The Legal Judgment: A Novel Twist on the Classic Law School Problem Question

ABSTRACT In recent years, educators have sought to diversify the types of assessment used in the legal curriculum. This article introduces a novel form of assessment: the legal judgment. Much like a classic “problem question”, a “legal judgment” presents students with a factual scenario to analyse. However, rather than ask students to provide legal advice, the legal judgment asks students to decide the case by issuing a written judgment. This article showcases this form of assessment while exploring its advantages and challenges. The article argues that this novel twist on the classic law school problem question helps students to develop higher-order legal reasoning abilities, is more intellectually inspiring than the classic problem question, and encourages students to truly “think like lawyers”.