Law dissertation writing, by experience, is a daunting task for students, even for the straight A students. Writing a 500-word essay on criminal law, for instance, is hard enough; now, you have to write at least 10,000 words. The good news is that if you have been writing shorter essays and assignments, you have an idea how it is done. A dissertation is, of course, longer and more complex, but all those assignments have prepared you for this moment.
How long is a law dissertation?
According to the regulations, a law dissertation should be about fifteen to twenty thousand words, no less than ten thousand words. Meanwhile, this number in “how many words is a law dissertation” does not include the footnotes, references, and bibliography. The word limit in law dissertations is to enable students to think carefully about how to organize and illustrate their points. Nevertheless, it is best you check with your institution’s guidelines to know the required number of words for law dissertations.
Step-by-step guide on how to write a law dissertation
The first step to writing a law dissertation is choosing a topic, from which you will create a proposal. You will submit this proposal with your institution’s committee or supervisor for approval before you proceed to the next step. As you proceed, you will begin researching, collecting data, and documenting your findings; after this, the actual writing begins. When your topic is ready, you can then start writing your paper following the law dissertation structure below:
- The introduction
The introduction is the first chapter, and it provides your research’s background information, research problem or thesis, and your topic’s justification. You should also talk about your thesis’s significance, include theoretical definitions of vague terms, and discuss the research limitations. Although this part comes first in the paper, you can write it last to ensure your introduction captures your entire research.
- Literature review
In your literature review, you are describing your field’s current research state and an existing knowledge gap. Enumerate areas you believe need further research and how you will address this; you can research questions from here.
- Methodology
In the methodology, start by stating your research objectives; then, introduce the methods you used and the philosophy behind them. All the participants, materials, analyses, and procedures you used in the research are going into this section.
- Write your results
Here, present the results of your analyses; simply state the results, do not interpret them. Your data should be presented as answers to your research questions; remember to reference your tables and figures.
- Write your discussion
This is where you will interpret the results you stated in the previous chapter, discussing their relationship to existing literature. You will need to hone your analytical and critical thinking skills here to be able to link your results with existing literature.
- Write your conclusion
Summarily but concisely conclude your research, using evidence from your dissertation; do not introduce new material. Also, it is important that there is evidence in the paper to support every claim you make in the conclusion. Round up this section with a recommendation or suggestions for further research, remembering to add the research limitations.
30 Law dissertation ideas for inspiration
Now that you have an idea what and what your law dissertation should include, here are some topics for inspiration. The secret to choosing the perfect topic is choosing one you are interested in and that will arouse the public’s curiosity.
Contract law dissertation topics
- Why small-scale entrepreneurs should understand contract law
- The needs of the evolving global business environment
- Contract law in shipping and cargo transport
- Legal decision making: litigation or arbitration?
- Contract law in small vs. large-scale enterprises
Criminal law dissertation topics
- The concept of criminal law
- Bail and Bonds
- Criminal Offenses: the classification
- Crime and punishment
- Social policy
Employment law dissertation topics
- Employment contracts and the UK
- Social work employment in the US
- Employment laws: the US vs. Europe
- The legality of employment tribunal fees in a named developed country
- Unfair dismissal laws in the us
Family law dissertation topics
- Shared residence: realistic time and care allocation issues
- How domestic violence affects male victims
- The determinants and effects of child labor
- Fair division of finances in divorce
- The custody rights of parents living with learning disabilities
Human rights law dissertation topics
- Human rights in the twenty-first century
- Human rights and artificial intelligence: the opportunities and risks
- Communication rights using human rights law
- The rights of HIV/AIDs patients in developed countries
- NGOs’ role in advocating human rights
Medical law dissertation topics
- Law in medical practice
- Complementary medicine: law and ethics
- The scope of medical law in developing countries
- Medical law and ethics: Islam vs. international law
- Biobanks
Conclusion
The challenge with writing a law dissertation is that you cannot finish it in a couple of wigs. That is because you need to examine the facts you uncovered during your research meticulously, and that alone can take weeks.
Also, you need perfect or near-perfect knowledge of all the legal terms to ensure you use them appropriately in your paper. Thankfully, you can get experienced law dissertation help if you are finding it too difficult.