Legal Writing Prof Blog

SIU is Hiring

SIU School of Law Southern Illinois University Carbondale is seeking to hire a Clinical Assistant Professor, for a 9-month, term, non-tenure track position in the School of Law for Lawyering Skills I and II. Duties and Responsibilities:

The Clinical Assistant Professor for Lawyering Skills I and II will provide small section instruction and practice in legal research, legal analysis, and legal writing to first year law students. The focus of Lawyering Skills I is on objective legal writing and basic legal research sources. This course also introduces students to client interviewing skills and to relevant ethical principles that may arise when representing a client. Lawyering Skills II continues the development of the research, analysis, and writing skills practiced in Lawyering Skills I. The focus shifts to persuasive legal writing and more complex legal research sources. Students are also introduced to negotiation, oral advocacy, and client counseling skills.

Minimum Qualifications: A Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a minimum of five years of legal practice. Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience in teaching legal writing, a demonstrated interest in training young lawyers. Application Deadline: May 8, 2020 Application Procedure: Visit jobs.siu.edu to create an account and apply

(mew)

New Edition of the ABA Legal Writing Sourcebook

The long-awaited third edition of the Legal Writing Sourcebook has just been published by the American Bar Association Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Updating the second edition published in 2006, the Legal Writing Sourcebook will be essential reading this summer for legal writing professors and program directors across the United States.

The books are in the process of being entered into the ABA inventory, and is expected go live in the ABA webstore the week of May 1.

Here's a list of the chapters covered:

1. Overview of Legal Writing in Law Schools
2. Developing a Comprehensive Legal Writing Curriculum
3. Pedagogical Methods in First-Year Courses
4. Assessment and Grading
5. Faculty Status and Governance
6. Ensuring Quality Instruction
7. Law Students Who Speak English as a Second Language
8. Serving Students with Special Needs
9. Legal Writing Specialists and Writing Centers
10. Innovations Inside and Outside the LRW Classroom

The executive editor of the book is Professor J. Lyn Entrikin (University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law) and Professor Mary Trevor (Mitchell Hamline School of Law) served as copy editor. The following professors are the collective authors of the book:

• Heather Baxter (University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law)
• Deborah L. Borman (University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law) 
• Mary Bowman (Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law)
• David R. Cleveland (Valparaiso University Law School)
• Lurene Contento (Chicago-Kent College of Law)
• Olympia Duhart (Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law)
• J. Lyn Entrikin (University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law)
• Emily Grant (Washburn University School of Law)
• Tonya Kowalski (Washburn University School of Law)
• Jan M. Levine (Duquesne University School of Law)
• Anthony S. Niedwiecki (Golden Gate University School of Law)
• Sara Rankin (Seattle University School of Law)
• Kim D. Ricardo (UIC John Marshall Law School)
• Suzanne E. Rowe (University of Oregon School of Law)
• Michael R. Smith (University of Wyoming School of Law)
• Kristen Konrad Tiscione (Georgetown University Law Center)
• Catherine J. Wasson (Elong University School of Law)
• Melissa H. Weresh (Drake University Law School)
• Mark E. Wojcik (UIC John Marshall Law School)

The book is so new that the ABA website does not yet even list it. It will be available soon, and just in time to answer the burning question of "what should I read this summer?" So in case you need the ISBN to find and order the book, it is 978-1-64105-080-7. Congratulations to my fellow authors and thank you to the editors and members of the Publications Committee of the American Bar Association Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

The members of the 2019-2020 Publications Committee are:

• Rachel Arnow-Richman (University of Denver Sturm College of Law)
• Olympia Duhart (Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law)
• J. Lyn Entrikin (University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law)
• Peter A. Joy (Washington University School of Law)
• Anthony S. Niedwiecki (Golden Gate University School of Law)
• Janet Sinder (Brooklyn Law School)

(mew)

Last Call! Nominations for the LWI Influential Teacher Award Due by April 24, 2020

The Legal Writing Institute has extended the nomination deadline for a new, LWI Influential Teaching Award.  The new deadline is 5 p.m. EST on April 24, 2020.  

The new award will recognize outstanding teachers who have influenced the teaching of legal writing beyond their individual classrooms. The award will be presented at an LWI conference or, if necessary, at a legal writing conference near the recipient.  With this award, the LWI acknowledges its continued commitment to excellence in teaching and advances in legal writing pedagogy.

This is not a lifetime achievement award.  Eligible candidates include professors currently teaching in the field, with a preference for new or mid-level professors who have yet to be recognized in the national legal writing community.  Anyone can nominate an eligible candidate, and we encourage people to nominate colleagues from their own or other schools whose contributions have made a difference in their own teaching.  Nominators should submit the name of the candidate(s) and a detailed description of the candidate’s (or candidates’) contributions, including how

1. the nominator(s) learned of the contribution(s),
2. the nominee's contribution(s) were influential, and
3. the nominee's contribution(s) have affected the nominator’s or nominators’ own teaching or the teaching approach in their legal writing programs. 

These contributions could include, but are not limited to, the following examples:

• “I was at a conference and I saw a presentation that changed my teaching.” This type of nomination would describe the influence of teaching idea(s), material(s), or technique(s) shared through a conference presentation; 
• “I have a colleague who has started doing x in the classroom.” This type of nomination would describe the influence of teaching idea(s), material(s), or technique(s) shared through a mechanism other than a conference presentation (e.g., an article, an email to the listserv, a contribution to the Idea Bank); or
• “This person consistently shares:” This type of nomination would focus on the breadth of influential idea(s), technique(s), or material(s) consistently shared by the nominee with the legal writing community. These reasons are only suggestions.  What we seek is a broad range of nominations highlighting the many ways that legal writing professors are advancing our discipline through innovative teaching and pedagogy.

Please email your nominations to Brenda Gibson at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, April 24, 2020. 

The committee especially encourages a diverse and inclusive pool of nominees. Members of the LWI Board of Directors and the LWI Awards Committee are ineligible for nomination until at least one year after completing service.

Members of the LWI awards committee are:

• Brenda Gibson (North Carolina Central) (Co-Chair)
• Greg Johnson (Vermont) (Co-Chair)
• Andrew Carter (Arizona State)
• Lindsey Gustafson (Arkansas, Little Rock)
• Margaret Hannon (Michigan)
• Mary Nagel (Southwestern)
• Suzanne Rowe (Oregon)

Hat tip to Brenda Gibson.

(mew)

ABA Midyear Meeting 2021 to be Held in Chicago in February

The American Bar Association midyear meeting for 2021 has been moved from Orlando to Chicago. It is scheduled for February 10-15, 2021. Click here for more information.

(mew)

LWI 2020 Biennial Conference is Canceled

The 2020 Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference scheduled for July 15-18, 2020 at Georgetown will not take place.

Anyone who has already registered for the conference will receive a refund, but the process for issuing refunds is still being determined.

This is, of course, a huge disappointment to the LWI leadership and membership, and to the LWI Conference Committee that had put in considerable time planning the conference.

Kristen Tiscione, President
Kim Holst, President-Elect
Rebecca Scharf, Secretary
Jason Palmer, Treasurer
Iselin Gambert, Communications & Public Relations Officer
Kim Ricardo, Immediate Past President
Mary Bowman
Bob Brain
Kirsten Davis
Cassandra Hill
Samantha Moppett
Shakira Pleasant
Anne Ralph
Judy Rosenbaum

And the members of the LWI Conference Committee

Wendy-Adele Humphrey, Conference Chair
Sabrina DeFrabritiis, Cvent Chair
Katrina Lee, Sponsorship Chair
 
Fran DeLaurentis, Site Co-Chair
Jessica Wherry, Site Co-Chair
 
Karen Sneddon, Program Co-Chair
Sue Chesler, Program Co-Chair
Bob Brain, Program Committee
Brenda Gibson, Program Committee
Brad Desnoyer, Program Committee
Stephanie Hartung, Program Committee
Dana Hill, Program Committee
Eugene Kim, Program Committee

Erin Carroll, Advisory Member
Sherri Keene, Advisory Member

 

 

 

(mew)

Stetson is Hiring

Position: Tenure-Track Professor of Law (Academic Success)

Stetson University College of Law seeks an academic success scholar to join our full-time faculty in the summer of 2020. 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. nterested applicants should visit http://www.law.stetson.edu to learn more about Stetson..

The professor will be expected to teach courses in the existing curriculum that help students to understand learning techniques and that train students on exam-taking skills and strategies, including strategies for succeeding on the bar exam.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to provide input on curricular initiatives, particularly in the application of student learning science and successful learning methods to the law school curriculum.

Administrative Responsibilities:

The professor will be responsible for implementing the College of Law’s Academic Success Program, including working closely with faculty and administration to implement a comprehensive plan to maximize student learning and achievement in law school and as professionals.  The professor will interact with students individually to prepare them for success and improve exam performance, as well as supervise a team of academic success counselors.  The professor will also organize workshops designed to help students understand the science of learning and develop techniques that lead to improved success on law school exams.  The professor is expected to help identify those students likely to benefit from academic success programming and encourage their participation.  The professor will be involved in new student orientation, including introducing students to the services offered by the academic success program and providing a basic introduction to legal reasoning.

The professor is expected to work with faculty to maximize teaching effectiveness and attain specified student learning outcomes. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• A current bar license in at least one state.
• Demonstrated ability or potential to pursue a scholarly agenda in the field of student learning and engage in professional service to meet University tenure and promotion requirements.
• Demonstrate strong written and oral communication, marketing, interpersonal, organizational, analytical, assessment, and administrative skills.
• Demonstrate a high degree of professionalism and discretion.
• Demonstrate a willingness to design and implement innovative programs and services.
• Success working closely and collaboratively with a diverse student body, faculty, staff, and alumni.

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 facultyapp[email protected]son.edu. You may apply through standard mail to Shannon Edgar, Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st Street South, Gulfport, Florida 33707.

Cassandra Hill Named as Next Dean of Northern Illinois University College of Law

Cassandra Hill has been named the next dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law.  Hill will begin her role on July 1, pending approval by the NIU Board of Trustees, and she will be the first African-American woman to lead the law school.

Hill currently serves as the ​associate dean for academic affairs at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.  She also was appointed by the then-university president to serve on a three-member leadership team with the law school’s acting dean.  In addition, her impressive background includes previous positions as associate dean for research and faculty development and director of legal writing.

“Cassandra is an experienced leader who demonstrated a deep affinity for NIU’s mission and vision.  I believe she will provide excellent leadership and be a collaborative force on campus for the College of Law,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Beth Ingram.

Hill received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics and Spanish from the University of Virginia, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.  After graduating from law school, Hill served as a federal law clerk for the Honorable Vanessa D. Gilmore, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and she practiced with the law firm of Baker Botts L.L.P. in the Tax/Employee Benefits section. Hill then began her teaching career at UCLA School of Law.

“I am honored to join this remarkable community and institution as the next dean,” said Hill.  “NIU Law’s mission, which is rooted in access, diversity, and teaching excellence, resonated with me. Its brilliant faculty, talented student body, hard-working staff, and accomplished alumni make this opportunity an extraordinary one.”

Hill’s scholarship focuses on pedagogy, learning theory, and assessment in legal education.  She has presented and written extensively on these areas. Her co-authored book, Legal Analysis: 100 Exercises for Mastery, is now in its second edition and has been adopted at more than 25 law schools nationwide.

Hill’s demonstrated leadership is also exemplified at the local and national levels through her membership in bar associations and other legal organizations and as a community leader.  She is chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Conferences and Programming Committee and has experience as a site-team evaluator with the ABA.  Hill is the first elected African-American member on the Board of Directors for the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) and she was a former Managing Editor of the LWI Monograph Series.  Active in her community, Hill is on the Houston Texans YMCA Board of Managers; she is a past member of the Wesley Foundation Community Center Board of Directors and the Houston READ Commission, to which she was appointed by the mayor.  She is also a member of the State Bar of Texas, the District of Columbia Bar, and the New York State Bar.

Hill will replace Laurel Rigertas, who has served as interim dean of the College of Law since July 2019.  During the next few months, Rigertas and Hill will work closely together in order to ensure a smooth transition.

“I look forward to working with all the constituents of the law school, the campus and university, and the legal communities in DeKalb, Chicago, and the surrounding areas as we embark on NIU Law’s next chapter,” said Hill.

(NIU Press Release)

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is Hiring a Visitor

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School invites applicants for a visiting position in our Legal Practice Skills (LPS) Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. The LPS Program builds on Penn Law’s foundational curriculum in ways that prepare students for the realities of modern legal practice. It seeks to encourage students to recognize practice readiness and skill development as central to their Penn Law experience and offer opportunities for them to build those skills over the course of their three years here.

The LPS course is a mandatory, year-long, six-credit course. The visitor will teach one section of the first-year LPS class to a group of approximately forty students. The course introduces students to a range of lawyering skills, including legal analysis, written and oral communication, client interviewing and counseling, fact development, and negotiation. LPS faculty follow a unified course syllabus and set of assignments. Each LPS section is supported by three teaching assistants, who work closely with the faculty member to assist with a range of tasks, and who receive formal programmatic training to do so.

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree or an advanced degree in a relevant field and have relevant experience. Applicants should have an outstanding academic record, excellent legal research and writing skills, and demonstrated interest in teaching a legal writing course. If you are interested in the position, please contact Professor Jessica P. Simon at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

(mew)

.

San Francisco is Hiring

The University of San Francisco School of Law seeks candidates for the position of Co-Director of ABES (Academic Foundations) and Assistant Professor to commence summer 2020. 

The Academic and Bar Exam Success (ABES) Program at USF Law School offers comprehensive support services to help all students succeed in law school, in legal practice, and on the bar exam. The program has two Directors, one that focuses on academic foundations, especially in the first and second years of law school and with an emphasis on building foundational academic and legal skills, and the other that focuses on bar success. The two Directors work closely together to develop and implement the overall ABES program. 

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Co-Director of ABES (Academic Foundations) will be responsible for designing and implementing a 1L and 2L curriculum for students to develop strong academic and legal skills (including teaching workshops and a course), meeting individually with students who are in academic difficulty and working with them toward academic success, and working together with the other Co-Director of ABES (Bar Success) to link legal and academic skills to bar exam success.

Applicants should demonstrate a record of strong writing and reading comprehension skills, a record or aptitude for programmatic planning and assessment, and a record or aptitude for working closely with a diverse range of students to advance their skills and success.

Applications from minority group members and individuals whose background or interests will enhance the school's diversity are highly encouraged.

This is a full-time, non-tenure track position. 

A cover letter, CV, references, and teaching evaluations, if available, should be submitted via this link: https://usfca.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/USF_Full-Time_Faculty/job/USF-Hilltop-Campus/University-of-San-Francisco-School-of-Law-Full-time-Non-tenure-Track-Assistant-Professor---Co-Director--Academic-and-Bar-Exam-Success-Program--Academic-Foundations-_R0003068-1.

Hat tip to Edith Ho.

 

(mew)

Take the July Bar Exam in September

Law.com reported that the National Conference of Bar Examiners will offer bar exams on September 9-10, and again on September 30-October 1. These dates will allow U.S. jurisdictions to skip the July bar exam and offer it instead in September.

(mew)

Video Message for Law Students

The law faculty at Loyola University New Orleans made a short video for its students, but actually they expressed the wish of every law faculty for each of its students. Have a look by clicking here.

Hat tips to Dean Madeleine M. Landrieu and Professor Mary Garvey Algero.

(mew)

Nominations for the LWI Influential Teacher Award Due by April 24, 2020

The Legal Writing Institute has extended the nomination deadline for a new, LWI Influential Teaching Award.  The new deadline is 5 p.m. EST on April 24, 2020.  

The new award will recognize outstanding teachers who have influenced the teaching of legal writing beyond their individual classrooms. The award will be presented at an LWI conference or, if necessary, at a legal writing conference near the recipient.  With this award, the LWI acknowledges its continued commitment to excellence in teaching and advances in legal writing pedagogy.

This is not a lifetime achievement award.  Eligible candidates include professors currently teaching in the field, with a preference for new or mid-level professors who have yet to be recognized in the national legal writing community.  Anyone can nominate an eligible candidate, and we encourage people to nominate colleagues from their own or other schools whose contributions have made a difference in their own teaching.  Nominators should submit the name of the candidate(s) and a detailed description of the candidate’s (or candidates’) contributions, including how

1. the nominator(s) learned of the contribution(s),
2. the nominee's contribution(s) were influential, and
3. the nominee's contribution(s) have affected the nominator’s or nominators’ own teaching or the teaching approach in their legal writing programs. 

These contributions could include, but are not limited to, the following examples:

• “I was at a conference and I saw a presentation that changed my teaching.” This type of nomination would describe the influence of teaching idea(s), material(s), or technique(s) shared through a conference presentation; 
• “I have a colleague who has started doing x in the classroom.” This type of nomination would describe the influence of teaching idea(s), material(s), or technique(s) shared through a mechanism other than a conference presentation (e.g., an article, an email to the listserv, a contribution to the Idea Bank); or
• “This person consistently shares:” This type of nomination would focus on the breadth of influential idea(s), technique(s), or material(s) consistently shared by the nominee with the legal writing community. These reasons are only suggestions.  What we seek is a broad range of nominations highlighting the many ways that legal writing professors are advancing our discipline through innovative teaching and pedagogy.

Please email your nominations to Brenda Gibson at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, April 24, 2020. 

The committee especially encourages a diverse and inclusive pool of nominees. Members of the LWI Board of Directors and the LWI Awards Committee are ineligible for nomination until at least one year after completing service.

Members of the LWI awards committee are:

• Brenda Gibson (North Carolina Central) (Co-Chair)
• Greg Johnson (Vermont) (Co-Chair)
• Andrew Carter (Arizona State)
• Lindsey Gustafson (Arkansas, Little Rock)
• Margaret Hannon (Michigan)
• Mary Nagel (Southwestern)
• Suzanne Rowe (Oregon)

Hat tip to Brenda Gibson.

(mew)

Charleston School of Law Gets a New Dean

Larry Cunningham, the Associate Dean for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness; Professor of Legal Writing; and Director, Center for Trial and Appellate Advocacy, at St. John's University School of Law, has been appointed the new Dean of Charleston School of Law.  He joins a growing list of legal writing faculty who have become law school deans. 

Here's his welcome message to law students, in which he shares some of his background:

Hat tip to Professor Kristen K. Tiscione at Georgetown University Law Center

(mew)

Use Congress.Gov to Stay Up to Date

Keeping current with federal legislation is a time-consuming research task.

Or is it?

Congress.gov offers several ways to track federal legislation and legislative actions. We recommend a blog post by Robert Brammer, "Congress.gov Keeps You Up to Date with Email Alerts."

Click here to read about email alerts from Congress.gov.

(mew)