Legal Research Guides by Course: Advanced Legal Writing-Writing in Law Practice
Course Description
Through a substantive assignment vehicle, students will participate in the evolution of a relatively simple civil case and learn the basics of pretrial litigation practice from client intake through negotiation and settlement. Students will be exposed to the rigors and ethics of law practice and will be required to exercise the interpersonal skills necessary to produce collaborative written work product in the context of a simulated law form setting. Students will be required to draft many of the documents routinely drafted by new law firm associates during the pretrial litigation stage (including client letters, initial pleadings, discovery, a motion brief, and settlement documents) and, in so doing, will learn the importance of time management through the use of billable hours. Students will also participate in a variety of professional development activities throughout the semester, including the development of a "continuing legal education" seminar and culminating in an "associate performance review" with the professor in the role of a partner-supervisor. Sections occasionally may be combined for lecture, group or simulation exercises, and/or discussion. Final grades will be based on written work product submitted and additional non-written exercises. Prerequisites: Legal Research & Writing I and II. (2 credits) Paper
Faculty Who Teach This Course
- Sherri K. Adelkoff (Visiting Assistant Professor)
- Julia M. Glencer (Assistant Professor of Writing)
- Erin R. Karsman (Assistant Professor of Writing)
- April L. Milburn-Knizer (adjunct professor)
- Tara Wilke (Assistant Professor of Writing)
Subject Covered Presently in Collection by
Print Collection
KF245-KF251 Legal Composition and Draftsmanship Legal Periodicals in Print Collection
KF320.L48 Law Office Management - Letter Writing
PN147-PN171 Literary Composition and Technique
Legal Research Databases
- Bloomberg Law
- Hein Online
- Legal Scholarship Network under Legal Writing
- LegalTrac
- Lexis Advance
- Westlaw Next
- CALI - Legal Writing - http://www.cali.org/category/cali-topics/1l-first-year-lesson-topics/legal-writing
- Legal Writing 201 - http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/Legal/legalwriting.pdf
- Winning Cases with Effective Writing - http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/Legal/stark.html
- Document Preparation (Lexis Hub for New Attorneys) - http://www.lexisnexis.com/community/lexishub/blogs/legaltoolbox/archive/2008/02/04/document-preparation.aspx
- Sharpening Your Legal Writing Skills (Los Angeles County Bar Assn) - http://www.lacba.org/Files/LAL/Vol29No7/2006SG04.pdf
- Writing for Your Audience: The Client - http://www.michbar.org/journal/article.cfm?articleID=449&volumeID=33
- Drafting Legal Documents: a Resource Guide (Seattle University) - http://lib.law.washington.edu/btg/2001/drafting.htm
- Exercises from Legal Writing in Plain English (U Chicago Press) - http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/garner/
Pleadings
- Effective Legal Writing: How to Draft a Pleading (Lexis Hub for New Attorneys) - http://www.lexisnexis.com/community/lexishub/blogs/legaltoolbox/archive/2008/06/24/action_2100_-how-to-draft-a-pleading.aspx
- How to Write a Complaint (Public Counsel Law Center, California) - http://www.publiccounsel.org/tools/materials/files/GUIDE-How-to-Write-a-Complaint.pdf
- A Method for Writing Factual Complaints (Lawworks) - http://lawworks1.com/publicfiles/PDF's/A%20METHOD%20FOR%20WRITING%20FACTUAL%20COMPLAINTS.pdf
Summary Judgment Brief
- Drafting a Successful Motion for Summary Judgment (Lexis Hub for New Attorneys) - http://www.lexisnexis.com/community/lexishub/blogs/legaltoolbox/archive/2011/03/04/drafting-a-successful-motion-for-summary-judgment.aspx
- Summary Judgment Tips from the Top (Aspen) - http://www.aspenadvocacybooks.com/pdfs/34.Erlick.%20Summary%20Judgment.pdf
- Summary Judgment Motion (The Pennsylvania Code) - http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/025/chapter1021/s1021.94a.html
Blogs
- Legal Writing.net Blog - http://blogs.utexas.edu/legalwriting/
- Legal Writing Pro Blog - http://www.legalwritingblog.com/
- Law Prose Blog - http://www.lawprose.org/blog/
- Legal Writing Prof Blog - http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legalwriting/
- The (New) Legal Writer blog - http://raymondpward.typepad.com/newlegalwriter/
- Good Legal Writing - http://goodlegalwriting.com/
DCLI Webpage Links
- Primary Legal Research: Case Law, Statutory Law, Administrative Law, Constitutions (contains quick links to our statutes, our administrative codes, federal and state case law and our constitutions)
- Legal Research Guides: Legal Research and Writing
Course Listed Under the following Law School Concentrations:
Course Satisfies: Professional Skills Course Requirement
created by: Patricia Horvath
rev. 2/4/2013
