Legal Writing Prof Blog

Seattle Univeristy is Hiring

Seattle University School of Law is currently accepting applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor of Law positions in the Legal Writing Program, beginning August 1, 2020.

Seattle University School of Law is an established leader in the field of legal writing. The law school founded the Legal Writing Institute, has hosted several national Legal Writing Institute summer conferences, and the faculty have published numerous books and articles relating to legal writing. As a result, U.S. News and World Report has regularly ranked Seattle University’s Legal Writing program as one of the top Legal Writing programs in the United States.

Seattle University School of Law’s Legal Writing program consists of three required semesters. In the first year, students take a six-credit, two-semester course entitled Legal Writing, Skills, and Values (LWSV). In this course, students learn the skills necessary for excellent legal writing, including legal reading, analysis, and synthesis; legal research and citation; and the principles of effective writing. In addition, LWSV familiarizes the students with fundamental lawyering skills such as client interviewing and counseling, fact development, and negotiation. These skills are taught in the context of drafting objective memoranda and client letters. Finally, the course incorporates discussions of professional identity as well the values of cultural competence and reflection. In the second year, students enroll in a one-semester course in which they learn the skills necessary for strong persuasive writing and oral advocacy. Students write a pre-trial motion brief and an appellate brief and present oral arguments in support of both these briefs. The successful candidates for the positions will be responsible for classroom teaching, individual meetings with students, and critiquing and grading student papers, as well as the scholarship and service obligations that accompany tenure-track status.

Our faculty, students, and staff at Seattle University School of Law form a vibrant, diverse, and collaborative community that promotes leadership for a just and humane world. The law school’s commitment to academic distinction is grounded in our Jesuit Catholic tradition, one that encourages open inquiry, thoughtful reflection, and concern for personal growth. Innovation, creativity, and technological sophistication characterize our rigorous educational program, which prepares lawyers for a wide variety of successful careers in law, business, and public service.

For more information about Seattle University’s Legal Writing Program, see http://www.law.seattleu.edu/Academics/Legal_Writing_Program.

Minimum Qualifications: JD from an ABA-accredited institution, a strong academic record, excellent writing skills, and excellent interpersonal skills. In addition, the candidate should have two years of law practice or clerking experience. Prior experience teaching legal writing is preferred.

We will gladly consider both entry-level and lateral applicants. Lateral applicants are advised to include in their materials their record of publication and involvement in the national Legal Writing community.

Seattle University, founded in 1891, is a Jesuit Catholic university located on 50 acres in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. More than 7,200 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within nine schools and colleges. U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2019” ranks Seattle University 8th in the West among universities that offer a full range of masters and undergraduate programs. Seattle University is an equal opportunity employer.

In support of its pursuit of academic and scholarly excellence, Seattle University is committed to creating a diverse community of students, faculty and staff that is dedicated to the fundamental principles of equal opportunity and treatment in education and employment regardless of age, color, disability, gender identity, national origin, political ideology, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The university encourages applications from, and nominations of, individuals whose differing backgrounds, beliefs, ideas and life experiences will further enrich the diversity of its educational community.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Submit applications to https://www.seattleu.edu/careers/. To ensure full consideration, include a cover letter, curriculum vitae and a writing sample. Questions about the search process should be directed to Professor Robert S. Chang, [email protected], Chair of the Hiring Committee. Review of applications will begin August 18, 2019.

(mew)

Stetson is Hiring

STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW invites applications from entry-level and junior lateral candidates for a tenure-track faculty position, as well as senior lateral candidates for a tenured position. We seek strong scholars and teachers particularly in the areas of Evidence, Legal Research and Writing, and Academic Support, but are open to a wide variety of teaching interests. Applicants should have a strong academic record and a demonstrated commitment to outstanding teaching, scholarship, and service. Stetson’s beautiful campuses are located in Florida’s Tampa Bay region, the nation’s eighteenth largest metropolitan area. Stetson is Florida’s oldest law school and is internationally known for its programs in Advocacy, Legal Writing, Elder Law, Environmental Law, and Higher Education Law. Application review will begin mid-August. Interviews may occur at the AALS 2018 Faculty Recruitment Conference or by video/telephone conference.

Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for your professional references to Marco Jimenez and Royal Gardner, Co-Chairs, Faculty Appointments Screening Committee. You may email your application to [email protected]. You may apply through standard mail to Shannon Edgar, Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st Street South, Gulfport, Florida 33707.

Hat tip to Prof. Anne E. Mullins (who also happens to be President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors).

(mew)

New Mexico is Hiring

The University of New Mexico School of Law is hiring one or more tenure-track faculty members for its Legal Analysis and Communication Program.  For more information, contact George Bach ([email protected]), the chair of the hiring committee, or David Stout ([email protected]), a legal writing faculty member on the hiring committee.

The position is a tenure-track appointment and the professor hired will be allowed to vote in faculty meetings. The salary is estimated to be between $70,000 and $119,999.The number of students enrolled in each semester of the courses taught by the legal research & writing professor will be 31-40. Legal writing faculty are expected to teach and develop upper-level writing classes in addition to the first-year writing curriculum.  

Hat tip to Steven K. Homer

(mew)

Pitt Law is Hiring

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law invites applications for two full-time faculty positions at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Legal Writing. These positions are part of a system leading to presumptively renewable long-term contracts, separate from the University’s tenure stream. The position will begin on July 1, 2020.

To apply, please provide a letter of interest, resume, and list of three references addressed to Professor Mary Crossley, Chair, Appointments Committee, at [email protected]. Write “Legal Writing Faculty Application” in the subject line of the email. The deadline for applications is September 3, 2019.

(mew)

UNC Chapel Hill is Hiring

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law seeks a full-time clinical professor to teach in its nationally-recognized research and writing program. The person hired will join a collaborative team of nine experienced professors. They teach various writing-related and bar-preparation courses that integrate legal analysis, research strategy, genre discovery, citation literacy, oral advocacy, and professionalism. The courses pursue clearly articulated goals, offer students extensive practice and feedback, and culminate in thoroughly vetted, goals-related assessments.

 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law invites applications for one full‑time clinical faculty appointment in the law school’s Writing and Learning Resources Center.  The Center operates a two-semester, six-credit, first‑year legal research and writing program (“RRWA,” for Research, Reasoning, Writing, and Advocacy) plus an academic-support and bar-preparation program. 

The individual selected should expect to do the following:

§  receive an initial three‑year, nine‑month appointment subject to long‑term contract renewal (compliant with ABA Accreditation Standard 405(c));

§  teach either two seminar‑sized sections of RRWA per semester or one RRWA section plus an upper-level writing or bar-preparation course; and

§  serve on faculty committees and participate in faculty governance.

Candidates must have the following:

§  a J.D. earned with an outstanding academic record;

§  bar admission plus either practice or clerkship experience; and

§  willingness to work collaboratively with fellow professors, particularly in teaching RRWA.

Also valuable is experience in teaching, counseling, or academic‑support work. 

Possible start dates are either January or July 2020.  The school will begin reviewing applications in July and accept applications until the position is filled.  Applications must be submitted electronically at http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/165547.  They must include a resume or curriculum vitae, a letter of application, and contact information for four references.  They welcome confidential inquiries to Craig T. Smith, Clinical Professor and Assistant Dean for the Writing and Learning Resources Center, at 919.962.7059 or [email protected].  For more information, visit www.law.unc.edu and http://www.law.unc.edu/academics/wlrc.

A New Way to Research Investor-State Awards and Decisions

The annual conference of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) is in full swing at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The conference features substantive panels and presentations, dozens of business meetings, and a robust exhibit area where vendors are introducing new products to academic and professional law librarians from around the world.

One company with a specialized research focus is ISLG, the Inverstor-State Law Guide, which offers the ability to research international investment awards, decisions, treaties, and rules. The comprehensive research focused on investor-state disputes that the ISLG offers appears to be unique. It allows readers to find particular provisions of investment treaties and decisions interpreting those provisions. It also allows researchers to see howa particular decision or instrument has been considered by other tribunals and in scholarly articles.

Pictured here are three Canadians representing ISLG at the AALL Conference. They are Chief Executive Officer Morgan D. Maguire, Strategic Account Manager Liam Murphy-Burke, and Director of Legal Content Paul E. Moon.

(mew)

Citation Manual for International Arbitration

We haven't had a chance yet to review this closely, but we're happy to learn about a new citation manual called UCIA: Universal Citation in International Arbitration, published in the United Kingdom by the Global Arbitration Review and available here online.

The book was on display at the 112th Annual Conference of the American Association of Law Libraries, an event taking place this week in Washington, D.C.

Having a uniform system for citing international arbitration decisions will help lawyers, arbitrators, parties, and scholars see how arbitral awards and decisions are being followed by other tribunals. This, in turn, will allow for greater coherence in how later tribunals will rule in international arbitration cases.

Please use the "comment" section to share your thoughts and specific observations about the citation manual.

(mew)

AALL Annual Conference Opens in Washington DC

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) opens its national conference today at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. We wish all of the attendees a productive and enjoyable conference.

(mew)

LSU is Hiring for Federal Courts, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, and Evidence, and to Direct the Immigration Law Clinic. And yes, they also Need an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice to Teach Legal Analysis and Writing

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, PAUL M. HEBERT LAW CENTER seeks to hire tenure-track or tenured faculty in the following areas: federal courts, constitutional law, civil procedure, and evidence. Applicants should have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, superior academic credentials and publications or promise of productivity in legal scholarship, as well as a commitment to outstanding teaching. They may consider applications from persons who specialize in other areas as additional needs arise.

They additionally seek to hire a full-time faculty member with security of position to direct the Immigration Law Clinic as part of LSU Law’s Clinical Legal Education Program. The Immigration Law Clinic is a fully in-house, one-semester, 5 credit clinic in which students represent non-citizens in their defensive proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and affirmative applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Applicants should have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, superior academic credentials, substantial experience in Immigration practice and be admitted and in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction. Prior clinical teaching experience and fluency in Spanish is preferred.

They also seek to hire a full-time Assistant Professor of Professional Practice to teach legal analysis and writing. A successful candidate will teach the fundamentals of legal reasoning and writing by way of predictive and objective memoranda in the fall semester and advance those skills by teaching persuasive writing of an appellate brief and appellate oral advocacy in the spring semester. The legal writing faculty collaboratively develop the course materials that are used across the 1L curriculum. Applicants must have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, superior academic credentials, and should have at least two to three years of post-J.D. experience in a position or positions requiring substantial legal writing.

The Paul M. Hebert Law Center of LSU is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty. We particularly welcome and encourage applications from female and minority candidates.

Applications should include a letter of application, resume, references, and teaching evaluations (if available) to:

• Melissa T. Lonegrass and Christina M. Sautter
• Co-Chairs, Faculty Appointments Committee c/o Pam Hancock (or by email to [email protected])
• Paul M. Hebert Law Center
• Louisiana State University
• 1 East Campus Drive
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803-0106

Hat tip to Prof. Christina Sautter at the Louisiana State University

(mew)

George Mason is Hiring

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, Virginia is seeking to hire a full time Assistant Director of its Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis Program. Here is a link to the job posting. 

 

(mew)

UNLV is Hiring

 

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for Assistant Professor in Residence and Director of Academic Success Programs at the William S. Boyd School of Law. The job posting is here. The chair of the search committee is Professor Ruben Garcia.

 

Hat tips to Chelsea Baldwin and Mary Beth Beasley

 

(mew)

 

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Long form url for job posting:

Ross Guberman Joins Scribes Board of Directors

Scribes--The American Society of Legal Writers-- has  announced that Ross Guberman has joined the Scribes Board of Directors.

Mr. Guberman is the president of Legal Writing Pro LLC and the founder of BriefCatch LLC. He has conducted thousands of workshops on three continents for prominent law firms, judges, agencies, corporations, and associations. His workshops are among the highest rated in the world of professional legal education. He holds degrees from Yale, the Sorbonne, and the University of Chicago Law School.

Ross’s book, "Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates," is an Amazon bestseller that reviewers have praised as a “tour de force” and “a must for the library of veteran litigators.” Ross also wrote "Point Taken: How to Write Like the World’s Greatest Judges," which Court Review called “the best book . . . by far . . . about judicial writing.”

Ross has also worked as a translator, professional musician, and award-winning journalist. Slate called his investigative reporting about Fannie Mae “totally brilliant and prescient,” and Pulitzer Prize winner Gretchen Morgenson wrote that his article “made even the most jaded Washingtonian take note.”

For the past 6 years, Ross has been invited to train all new federal judges, and he has presented at many other judicial conferences as well. He has also addressed many international conferences, including ATD, NALP, PDC, PDI, ACLEA, IADC, the Appellate Judges Education Institute, and the ABA’s Corporate Counsel Summit.

Ross is a founding “Trusted Adviser” for the Professional Development Consortium and consults for Caren Stacy’s OnRamp Fellowship. He is often quoted in such publications as The New York Times and American Lawyer.

Ross won the Legal Writing Institute’s 2016 Golden Pen award for making “an extraordinary contribution to the cause of good legal writing.” He was also honored as one of the 2016 Fastcase 50 for legal innovators, and his Twitter feed has been named to the ABA’s Best Law Twitter list.

announce that Ross Guberman has joined the Scribes Board of Directors.

He is the president of Legal Writing Pro LLC and the founder of BriefCatch LLC. He has conducted thousands of workshops on three continents for prominent law firms, judges, agencies, corporations, and associations. His workshops are among the highest rated in the world of professional legal education. He holds degrees from Yale, the Sorbonne, and the University of Chicago Law School.

Ross’s book, "Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates," is an Amazon bestseller that reviewers have praised as a “tour de force” and “a must for the library of veteran litigators.” Ross also wrote "Point Taken: How to Write Like the World’s Greatest Judges," which Court Review called “the best book . . . by far . . . about judicial writing.”

Ross has also worked as a translator, professional musician, and award-winning journalist. Slate called his investigative reporting about Fannie Mae “totally brilliant and prescient,” and Pulitzer Prize winner Gretchen Morgenson wrote that his article “made even the most jaded Washingtonian take note.”

For the past 6 years, Ross has been invited to train all new federal judges, and he has presented at many other judicial conferences as well. He has also addressed many international conferences, including ATD, NALP, PDC, PDI, ACLEA, IADC, the Appellate Judges Education Institute, and the ABA’s Corporate Counsel Summit.

Ross is a founding “Trusted Adviser” for the Professional Development Consortium and consults for Caren Stacy’s OnRamp Fellowship. He is often quoted in such publications as The New York Times and American Lawyer.

Ross won the Legal Writing Institute’s 2016 Golden Pen award for making “an extraordinary contribution to the cause of good legal writing.” He was also honored as one of the 2016 Fastcase 50 for legal innovators, and his Twitter feed has been named to the ABA’s Best Law Twitter list.

(mew)

Remembering Ralph Brill (1935-2019)

Ralph Brill, a giant in the field of legal writing education, died on June 21, 2019, at the age of 83.

A memorial service is being held this afternoon at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago.

Ralph was born in Chicago in December 1935, the son of immigrants from Romania. He attended the University of Illinois where he earned both his undergraduate degree and his law degree. He was associate editor of the University of Illinois Law Forum. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1960. Brill's first case as an attorney was a dog bite case.

Ralph Brill began his teaching career by teaching legal writing at the University of Michigan in 1960 and he then joined the faculty of the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1961. He served as associate dean from 1970 to 1973, and acting dean from 1973 to 1974. He was the director of the school's legal research and writing program for 14 years. At the time of his death he was Professor of Law Emeritus at Chicago-Kent. In addition to teaching legal writing, he taught torts, products liability, advanced torts, and seminars on current issues in tort law and famous trials in history.

Ralph served the legal writing community in many ways. He was Chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning. and Research. He also served on the Board of Directors of both the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) and the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD). He also served on the Communication Skills Committee of the American Bar Association Section on Legal Education. He was a tireless defender of legal writing professors and the legal writing community.

Ralph was frequently recognized for his contributions to legal writing education. He received these awards:

• In 1997, he was the second person (after Mary Lawrence) to receive the Association of American Law Schools Section Award from the Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research, an award that recognized lifetime contributions to legal writing education.
• In 2005, he received the Thomas F. Blackwell Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Legal Writing, an award conferred jointly by the Association of Legal Writing Directors and the Legal Writing Institute.
• In 2006, he was the third person to receive the Burton Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education.
• In 2007, he and Professor Molly Lien were the winners of the Legal Writing Institute's Terri LeClercq Courage Award.
• In 2011, the Association of Legal Writing Directors awarded the first “Brill” Award to him in recognition of his more than 50 years of service in the legal academy and to legal writing specifically. The Brill Award will be given periodically to honor those in the legal academy who, for 50 years or more, have assisted their colleagues and students in mastering legal analysis, research and writing. 

In 1997, Ralph Brill, Susan L. Brody, Christina L. Kunz, Richard K. Neumann, Jr., and Marilyn R. Walter collaborated on the first edition of the ABA Sourcebook on Legal Writing Programs. This book compiled information on existing programs of legal writing and gave recommendations for optimal programs. Recommendations included suggestions on class sizes and commentary on the need to improve the status and salary of legal writing professionals in order to enhance skills training in general. 

Many of Ralph's contributions to the legal writing community are relatively unknown. In 1994, he established a legal writing listserv in conjunction with the Legal Writing Institute Conference held at Chicago-Kent that year. The listserv was expanded after the conference and enabled legal writing professionals to communicate on a daily basis concerning the development of their programs. The listserv membership became instrumental in enhancing the solidarity of legal writing professionals and the overall quality of programs across the nation.

His legacy at Chicago-Kent continues.

• Each year, Chicago-Kent's Ilana Diamond Rovner Appellate Advocacy Competition presents the Ralph L. Brill Award for the best brief.
• Chicago-Kent law school also established the Ralph Brill Distinguished Visitor Position, which was inaugurated by Teri LeClercq in 2010.
• In 2011, Professor Adrian James Walters of England's Nottingham Trent University was named IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law's first Ralph Brill Endowed Chair.

Ralph Brill was greatly loved in the legal writing community. We share our deepest condolences with his family, colleagues, and students and with Karin Mika, his partner since 2006.

Click here for another tribute to Ralph on the Legal Skills Prof Blog.

(mew)

 

California Western is Hiring

California Western School of Law in San Diego, California, is hiring a full-time Program Director for its Competitive Advocacy Program.  Although the position does not include teaching classes, the person hired may have the opportunity to teach classes as an adjunct professor.  The details of the position are described in the attached job announcement.  The deadline for applications is August 15, 2019. 

Hat tip to Bobbie Thyfault

(mew)

Tips on Taking Better Notes

"Note-taking is essential for success in the law office and the courtroom. Notes facilitate processing and retrieval of information gathered during discovery, meetings, research, and trial preparation. They enable note-takers to comprehend and retain spoken words. Use the tips and tools mentioned in this article to improve your note-taking. Experiment with each of the alternatives to determine which is best suited to your work style."

That bit of useful advice comes from Michael L. Goldblatt, who has authored several books and articles about marketing for lawyers. Click here to read the full article on taking better notes.

(mew)

P.S. We also recently highlighted another article by Mr. Goldblatt on writing better letters. Click here to read more.

 

Detroit Mercy School of Law is Hiring a Property Professor

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law seeks a proven or aspiring scholar and teacher with an interest in teaching first-year Property Law for a tenured or tenure-track position beginning 2020-2021.  Applicants must have a law degree and strong academic background and must demonstrate either a record of or potential for both teaching excellence and high scholarly achievement in any area of law.  The balance of the teaching package will be determined in conversation with the successful candidate.

To Apply

Applicants should send a cover letter, which should include a brief description of their ideal teaching package and a general indication of their areas of scholarly interest.  Please direct the cover letter, a current CV, additional supporting materials (if any), and any questions you may have to:

Professor Julia Belian, Chair of Faculty Recruitment

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

651 East Jefferson

Detroit, Michigan 48226

([email protected], 313-596-0225)

Materials will be accepted via email or regular mail.  Review of applicants will begin in July 2019 and will continue until the position is filled.

Detroit Mercy Law offers a unique curriculum that complements traditional theory- and doctrine-based course work with intensive practical learning.  Students must complete at least one clinic, one upper-level writing course, one global perspectives course, and one course within our Law Firm Program, an innovative simulated law-firm practicum.  Detroit Mercy Law also offers a Dual J.D. program with the University of Windsor in Canada, in which students earn both an American and a Canadian law degree in three years while gaining a comprehensive understanding of two distinct legal systems.  Interested Dual J.D. students are fully integrated into upper-level U.S. courses.  The program’s first-year U.S. Property Law module could form a component of the teaching package if desired.

Detroit Mercy Law is located one block from the riverfront in Downtown Detroit, within walking distance of federal, state, and municipal courts, the region’s largest law firms, and major corporations such as General Motors, Quicken Loans, and Comerica Bank.  The School of Law is also uniquely situated two blocks from the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, an international border crossing linking Detroit with Windsor and Canada. 

Detroit offers a dynamic variety of culinary, cultural, entertainment, and sporting attractions. 

Michigan’s largest, most comprehensive private university, University of Detroit Mercy is an independent Catholic institution of higher education sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy and Society of Jesus.  The university seeks qualified candidates who will contribute to the University's urban mission, commitment to diversity, and tradition of scholarly excellence.  University of Detroit Mercy is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer with a diverse faculty and student body and welcomes persons of all backgrounds.

Hat tip to Julia Belian.

(mew)

Lucy Jewel named as Director of Legal Writing at the University of Tennessee College of Law

Professor Lucy Jewel has been named as Director of Legal Writing at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Before teaching at the University of Tennessee, she taught at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School where she also served as Director of Legal Skills and Professionalism. Her teaching is informed by several years of practice as a commercial litigator with the New York City firm of Wachtel, Masyr, & Missry, LLP.

Professor Jewel frequently presents on legal writing, legal education, and professionalism topics at national and international academic conferences. Her scholarship is interdisciplinary in nature and focuses on the intersections between technology, law, culture, and rhetoric. She writes about cognitive approaches to legal argumentation, technology and the practice of law, the impact of culture on the legal profession, and the past, present, and future of legal education. Her articles have appeared in journals such as the Yale Journal of Law & Technology, the University of Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, the Buffalo Law Review, and the Minnesota Journal of Law, Science, and Technology.

Hat tip to Michael Higdon.

(mew)

Is Your School Hiring?

We're happy to post job openings, news of upcoming conferences, and other announcements of interest to legal writing professors around the world. Just let us know!

Mark E. Wojcik, The John Marshall Law School-Chicago