Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

Effective Writing Is Organized Writing, Melissa N. Henke

Law Faculty Popular Media

Effective legal writers organize their analysis with the reader in mind. This article focuses on two common techniques used in creating organized writing strong topic sentences and appropriate transitions.

The Beginnings Of The Journal Of Food Law & Policy, Michael T. Roberts

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In the first sentence of the introduction to the inaugural edition of the Journal for Food Law & Policy, Margie Alsbrook, the founding Editor-in-Chief, and I, the founding faculty advisor, stated: "It is with great pride and pleasure that we present the inaugural issue of the Journal for Food Law & Policy." In celebration of the Journal's tenth anniversary, I am inclined to echo the same sentiment, but with the added proviso: "surprised!" I confess being gravely concerned ten years ago over the Journal's survivability. Food law and policy was then barely in its formative stage. The nascent, social food …

Dedication To Dean Timothy L. Coggins, W. Clark Williams Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tribute To Gail F. Zwirner, Paul M. Birch

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reframing The Socratic Method, Jamie Abrams

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

While innovations in law teaching are everywhere, these innovations are being constructed upon and limited by the ancient architecture of the case-based Socratic method, which still endures and persists throughout first-year and upper-level courses. This article highlights how the Socratic method limits the depth and breadth of innovations in law teaching and can be reframed to better catalyze other teaching innovations, create more practice-ready lawyers, and cultivate more inclusive and inviting law classrooms. Within the existing framework of law teaching – the same casebooks, class sizes, and teaching style – the case-based Socratic method can be reframed in three straight-forward …

"Response To Book Review", Richard Dale

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Enigma: A Variation On The Theme Of Legal Writing’S Place In Contemporary Legal Education, Ian Gallacher

Journal of Experiential Learning

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Global Health Governance And A Framework Convention On Global Health, Lance Gable, Ames Dhai, Robert Marten, Benjamin Mason Meier, Jennifer Prah Ruger

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Testing The Geographical Proximity Hypothesis: An Empirical Study Of Citations To Nonbinding Precedents By Indiana Appellate Courts, Kevin Bennardo

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

This Article analyzes the citation patterns of the Indiana Supreme Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals from 2012 and 2013. The research underlying this Article involved a study of 1324 opinions from that time period. In those opinions, the Indiana appellate courts cited to out-of-state judicial decisions 738 times. This Article analyzes those citations to test the hypothesis that state courts are more likely to turn to decisions of geographically proximate state courts for guidance when homespun precedent is lacking. The evidence points to the conclusion that, while geographical proximity bears on persuasiveness, it does not cross regional divides. …

Advising The President: The Growing Scope Of Executive Power To Protect America, Alberto R. Gonzales

Law Faculty Scholarship

The scope of power that the executive branch has to act independently of the other government branches in the national security arena is one of the most difficult questions to answer in constitutional law. Congress has passed a number of statutes empowering the President to take actions necessary to protect our national security, but on relatively few occasions has Congress authorized the President to use force through declarations of war. As Counsel to the President, my job was to work with Attorney General John Ashcroft and other senior lawyers in the Bush Administration to advise the President on the limits …

Outcomes In The Balance: The Crisis In Legal Education As Catalyst For Change, Beau Steenken

Law Faculty Popular Media

In this article, the author discusses how changes in the legal education market can force legal research teachers to focus their energies on meaningful assessment.

How To Have An Effective Student Conference, Karin Mika

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

No abstract provided.

Making The Peg Fit The Hole: A Superior Solution To The Inherant Problems Of Incorporated Definitions, Lindsey P. Gustafson

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

"The Hindrance Of A Law Degree": Justice Kagan On Law And Experience, Laura Krugman Ray

Maryland Law Review Online

No abstract provided.

The Enduring Value Of Books Related To The Law: A Librarian's Perspective, Linda S. Maslow

Michigan Law Review

In the 1979 inaugural issue of the Michigan Law Review’s annual survey of books related to the law, Professor Cavers wrote an enthusiastic and hopeful introduction. He characterized the journal’s effort as a “bold innovation” that would benefit lawyers; law professors, both domestic and foreign; scholars in other disciplines, such as the social sciences; and the marketplace of ideas generally. As the annual survey approached its twentieth anniversary, Professor Schneider provided a fascinating, frank description of the Book Review issue’s origins during his tenure as the Michigan Law Review’s Editor- in-Chief. Happily, this annual Book Review issue continues to thrive. …

Inspiring Public Trust In The Domestic Legal System: The Impact Of The Extraordinary Chambers In The Courts Of Cambodia (Eccc), Jung Min Shin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Risks, Goals, And Pictographs: Lawyering To The Social Entrepreneur, Alicia E. Plerhoples

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Scholars have argued that transactional lawyers add value by mitigating the potential for post-transaction litigation, reducing transaction costs, acting as reputational intermediaries, and lowering regulatory costs. Effective transactional attorneys understand their clients’ businesses and the industries or contexts in which those businesses operate. Applied to the start-up social enterprise context, understanding the client includes understanding the founders’ values, preferences, and proclivity for risk. The novel transactions and innovative solutions pursued by emerging social entrepreneurs may not lend themselves well to risk avoidance. For example, new corporate forms such as the benefit corporation are untested, yet appeal to many social entrepreneurs …

Video: Writing To Win: How Theory Meets Practice, Olympia Duhart, Camille Lamar, Beverly A. Pohl

NSU Law Seminar Series

8:00 am to 8:45 am

Professor Olympia Duhart (’03) and Professor Camille Lamar

Using persuasive techniques to highlight the client’s point of view

Creating judge-friendly documents that streamline and simplify arguments

Presenting information clearly and concisely

Putting Theory into Practice: Interactive drafting and editing exercise

8:45 am to 9:30 am

Beverly A. Pohl, Esq., (’91) Partner, Broad and Cassel

Florida Bar Board Certified in Appellate Practice Drafting effective motions and legal memoranda for the trial court Drafting proposed orders How legal writing in the appellate court differs from trial court practice The importance of the visual appearance of legal memoranda …

Book Review: International Encyclopedia Of Comparative Law Xi Torts (1983), Thomas A. Eaton

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Encouraging Engaged Scholarship: Perspectives From An Associate Dean For Research, Sonia K. Katyal

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Scholarship With Purpose: The View From A Mission-Driven School, Christine N. Cimini

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Associate Dean For Research In The Age Of The Internet, B. Jessie Hill

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Supporting And Promoting Scholarly Life In Turbulent Times, A. Benjamin Spencer

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Open Access Advantage For American Law Reviews, James M. Donovan, Carol A. Watson, Caroline Osborne

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Open access legal scholarship generates a prolific discussion, but few empirical details have been available to describe the scholarly impact of providing unrestricted access to law review articles. The present project fills this gap with specific findings on what authors and law reviews can expect.

Articles available in open access formats enjoy an advantage in citation by subsequent law review works of 53%. For every two citations an article would otherwise receive, it can expect a third when made freely available on the Internet. This benefit is not uniformly spread through the law school tiers. Higher tier journals experience a …

Art Of Persuasion: Lessons From An Author Who Shaped Presidential Policy, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

In October of 1962, the world stood on the brink of war as the United States demanded dismantling of offensive medium-range nuclear missile sites that the Soviet Union was constructing in Cuba, potentially within striking range of American cities. From behind-the-scenes accounts, we know that a new book by historian Barbara W. Tuchman, a private citizen who held no government position, contributed directly to the negotiated outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis as the world watched and waited. After chronicling Tuchman's contribution, this article discusses her later public commentary about what she called the "art of writing,"' commentary that holds …

What Do We Owe The Pro Se Litigant?, Nathan A. Preuss

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Creating A Legal Research Audit: Assessing Competency, Gail Partin, Sally Wise

Faculty Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Finding Mercy Many Miles From The Office, Patrick C. Brayer

Faculty Works

This piece is part one of a two-part book review of Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy”. It was originally published as a Blog contribution to the National Association for Public Defense in February of 2015.

10 Tips For Effective Brief Writing, Douglas E. Abrams

Faculty Publications

The audience is often the best critic, and rarely more so than when the writer is an attorney and the reader is a judge considering the attorney's brief in a case before the court. Here are several judges' suggestions for writing briefs that will help your case. The first tip? Leave the venom at home!

Dunning-Kruger And You: Evaluating Your Technological Competence With The Legal Tech Audit, Jason Tubinis

Continuing Legal Education Presentations

There’s an enormous skill set you must develop as an attorney. One skill that is too often neglected, though, is the ability to utilize technology to ease the burden of all your tasks for the benefit or your firm, your client, and most importantly, yourself.

This paper is a public service announcement, a reminder to question your preconceptions about what you do and how you do it. It’s a cautionary warning, the one discussed previously about the new ABA comment regarding an attorney’s duty of competence regarding technology. Just because you’re doing fine with technology doesn’t mean you can’t be …