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Legal Education

2011

Legal Analysis and Writing

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Law

Emerging Models For Alternatives To Marriage, Sanford N. Katz Oct 2011

Emerging Models For Alternatives To Marriage, Sanford N. Katz

Sanford N. Katz

Perhaps one of the most important changes in family law in the past thirty years has been the inclusion of certain kinds of friendships in the range of relationships from which rights and responsibilities can flow. Domestic partnership laws, a phenomenon of the 1990s, may be seen as a natural development from the judicial recognition of contract cohabitation and the legislative and judicial response to same-sex couples who, unable to meet statutory requirements for marriage, have sought official recognition of their relationships. This essay discusses an aspect of certain kinds of domestic partnership laws-their formal requirements and the extent to …

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"I See And I Remember; I Do And Understand": Teaching Fundamental Structure In Legal Writing Through The Use Of Samples, Judith B. Tracy Oct 2011

"I See And I Remember; I Do And Understand": Teaching Fundamental Structure In Legal Writing Through The Use Of Samples, Judith B. Tracy

Judith B. Tracy

A first-year legal reasoning and writing curriculum is designed to introduce students to the analytical skills and organizational tools needed for the preparation of effective objective and then persuasive documents. This article describes how to use samples to enable students to self-identify a general, logical structure for a document, considering its content, its audience and purpose, and the realities of legal practice.

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Feeling At Home: Law, Cognitive Science, And Narrative, Lea B. Vaughn Jan 2011

Feeling At Home: Law, Cognitive Science, And Narrative, Lea B. Vaughn

Lea B Vaughn

What is the “how and why” of law’s affinity for narrative? In order to explain why the use of stories is such an effective teaching and presentation strategy in the law, this paper will consider theories and accounts from cognitive as well as evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and, briefly, cultural anthropology. This account seeks to address “how” narrative helps us learn and use the law as well as “why” we are so compelled to use stories in teaching and in practice.

Brain science, simplified here, suggests that the first task is to “grab” someone’s attention. Emotionally charged events are more likely …

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Sometimes Putting Pen To Paper Is Tougher Than It Seems, Heather Ridenour, David Spratt Jan 2011

Sometimes Putting Pen To Paper Is Tougher Than It Seems, Heather Ridenour, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

No abstract provided.

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How Students’ Gratitude For Feedback Can Identify The Right Attitude For Success: Disciplined Optimism, Anna Hemingway Dec 2010

How Students’ Gratitude For Feedback Can Identify The Right Attitude For Success: Disciplined Optimism, Anna Hemingway

Anna P. Hemingway

Students’ reactions to feedback are intriguing. Why is it that some students resist, and in fact almost resent, receiving suggestions for improving their work while others are grateful and clamor for more help? This short article examines the role of gratitude in legal education. It suggests that students who engage in disciplined optimism, i.e., positive attitude and hard work, are more likely to succeed in law school than students who avoid feedback and self-handicap their efforts.

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