Preliminary and Exploratory Research
You will chose a paper topic in consultation with your professor. However, you will likely need to do preliminary or exploratory research to find a topic that meets the requirements that have been set forth.
The criteria for a topic can include, but are not limited to, timeliness, uniqueness, historical importance, or a lack of existing discussion or research. Preliminary and exploratory research assists in ascertaining if the topic you're considering meets the criteria. Preliminary and exploratory research is an integral tool in choosing a topic efficiently.
The resources listed below are particularly helpful for this process:
Stalking the Golden Topic: A Guide to Locating and Selecting Topics for Legal Research Papers