Many websites offer law topics for research papers. For example, the ACS ResearchLink website allows lawyers, students and law professors to interact on the site, submitting topics for research papers as well as seeking these topics, which are very specific. You can search for categorized search results or look at all the topics listed. Another online resource is MegaLaw.com, which has centers for research on topics that include criminal law, intellectual property law and law enforcement. An option is to consult your school's research assistant at the law library for topic ideas or at least a point of reference.
Popular topics for law research papers often include aspects of constitutional law, such as legalization of gay marriage, criminal protection under the Bill of Rights, abortion laws and legalization of drugs. ACS ResearchLink listed a topic on whether civil rights plaintiffs should be made to pay defendant's attorney fees if they lose a federal civil rights case. Other issues include gender equality, such as whether girls should be prohibited from non-school baseball leagues through community programs.
Multiple journals are dedicated to current issues in intellectual property law. The journals include "Baltimore Intellectual Property Law Journal," "The Journal of Intellectual Property Law" and "Intellectual Property Magazine." Each pertains to the issues surrounding intellectual property theft, copyright infringement and issues under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Because the Internet opened peer-to-peer sharing, the ability for entities such as major corporations and musicians to take hold of their products and profits has become a very big problem. An intellectual property research paper could discuss fair use, public domain, intellectual property valuation, limitations and exceptions to copyright law and industrial espionage.
From prisons and corrections to law enforcement management, law enforcement research topics offer a review of the executive branch of government. A legal research paper might investigate the use of deadly force or favoritism in the police force and how to avoid them, or what laws need to be revised in order to account for police or victims. Another topic might discuss evidence collection, which is a main duty of police in order to process a crime scene; it includes collecting, documenting, preserving and packaging all evidence. Police have to follow specific procedures, and improper management of evidence can lead to an unsolved case or mistrial. Therefore, a research paper might list all the processes, explaining their necessity and what areas need more attention.