreter?
   
4. Have I considered the client's interests, as expressed by the supervisor?
   
5. Have I sorted out all the possibilities and come up with a plan for action, if appropriate?
   
6. Would I want this supervisor to depend upon this answer?

Have I been thorough in my research?

1. Have I planned my research strategy and could I discuss it if required?
   
2. Have I used any secondary sources both to familiarize myself with the topic and to gain an overview?
   
3. Have I located mandatory primary authority?
   
4. Have I consulted persuasive authority, if necessary?
   
5. Have I updated the law?
   
6. Have I taken sufficient notes to refresh my memory, if necessary?
   
7. Could I use my research strategy and notes to write a memo on the topic, if asked?

Have I completed the project within the time allotted to me, or, prior to the end of the allotted time, have I communicated with the supervisor for an extension of the deadline to allow me to be thorough or to revise the project?

1. The time to ask for an extension, either as to amount of time to spend, or the due date, on a project is not after it's due. You need to obtain your supervisor's permission prior to the deadline.
   
2. There are many reasons that deadlines are set, and few good reasons for extending them. Make a habit of meeting your deadlines, both as to the date the project is due and the amount of time you can spend on the project.

Have I plotted out the structure of my presentation?

1. Is it well-organized:
   
   1. Have I outlined what I want to say?
      
   2. Does one point flow logically to the next?
      
2. Is it clear? Each choice of word, phrase and sentence should be unmistakable in meaning.
   
3. Is it concise? A presentation should always strive for materiality, stressing the important points and avoiding equal weight placed on both the significant and the trivial.
   
4. Do I understand who my audience is and what it is that he or she wants to hear?

Typically, you're reporting to busy people who want refined conclusions, not rough facts and not a recital of your hunt in chronological order. The way to begin is to give the supervisor the ultimate answer first and then ask the supervisor whether he or she wishes you to go through the logical, not chronological, steps by which you researched and reached your conclusion.

Be prepared to be interrupted with questions. You will have to give this presentation as a dialogue: some of these questions will be directed to the issue you're presenting at that moment, and others may be related to matters you intend to cover later in the discussion. The way in which to handle these questions depends upon the type of question. If the question relates to an issue currently under discussion, you will have to answer it then. If the question relates to an issue you intend to cover later in the logical sequence, it may sometimes be appropriate to state that you intend to cover that point shortly.

Finally, never forget that the way in which you communicate orally to a supervisor, a judge, or a client, conveys not only your knowledge and intellectual capacity, but also empathy and trustworthiness. Just prior to beginning your presentation, sit down and think of how prepared and confident you are in your own work. If you have taken good notes, are comfortable with your work product, and have organized your presentation, you will appear more relaxed, in control and can respond to questions intelligently and flexibly.