Legal Writing Prof Blog

AALS Section award announced!

The AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning & Research Section Award has announced its 2011 Section Award recipient: Elizabeth Fajans.  Congratulations!

The award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the field of legal writing and research. Betsy Fajans has been a dedicated teacher, mentor, and author, and has been an inspiration to many in the field of legal writing. She has been a writing specialist for Brooklyn Law School since 1980.  She is a co-author of the seminal book Writing and Analysis in the Law, now in its 5th edition, and the more recent Writing for Law Practice, as well as the publication Scholarly Writing for Law Students: Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes, Law Review Competition Papers, co-authored by Fajans and Falk. 

Betsy also served as an editor of the Journal of Legal Writing from 2002 - 2008.  She was also a founding member of the Writing Specialists Network. 

The Section Award will be given at the Section lunch at the AALS Annual Meeting held in San Francisco on Thursday, January 6, 2011.   

The section Nomination Committee this year was Emily Zimmerman (Chair), David R. Cleveland, Sabrina DeFabritiis, Anne M. Enquist, Greg Johnson, Mark Osbeck, Helene Shapo, Karen J. Sneddon, and Kathi Stanchi.

hat tip:  Martha A. Pagliari, Chair, AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning & Research

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more One-day Workshop pics

 

These photos show a very attentive audience at the LWI One-Day Workshop at Widener University School of Law, on their Wilmington, Delaware, campus last Friday.  Theresa Clark and Christine Mooney, both from Villanova Law School, are the speakers in the front of the room.  They were talking about How to Grade Papers without Losing Your Mind.  That was one of the topics for the full panel on Grading Papers and Handling Student Conferences.  The other presenters on that panel were Mary Nagel (The John Marshall Law School - Chicago), David Raeker-Jordan (Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg), and Carol L. Wallinger (Rutgers School of Law-Camden).  You can see them on the left-hand side of each photo.  Click on the photos for larger versions, to see everyone better.

The organizers for the Widener site were Mary Ellen Maatman and Susan King.  Everyone attending commented on what a fine job they did!

hat tip:  Mary Ann Robinson

(spl)  

 

  

Here it is! The Fall 2010 Newsletter of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research

Here's a document that you will want to open, print, and share with colleagues.  Bring a copy with you to San Francisco if you're coming to the AALS Annual Meeting.  If you're not attending that meeting, you'll still find a wealth of information in the section's fall newsletter.

Click here for the Fall 2010 Newsletter.  Download AALS Legal Writing Newsletter Fall 2010

The newsletter was produced by Kathleen Elliott Vinson (Suffolk).  She is the Secretary of the Section and will become Chair-Elect during the AALS Meeting in San Francisco.  Kathy is pictured here at the left.  The current section chair is Martha Pagliari (DePaul University College of Law), who is pictured at the right.

If you missed the section's Spring 2010 Newsletter, click here.  Download AALS Legal Writing Newsletter Spring 2010.  There is information in that Spring issue that you will also enjoy reading.  The newsletter is published twice a year.

Hat tips to Kathy Vinson and Martha Pagliari

(mew) -- Mark E. Wojcik, The John Marshall Law School--Chicago, Chair-Elect, AALS Section of Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research

Global Legal Skills Conference Proposals

The sixth Global Legal Skills Conference will take place on May 5-7, 2011 at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  Persons interested in making a presentation or organizing a panel for the conference should submit  proposals to the Planning Committee by January 31, 2011, by sending it to 7wojcik[at]jmls.edu. 

You will be notified as to whether your proposal has been accepted by the middle of February.  There is no particular format for proposals.  Some proposals may be quite detailed, while others might have just the title of the proposal, a brief description (unless it is clear from the title), and contact information for presenters.  You might propose an entire panel, or just an individual presentation that we might combine with others.  Submissions are welcome on all aspects of international legal skills education, with a special (but not exclusive) focus on teaching students who speak English as a second language.  Previous conferences also included presentations on Legal Spanish, on teaching Trial Advocacy in Ireland, on legal translations, and on other aspects of international legal education.  However, most
presentations will focus on the special educational aspects of teaching students trained in other languages and other, frequently non-common law, legal traditions.  

In your proposal, please let us know how much time you will need.  Please choose 20 or 50 minutes.  Please also let us know where your proposal fits within the following categories:

1.      How to teach:  Tips for those who teach international students either here or abroad.
2.      How to do:  Tips by and for U.S. and foreign practitioners who have global practices.
3.      Curricular development:  Presentations on what schools offer, or should be offering, their foreign students.
4.      What it's all about: Lessons on law/culture/practice in other countries.
5.      Developing Materials:  Ideas on developing materials for class. 
6.      Other:  Anything that does not fit within the other categories.

Please send any questions to Mark Wojcik by email at mwojcik[at]jmls.edu or intlawprof[at]gmail.com. 

(mew)

proud to be a legal writing prof

It's one thing to have your letter to the editor published in the Sunday New York Times Magazine.  It's  something else to sign your letter with the title "Professor of Legal Writing."  That's exactly what Ellen Saideman, at Roger Williams University, did.  You can see her letter by clicking here and scrolling down.

hat tip:  Terri LeClerq

(spl)

and even more promotion news

As the semester ends, the good news of legal writing professors' promotions just keeps coming in. 

The faculty at the University of Washington School of Law has now voted to promote Kate O'Neill to full professor.  Congratulations, Kate! 

hat tip: Suzanne E. Rowe

(spl)