About the program
Some people cannot fit a six-week course into their schedule. This workshop covers the core of case law analysis over two full days, structured around worked examples rather than lectures.
What two days can actually accomplish
The format is deliberately compressed. Day one focuses on reading technique: how to move through a judgment efficiently, locate the operative rule, and separate binding reasoning from commentary. Participants work through four decisions across different areas of law, comparing how courts in different contexts structure their reasoning.
Day two shifts to output. You will write two short case analyses under time pressure, receive written feedback, and revise one of them in the afternoon. The revision step is where most of the learning happens. Seeing where your first draft missed the ratio or misconstrued the court's treatment of earlier cases is more useful than any lecture on the subject.
Who should consider this format
The intensive suits law students preparing for exams, professionals in regulated fields who need to read tribunal decisions, and anyone who tried reading case law independently and found it opaque. Previous participants have included HR professionals, policy analysts, and social workers who appear before administrative bodies.
Instructor Dervla Quirke has taught legal research and writing at two Ontario law schools. She also works as a litigator, which keeps the material grounded.
Materials are provided. Bring a laptop. The days run from 9:00 to 17:00 with a one-hour break.