A law dissertation is a sustained argument about a legal problem, and the introduction is where the reader learns which problem, in which legal order, by which method, and with what answer. The page goes through those parts, quotes what law faculties in Estonia, Norway, Latvia, Sweden and Canada say about the introduction and the question it sets, and gives checks to run once the other chapters exist.
No one sees their own blind spots, with or without AI help. Esmond points them out in your draft from within your field, along with factual errors and inconsistencies.
A general master's thesis introduction sets out the topic, the gap and the question. A law introduction does the same with legal material, and adds three things a reader in law looks for at once: the legal order the thesis works in, the date at which the law is stated, and the position the thesis will defend. The chapter plan of a whole LL.M. thesis is covered on the page on the LLM dissertation; this page stays with the opening chapter.
The University of Oslo's regulations for master's theses in its international LL.M. programs (adopted in 2014) put the emphasis on the same skills an introduction has to show first: “Emphasis will be placed on the ability to formulate clear problems, conduct a relevant discussion, and demonstrate reasoning.” The same regulations say the thesis is written for lawyers without special knowledge of the subject, so the introduction cannot assume that the reader already knows why the problem matters.
A hypothetical example of a commentYour introduction says the thesis argues that the notice requirement should be abolished, but your conclusion proposes keeping it with a shorter deadline. Which position does the dissertation defend?
A first comment on one part of your own draft, right away and without an account.
Get a free previewA topic is not yet a problem. "Liability for autonomous vehicles" is a topic. A legal problem names a difficulty in the law: two sources that conflict, a rule whose scope courts read in different ways, a statute that no longer fits the facts it was written for, or a rule that fails its own purpose. The research question then asks something the legal sources can answer.
Legal research questions come in a few kinds, and the kind decides what the rest of the thesis must do. A descriptive doctrinal question asks what the law is ("Does the national consumer code cover contracts concluded through online marketplaces?"). An evaluative question measures a rule against a standard ("Is the national rule compatible with the directive?"). A normative question asks what the law should be ("How should the limitation period for latent defects be set?"). A dissertation can combine them; the introduction should then say in which order. For general tests of a question, see the page on the research question.
Scope in law has dimensions that other fields don't have. A reader checks each of them against the chapters.
| Dimension | What the introduction states | What a reader checks later |
|---|---|---|
| Legal order | Which jurisdiction or jurisdictions, and at which level (EU, national, regional, international) | Do the chapters stay within it, and are foreign sources used only where announced? |
| Date | The date at which the law is stated, and whether pending reforms are covered | Do any cited provisions or judgments fall after that date without comment? |
| Area of law | Which field, and which neighboring questions are left out (procedure, tax, criminal aspects) | Does a left-out question come back in the analysis? |
| Sources | Which kinds of sources carry the analysis | Does the method chapter say the same? |
| Perspective | Current law, reform proposals, or both | Is the move from one to the other marked? |
Tallinn University's guidelines for law theses ask the introduction to name the kind of study: “The introduction must clarify whether it is a theoretical study, empirical material, doctrinal legal analysis, etc.” The full justification belongs in the method section; see the page on law dissertation methodology. The introduction announces it, so the reader knows what kind of evidence to expect.
The argument comes next. The University of Ottawa's LL.M. guide, in its rules for the major research paper, says: “The introduction must indicate what approach the author will take in explaining, proving, exploring, or working out the consequences.” In a law dissertation this can take the form of a thesis statement: one or two sentences with the answer the dissertation defends. "This thesis examines the rule" announces a topic. "This thesis argues that the rule, read in light of the directive, already covers platform workers, so no amendment is needed" gives the reader a claim to test.
Tallinn's guidelines add a point on the chapter plan: “The introduction must not become a retelling of the table of contents of the work.” An outline that says why the chapters come in this order, and what each contributes to the answer, does more than a list of titles.
At Stockholm University, the methods course of the LL.M. in European Economic Law guides students through the first phase of the thesis, which includes “selecting a topic and identifying the aim and main research question(s) of the thesis, as well as working on a draft introductory chapter of the thesis, with a section on methodology”. In that program the introduction and the method are drafted together and discussed in seminars.
The Riga Graduate School of Law's review form for bachelor and master theses assesses structure, including “introduction and conclusion (whether they reflect the content of the thesis)”. An introduction drafted in the first month can stop reflecting the thesis by the last. The University of Bergen expects that the question may move: “The research question can nevertheless be refined and adapted afterwards, provided that changes are made in consultation with the supervisor, and do not require a change of supervisor.”
Tallinn allows generative AI in law theses under conditions, including a record of which tool was used and how, and Bergen's course description refers to appendices describing AI use. If your faculty sets rules like these, ask your supervisor before you use Esmond on your dissertation.
These fragments are made up. None of them comes from a real thesis.
Read the introduction again after the conclusion is drafted. These checks pair each claim in the opening chapter with the place where it has to hold.
Esmond evaluates every assignment before you submit. It never writes it.
Esmond is an AI tool that doesn't write for you. If your course doesn't allow any AI tools, don't use Esmond for that work. If you're unsure, ask your instructor or advisor.
Esmond reads your introduction from within law and can flag, in the text you upload, factual errors, inconsistencies and blind spots: a thesis statement that the conclusion contradicts, a cut-off date that later chapters pass without comment, a jurisdiction named in the scope that no chapter covers, or a legal problem stated without its source. See the sample report and how Esmond works; for other chapters, start from thesis chapter feedback.
Esmond reads what you upload. If the file holds the whole draft, it can set this chapter against the others; if it holds one chapter, the review stays within that chapter and may raise a point that another chapter already answers.
Esmond doesn't propose a research question or a thesis statement, and doesn't check your introduction against your faculty's regulations. You decide what to change.
A sustained argument about a legal problem, built on legal sources and sometimes on empirical or comparative material, and carried to a conclusion. Depending on the degree and country it may be called a dissertation or a thesis; the faculty's rules set its length and form.
The legal problem and its source, the research question, the scope (legal order, date, area of law, exclusions), the method, the position the dissertation defends, and a chapter plan with the reason for its order. Your faculty's guide may add parts, such as a hypothesis or an overview of sources.
With the legal problem: the provision, judgment or conflict that makes the question worth asking. Background helps only as far as the reader needs it to see that problem.
Partly. An essay introduction answers a set question and states a position. A dissertation introduction also has to set its own question, define its scope and date, announce its method and lay out the chapters.
Faculties differ, and some guides give no figure. Check your program's rules; the page on the master's thesis introduction collects what some European guides say about length.
Read on November 8, 2026.
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