Lecture notes Legal Methods

Legal Methods introduces students to how law works, how to read it, and how to think like a lawyer. The course covers the nature and purpose of law, different sources of law like legislation, precedent, custom, and the Constitution, and teaches students how to research legal materials using cases and statutes. It also explains how to read and analyse judgments, identify the ratio decidendi, and understand legal reasoning. A major part of the subject is statutory interpretation, including rules like literal, golden, and mischief rules, and the use of internal and external aids. The course also touches on basic jurisprudential schools, legal writing, citation methods, and an introduction to the Indian legal system and hierarchy of courts. Overall, Legal Methods builds the foundational skills needed for interpreting law, writing legal answers, and conducting legal research.