Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

What's In A Name? A Gen Xer And Gen Yer Explore What It Means To Be Members Of Their Generations In The Workplace, Lauren M. Collins, Elizabeth A. Yates

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

In the NextGen Librarian's Survival Guide by Rachel Singer Gordon, the author cites several reasons this time is different than times before in librarianship. Those that are most relevant to law librarianship include:

• Flattening workplace hierarchies and participative management increase the input of newer librarians in workplace decision making

• New technologies require changing skills that affect attitudes toward the integration of those technologies into our daily work

• Outside pressures, such as the prevalence of the Internet, impose a need for librarians to continually prove our relevance and improve relations with younger patrons

• The much talked about …

Using Open Access To Increase Personal Internet Presence, James M. Donovan

Institutional Repository Supporting Materials

Discusses ways to raise internet profile by taking advantage of open access scholarship opportunities

Teaching In Practice: Legal Writing Faculty As Expert Writing Consultants To Law Firms, Kathleen Elliott Vinson, E. Joan Blum

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

As experts in the pedagogy and substance of legal writing, full-time legal writing faculty who serve as writing consultants to law firms help fill an increasing need for training and support of lawyers. In addition to providing a direct benefit to lawyers and their firms, this practice benefits the legal academy by providing fresh ideas for teaching and scholarship. This article discusses generally the practice of legal writing consulting in law firms by full-time legal writing faculty. The article provides background in theory and practice, addressing why law firms seek outside consultants for this type of training and support and …

Review: Voices Of American Law: Us Supreme Court Cases Meet The 21st Century, Lauren M. Collins

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Review of documentary series Voices of American Law (Thomas B. Metzloff & Sarah Wood, producers)

Empirical Legal Research: The Next Big Thing For Law Librarians?, Darla Jackson

Other Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sovereignty As Discourse, Robert L. Tsai

Faculty Scholarship

This is a review of Howard Schweber's book, "The Language of Liberal Constitutionalism" (Cambridge University Press, 2007). Schweber argues that "the creation of a legitimate constitutional regime depends on a prior commitment to employ constitutional language, and that such a commitment is both the necessary and sufficient condition for constitution making." I critique the power and limits of this reformulated Lockean thesis, as well as Schweber's secondary claims that, for constitutional language to remain legitimate, it must increasingly become autonomous, specialized, and secular.

Brief Amici Curiae Of Iowa Professors Of Law And History, Frederick Adams, Victoria Bissell Brown, Patricia Cain, Lois Cox, Ann Laquer Estin, Sally Frank, Elizabeth Heineman, Linda K. Kerber, Karen Leroux, Suzanne J. Levitt, Jean Love, Linda A. Mcguire, Kevin Mumford, Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Sarah J. Purcell, Margaret Raymond, Mark E. Schantz, Johanna Schoen, Leslie A. Schwalm, Mark Sidel, Peggie Smith, Maura Irene Strassberg, Shelton Stromquist

Faculty Scholarship

This case calls upon the State of Iowa to reaffirm its historic commitment to protecting the equality and individual liberties of all of its citizens, including its lesbian and gay male citizens. It requires this Court to interpret Iowa’s unique constitution with due respect for both text and tradition. The case must be analyzed against the backdrop of Iowa’s leadership and courage in the areas of civil rights and family law, and the willingness of its judiciary to uphold constitutional mandates in the face of efforts to legislate prejudice and discrimination.

Plaintiff-Appellees seek nothing more than to share in the …

Proof Brief Of Professors Of Family Law And Jurisprudence As Amici Curiae In Support Of Plaintiff-Appellee, Joseph M. Barron, Richard T. Greenberg, Shannon Price Minter, Carlos A. Ball, Naomi Cahn, June Carbone, Ann Laquer Estin, Joan Heifetz Hollinger, Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Sarah H. Ramsey, Michael S. Wald

Faculty Scholarship

The plaintiffs in this case met their burden of demonstrating the irrationality of Iowa’s statutory exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. They did this, in part, by presenting social science research regarding the irrelevance of sexual orientation to parental ability and the psychological and social well-being of children raised by same-sex parents. In addition to arguing that the marriage exclusion is irrational, the plaintiffs also alleged that the exclusion should be subject to heightened scrutiny because it violates the fundamental right to marry and discriminates on the bases of gender and sexual orientation. Amici agree that the exclusion of same-sex …

From Snail Mail To E-Mail: The Traditional Legal Memorandum In The Twenty-First Century, Kristen Konrad Robbins-Tiscione

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Can You Show Me How To…? Reflections Of A New Law Professor And Part-Time Technology Consultant On The Role Of New Law Teachers As Catalysts For Change, Geoffrey Christopher Rapp

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Poetry Of Law, Sidney W. Delong

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Wikipedia And The Future Of Legaleducation, Beth Simone Noveck

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Legal Writing: Did Harvard Get It Right?, Laurel Currie Oates

Mercer Law Review

For most law students, there is a moment when, in frustration or exhaustion, they throw up their hands and scream, "There must be a better way." While many of the cases in the casebooks are interesting, learning the law one case at a time seems, at best, inefficient, and at worst, just plain stupid. Wouldn't it be much easier, and better, if law schools used the same pedagogy that is used in many other disciplines: reading assignments, lectures, and exams that test whether students have learned the information set out in those textbooks and lectures?

When students question law school …

Readability Studies: How Technocentrism Can Compromise Research And Legal Determinations, Louis J. Sirico Jr.

Working Paper Series

One way to determine whether consumers understand a document is to use a readability formula to assign it a score. These formulas calculate readability by counting such variables as the number of words and syllables in a passage or document. The idea of readability formulas has been defined as “an equation which combines those text features that best predict text difficulty. The equation is usually developed by studying the relationship between text features (e.g., words, sentences) and text difficulty (e.g., reading comprehension, reading rate, and expert judgment of difficulty).” Even though readability formulas are mechanical and imperfect, they are easy …

Of Empires, Independents, And Captives: Law Blogging, Law Scholarship, And Law School Rankings, J. Robert Brown Jr.

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Law faculty blogs have been around for much of the new millennium. This article examines these blogs, including their role in the legal scholarship continuum and their growing influence of legal community.

The paper begins with an evolutionary study, noting that law blogging originally began in a state of nature, with few rules governing frequency or content of posts. Increased competition and the emergence of Empire and Captive law blogs, however, has resulted in a growing sense of order on the legal blogosphere.

Perhaps as a result, the influence of law blogs has increased. The paper relies on a list …

The Ownership Delusion: When Law Libraries "Buy" Electronic Documents, Are They Getting More, Or Simply Paying More?, Simon Canick

Faculty Scholarship

This article explores the issues surrounding electronic document ownership in academic libraries. It discusses the guidelines of AALL with regard to licensing electronic materials, and how it measures up to what vendors are willing to offer. The author takes a critical stance on who benefits from the electronic document ownership agreements.

Why Re-Invent The Wheel? Utilize Appellate Court Briefs Databases, Emily Janoski-Haehlen

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

More Than Just Law School: Global Perspectives On The Place Of The Practical In Legal Education, James Maxeiner

All Faculty Scholarship

Foreign experiences remind us that legal education is not just law school. They inform us that we should seek for ways not just to integrate theoretical and practical teaching, but to assure that our students or our graduates get real experience with practice. The assumption that law schools are the exclusive place for preparation for the profession of law is bad for students, bad for bar, bad for law schools, bad for the legal system and bad for society. We should look to see what we can do best and should encourage other institutions to do what they can do …

Implementing Plain Language Into Legal Documents: The Technical Communicator's Role, Peggy Bivins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the benefits of using plain language in legal documents and the role technical communicators can play to help implement plain language. Although many definitions for plain language exist, it is best described as reader-focused communication that presents information in a manner that makes it easy for a reader to find, understand, and use the information. Plain language facilitates comprehension by using shorter, less complex sentences; active voice; and common words. All these elements aid in processing and understanding information, especially unfamiliar concepts. Laypeople, unversed in the law, frequently have difficulty understanding traditional legal writing. The complex sentences, …

Using Actual Legal Work To Teach Legal Research And Writing, Michael A. Millemann

Faculty Scholarship

Legal research and writing (LRW) teachers should use actual legal work to teach their courses, including (indeed, especially) first-year courses. The legal work might come from a planned or ongoing lawsuit, transaction, or other matter. What is important is that it is real, although in my model, the teacher can add hypothetical features to customize the legal work to the particular LRW course. For example, in an appellate advocacy course, the teacher could present the legal issues arising out of a pretrial matter by summarily “deciding” them in a hypothetical trial court opinion, thus allowing the students to fully explore …

The Twenty-Sixth Annual John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Petitioner, 25 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 337 (2008), Joshua Deitz, Kakuti Lin, Lindsey Shinn

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Putting The "I" In Wrtng: Drafting An A/Effective Personal Statement To Tell A Winning Refugee Story, Stacy Caplow

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Using A Wiki To Increase Student Engagement In Administrative Law, David I.C. Thomson

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Administrative law is one of the courses students love to hate. This is particularly true in schools where Admin is a required course, since many students in the class would not take it otherwise, and gripe about being forced to. The problem with Admin law – for both the teacher and the student – is that it is such a vast topic that teaching it in a manner students can comprehend is diffi cult. When I was asked to teach Admin law last year, I looked at this as a challenge, rather than a burden. Because I am fairly comfortable …

The Twenty-Sixth Annual John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Bench Memorandum, 25 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 305 (2008), Leslie Ann Reis, David E. Sorkin, Panagiota Kelali, Jessica Diehl, Carlos A. Encinas, Matthew Hector, Gina Spada, Steven Tseng, Priya Krishnamoorthy Venkat

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Wikipedia Made Law? The Federal Judicial Citation Of Wikipedia, 26 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 229 (2008), Amber Lynn Wagner

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this comment the author examines the new and growing body of federal opinions citing Wikipedia an authoritative source. The comment details how Wikipedia articles are generated, and the ease with which anyone can edit them, to illustrate their shortcomings as sources for making judicial determinations. The author provides examples of federal cases where judges rely on Wikipedia to define terms ranging from colloquial phrases to medical equipment. The author points out that in spite of several academic institutions and the U.S. Trade and Patent Office banning it as a source, federal judges continue to rely on Wikipedia in their …

The Twenty-Seventh Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law:Summary Of Bench Memorandum, 26 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 259 (2008), Robin Ficke, James Lai, Steven Tseng, Panagiota Kelali

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Petitioner, Alex Romero (“Romero”), appeals to the Marshall Supreme Court from an order granting summary judgment in favor of Respondent, Windbucket Entertainment, LLC (“Windbucket”). Romero’s lawsuit alleged that Windbucket and a third party (not a party to the present appeal) were liable to him for invasion of privacy by intrusion upon seclusion. Romero then sought discovery sanctions against Windbucket for violations of Marshall Rule of Civil Procedure 37. The issues in the case concern whether a subscriber to an Internet-based, multiplayer computer game can state a valid invasion of privacy claim against the game’s publisher, when liability is based on …

The Twenty-Seventh Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Petitioner, 26 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 283 (2008), David Caras, Jennifer Robbins, Zach Rudisill

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

The Twenty-Seventh Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Respondent, 26 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 321 (2008), Adam Powell, Erin Blake, Kris Kokotayo

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

St. Thomas Law Review

Front Matter includes Masthead, and Table of Contents for St. Thomas Law Review Volume 20, Issue 3, Spring 2008.

Front Matter

St. Thomas Law Review

Front Matter includes the Table of Contents for St. Thomas Law Review Volume 21, Issue 1, Fall 2008.