Legal Writing Prof Blog

Pictures from Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference

The Seventh Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference attracted more than 200 attendees, making it probably the largest regional legal writing conference.  It was held at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  Karin Mika attended on the first day and compiled this collection of photographs . . . together with some pretty questionable captions.  Have a look.  (And thanks Karin!)

 

(mew) 

Confirmed Locations for the LWI One-Day Workshops on December 2

On Friday December 2, 2011, the Legal Writing Institute will hold one-day workshops for legal writing faculty (including adjunct faculty) at various locations around the country.   Here is a list of the law schools confirmed to host:

1. California:  Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
2. Florida:  University of Miami
3. Georgia:  Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School
4. Illinois:  Chicago-Kent College of Law
5. Massachusetts:  Northeastern University School of Law, Boston
6. Minnesota:  Hamline University School of Law
7. Missouri:  University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
8. New York:  Brooklyn Law School
9. North Carolina:  Campbell University Wiggins School of Law, Raleigh
10. Pennsylvania:  Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia
11. Tennessee:  University of Memphis Humphreys School of Law

We are confirming additional locations in Ohio and the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area.

The format of the one-day workshops has been expanded to cover these four topics:

1. Teaching Legal Writing (including creating problems, grading, selecting materials, conducting paper conferences, and including other assignments as part of the research and writing course).
2. Teaching Persuasive Writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Moot Court (including materials, practice sessions, and guidelines for moot court practices and competitions).
3. Legal Research Update (including updates on new research methods and materials that you and your students need to know).
4. Other Innovations (a potpourri panel that will differ at each location, where individual speakers and faculty roundtables can discuss classroom teaching innovations, scholarship opportunities, effective use of research assistants, and other subjects of interest to legal research and writing faculty).

The workshops have been a great opportunity for legal writing faculty around the county to meet and share new ideas.  Adjunct faculty who are often unable to travel have found the sessions to be particularly valuable, but as you can see from the topics they are now designed for all legal writing faculty.  The programs have also been of interest to persons who are thinking about entering the legal writing academy as teachers. Those presenting at the workshops have found them to be a great speaking opportunity too.

The one-day workshops are a fundraiser for the Legal Writing Institute to allow it to continue its many fine and important programs.  Attendees pay a $100 registration fee.  As in past years, scholarships will be available to anyone who cannot pay the registration fee. 

Information will be available soon on how to register for the conference and on how to volunteer to be a speaker at one of our locations.  For now, save the date and plan to attend a workshop near you.    

Mark E. Wojcik, Board Member, Legal Writing Institute

Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference

The Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference will be held in Chicago at The John Marshall Law School this Friday and Saturday.

More than 150 people have already registered to attend.  Professors are flying in from as far as California and New York to take part in this regional conference.  That's quite a central region! 

Click here to see the program and speakers. 

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon will address the conference on Saturday morning.  She previously taught legal writing at Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbondale.

(mew)

 

 

 

LWI 2014 Conference to be held in Philadelphia

President Ken Chestek of the Legal Writing Institute announced today that the 16thBiennial LWI Conference will be held from June 29 to July 2, 2014 in Philadelphia, just before the fourth of July.   The conference will be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown,which will extend the special discount rate for those of you whose families want to explore some real American history firsthand.   Philadelphia is full of amazing Revolutionary War history and is a major destination for family vacations -- and its a city that got its fame from the legal documents written there.  Save those dates and plan to come to Philadelphia!

 

As a reminder about the big LWI conference next year, that's in California and will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs from May 29 to June 1, 2012.  (That's the week of Memorial Day 2012.)

 

(mew)

Harry Potter and Bluebook Rule 10.2

Wow.  Here's some great news from Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Elon's Library Director Kate McLeod and LRW Professor Patricia Perkinshave been working since last spring on their secret passion to be movie directors and to bring the Bluebook to life.  Harry Potter and Bluebook Rule 10.2 -- I can see it now!  

 

Or maybe not exactly that title.  But Kate and Patricia have created a series of short videos designed to help students learn legal citation.  They received some deservedly wonderful feedback and suggestions during a “test run” at last spring’s North & South Carolina Legal Research andWriting Colloquium, and now we learn from Catherine Wasson (the Director of Legal Research and Writing at Elon) that the first several videos in this ongoing project are now available for viewing on the Elon Law website.    The videos are about 3 to 5 minutes long (about the attention span of my students), and each shows students how to construct a certain part of a case citation.    

Catherine tells us that more videos on case cites, statutes, and other sources are in the works – and that Kate and Patricia welcome your feedback and suggestions as they continue to create new videos for the series and slowly work their way to Hollywood.   Here's one of their videos:

Hat tips to Catherine Wasson, Kate McLeod, and Patricia Perkins.  Click here for more videos.

(mew)

Brill Chair Investiture

Chicago-Kent College of Law held the Brill Chair Investiture on Tuesday September 13th, honoring legal writing legend Ralph Brill.  

Chicago-Kent announced the public phase of its first campaign back in 2006 to raise $1.5 million to fund its first endowed chair.  More than 400 Chicago-Kent alumni and friends contributed $1.5 million to complete the campaign to fund the Ralph Brill Chair.  While they were waiting to hold the investiture ceremony, the school had its first Ralph Brill Distinguished Visitor, who was Terri LeClercq.  Click here to read an earlier post about that (and to see a lovely picture of Terri).

Adrian Walters will be the chair holder.  We hear that he's a lovely guy from Nottingham University in Great Britain, and that he has a terrific sense of humor, not too much different from Ralph.  And like Ralph, he's very much into students and quality teaching. 

Although Ralph didn't say a word during the ceremony, he was still the star of the show.  His mere presence ensures that Legal Writing takes the center stage.  It's awe-inspiring to watch how many people who come up to him to thank him for how he changed their lives and fought for the quality of their legal education.  Ralph, of course, fought to make sure that "his" chair didn't wind up in the hands of a traditional scholar, but went to a real teacher.  As many of you know, Ralph has been teaching for more than 50 years.  Over that time he has been a friend and mentor to so many of us.

Congratulations again Ralph and thank you for all of your support for legal writing.

Hat tip to Karin Mika

(mew)

LWI One-Day Workshops

The Legal Writing Institute will hold one-day workshops at various locations around the country on Friday, December 2, 2011.  The topics covered in the workshops have been expanded to include these four areas:

 

1.  Teaching Legal Writing (including topics such as creating problems, grading, selecting materials, conducting paper conferences, and including other assignments as part of the research and writing course).

2.  Teaching Persuasive  Writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Moot Court (including materials, practice sessions, and guidelines for moot court practices and competitions).

3.  Legal Research Update (including updates on new research methods and materials that you and your students need to know).

4.  Other Innovations (a potpourri panel that will differ at each location, where individual speakers and faculty roundtables can discuss classroom teaching innovations, scholarship opportunities, effective use of researh assistants, and other subjects of interest to legal research and writing faculty).

 

The workshops have been a great opportunity for legal writing faculty around the county to meet and share new ideas.  Adjunct faculty who are often unable to travel have found the sessions to be particularly valuable, but as you can see from the topics they are now designed for all legal writing faculty.  The programs have also been of interest to persons who are thinking about entering the legal writing academy as teachers. Those presenting at the workshops have found them to be a great speaking opportunity too.

 

The one-day workshops are a fundraiser for the Legal Writing Institute to allow it to continue its many fine and important programs.  Attendees are asked to pay a $100 registration fee.  Speakers this year will be asked to pay a $25 registration fee.  As in past years, scholarships for attendees (and speakers I suppose) will be available to persons who cannot pay the registration fee.  Law schools who host these generously donate the facilities and often also donate coffee and lunch to make the day particularly wonderful for us.

(mew)

The New York Times and Spell Check

The New York Times maintains a blog dedicated to its own grammar mistakes.  This week's post is about problems with spell check.  Here are a few great examples from The NYT:

“People think when they buy a house they have to gut it and make it what they want,’’ she said, speaking on condition that her name not be used because, she said, she and the neighbors have already sued each other so many times. “The average person makes due with new wallpaper and a new carpet,’’ she added, “but there’s a minority who says, let’s build a cinema.’’

Then there is Mr. Schaeffer’s more biting take, born of hard experience: “North Korea and evangelical empires have the same principal of leadership: nepotism to the nth degree. You may not get the call, but you inherit the mailing list.”

It has a tentative beard, more shadow than shag, like an awkward weigh station on the road from callow to professorial.

(dbb)

A denunciation of law review articles

For a searing critique of law review articles, see this post on the Constitutional Daily blog. The unnamed  author argues that law review articles are too long, are chosen whimsically, and have little influence in the real world. The post also ties professors' publication requirements to high law school tuition and resulting student debt burdens.

Hat tip: Cynthia Adams

 (jdf)

Jessup Moot Court Problem Released

The International Law Students Association (ILSA) has released the 2012 problem for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.  Click here to download the compromis.

(mew)

Pesky apostrophes

Around this time of year, I always discover a few students who misunderstand the apostrophe. I'm going to refer them to this website, which presents a vivid, graphic explanation of apostrophe usage.

hat tip: Kimberly Holst

(jdf)

New England Consortium Conference

What: a one day legal writing conference on Creating Practice-Ready Assignments and Exercises

When: December 16, 2011

Where: the University of New Hampshire School of Law, in Concord, NH

Who's invited: everyone!

Who's organizing it: the New England Consortium of Legal Writing Teachers

What's it cost: it's FREE!

To r.s.v.p. or submit a presentation proposal or presentation, click here.

hat tip:  Amy Vorenberg

(spl)