Sharing Legal Research Forum

[insd]

So I've been helping out my friend in legal writing who also happens to be opposing counsel for our oral arguments. I found an awesome case (smoking gun kinda thing) and shared it with her, because she's on the opposing side, and I'm fine with helping her out with her arguments.

I just got a text from one of our classmates that she used to date who I am also on good terms with, and he asked me for the case number. I don't want to sound like a bitch, but we are graded on a curve; I have the feeling that this case is obscure enough that not many people have found it; and this guy is in a study group that works on ideas for this paper (they're all plaintiffs, as am I).

Anyone have any experience with this type of situation?

[amiright]

Are you sure you were even allowed to help opposing counsel in the first place? Maybe that's why your friend told the guy to ask you rather than telling him herself.

[insd]

Yep, we're definitely allowed to collaborate and stuff, because we're graded on our writing skill rather than our research. However, this case makes the writing so much easier to do for this paper...

And it really just slipped... She didn't really think about it. The reason that I'm having a hard time with this decision is that my school is pretty small, and everyone knows each other.

edit: having a hard time deciding whether I should tell him what case it is, or just explaining to him that we're on a curve and he'll just have to help himself

[iaminsane]

Give him the case and tell him "you owe me one". The oral argument grade is based on how well you present yourself and your arguments. You are giving too much importance to this case - the judge may or may not find it so. meanwhile, you generate good will with a future colleague who one day may be able to help you out down the road. Law school is not zero-sum.