Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research

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Session Type: Section Programs

Session Capacity: 240

Hotel: New York Hilton Midtown

Room: Beekman Parlor

Floor: Second Floor

This panel will cover topics stemming from changes in teaching loads and law-practice demands. Requiring the appellate brief in the first year of law school has been a practice for decades. Challenging this requirement, panelists will explore whether (1) shorter motion briefs would better prepare students for litigation practice; (2) requiring transactional skills is appropriate when many graduates land in corporate practice; and (3) changes in traditional assignments comport with evolving ABA standards. Specifically, panelists will propose the following: Authors of the book “The New 1L” will reimagine how law schools teach lawyering skills in the 1L curriculum. Can we teach 1Ls to act and think like lawyers using real clients and current issues? How should the curriculum cover critical lawyering skills beyond memos and briefs? A panelist suggests that LRW professors design frequent, shorter assignments, drawing support from cognitive science and changes in law practice. “Let’s Not Reimagine Too Much!” Another panelist advocates that the appellate-brief assignment is valuable if presented with substantive learning experiences. A panelist will discuss how writing and other professional skills can be integrated into what are traditionally regards as ‘doctrinal’ courses. No law firm has separate doctrinal and skills departments. He will address "Bridging the Divide" with problem-solving and client-centered exercises, and will draw upon examples from First Amendment, criminal law, and civil rights classes.