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 The Legal Method and Writing Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law prepares students for the demands of today's legal profession. The program is staffed by five full-time writing faculty, all of whom have had experience practicing law prior to teaching. Unlike some writing programs that rely on upper-level students or adjunct faculty, these full-time legal writing professors are professionals with expertise in teaching legal research and writing and are available to the students on a regular basis. Additionally, graduate teaching assistants serve as mentors, offering one-on-one assistance and creating another resource for students.
During the first year, students are trained to conduct manual legal research and computer-assisted legal research. They draft numerous legal documents, including several interoffice memoranda, client letters, demand letters, and motions. Both objective and persuasive writing skills are taught, as well as oral argument skills. The first year culminates in all students competing in oral arguments before panels of practicing lawyers and judges.
Upper-level students can take advantage of additional research and writing courses, such as Intensive Legal Research and Writing. In this course, students receive extensive written and oral feedback on projects and complete an editing exercise to help hone their proofreading and editing skills. Additional upper-level courses include Advanced Legal Writing, Appellate Advocacy: the Canby Competition, and Advanced Legal Research. Various other advanced writing options exist outside the writing program, including Judging, where students are asked to draft orders and judicial opinions; Licensing Intangible Property, where students draft a number of intellectual property agreements during the semester; Pretrial Practice; Indian Rights Litigation in Practice; and various other drafting courses.
Students who graduate from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law have a solid foundation in legal research and writing. They are capable of meeting the demands of their professors and their employers, and they understand the requirements of successful communication in practice.
Legal Method and Writing Faculty
Sue Chesler
Stacy Dowdell
Tamara Herrera
Amy Langenfeld
Chad Noreuil
Carrie Sperling
Judy Stinson, Director of the Legal Method and Writing Program
"Stuck In The Middle With You" - Music Video (by Terri LeClercq and Charles Calleros) |
