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Legal Writing

Legal Writing Prof Blog

By law professors Coleen M. Barger, Sue Liemer and Nancy Soonpaa

Post Frequency: 31.6/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 15:42:31

and then I said to the appellee, hey man, I won't be paying your attorney's fees

Posted on January 28, 2009
How best for a brief writer to topically organize a brief and get his points across? Here?s an interesting take. As this writer (by profession, a jazz musician, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) informed the court, ?Appellant respectfully submits...

lone stars, climate change, and scholars on the horizon

Posted on January 26, 2009
At least two regional conferences for legal writing professionals are on the horizon . . . The first is the Lone Star Regional Legal Research and Writing Conference, scheduled for May 29-30, 2009, in Texas. Nancy Soonpaa (yes, our own...

the moral obligation of legal writing

Posted on January 26, 2009
"Lawyers have a moral obligation to write well." That's the provocative thesis of a recent essay by Mercer's Griffin Bell Professor of Law Jack Sammons, in The Complete Lawyer. Sammons observes that morality and language are "inextricably linked," and he...

legal visual semiotics

Posted on January 26, 2009
Some legal writing professionals may find this announcement of interest: CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS, TREATISE ON LEGAL VISUAL SEMIOTICS Editors: Anne Wagner, Sophie Cacciaguidi-Fahy and Richard Sherwin Publisher: Springer SBM SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND TIMELINE: Expression of interest should be addressed by...

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checking the official version

Posted on January 26, 2009
If you use Westlaw to look up the case of Trustees v. Schroll, 120 Ill. 509, 12 N.E. 243 (1887), you will read the Illinois Supreme Court declare that "Appellants sue for a doby of land." And then you might...

Global Legal Skills Conference IV - Georgetown University Law Center

Posted on January 25, 2009
Save the dates to attend the Fourth Global Legal Skills Conference, which will be held June 4-6, 2009 at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Calls for papers were due back in November and hopefully you sent in a...

too conservative for Iowa, alleges legal writing candidate in discrimination suit

Posted on January 24, 2009
The TaxProf Blog posted a story today about Teresa R. Wagner, an employee of the University of Iowa College of Law Writing Resource Center, who has sued the law school and its dean, Carolyn Jones, for rejecting her from consideration...

the White House web site

Posted on January 24, 2009
The inauguration of a new President may stir greater student interest (for a while, anyway) in legal research of executive and administrative law. Legal researchers who use the Internet will enjoy exploring the redesign of the White House's web site....

New law review article on grammar

Posted on January 23, 2009
Since grammar issues seem to be burning up the Legal Writing Institute's listserv these days, I thought some readers of this blog might be interested in the following: "Why Grammar Matters: Conjugating Verbs in Modern Legal Opinions," 40 Loy. U....

Burton Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education

Posted on January 23, 2009
The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement have for 10 years given awards for good legal writing done by lawyers and law students. The Awards have promoted and publicized the cause of improving writing in the legal profession and have rewarded...

More research on the neuroscience of decision-making.

Posted on January 22, 2009
This article from the Wall Street Journal discusses a $10 million, 3-year program funded by the MacArthur Foundation which brings together law professors, neuroscientists and philosophers to study how the brain makes decisions in a legal context. In an initial...

The oath gaffe

Posted on January 22, 2009
The Language Log contains a nice, comprehensive report of the Presidential Oath of Office gaffe - including the relevant constitutional language, video of Justice Roberts administering the oath, a transcript, and commentary. Enjoy! Hat tip to the Above the Law...

visitor opening at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Posted on January 22, 2009
The University of Little Rock William H. Bowen Law School seeks applicants for a Visiting Professor to teach in our Reasoning, Writing, and Advocacy program. The position is a coverage visit. We need one visitor for the Fall 2009 semester,...

150 Law Library/Librarian Blogs

Posted on January 22, 2009
Our friends at the Law Librarian Blog report that there are now 150 Law Library or Law Librarian Blogs. Click here to read more. (mew)

legal research -- the movie

Posted on January 20, 2009
If you are trying to teach your second semester students to use their sources -- both print and online -- efficiently, and choose between them wisely, you may want to show them the legal research movie. hat tip: Prof. Candle...

Law Professor from Illinois Becomes President of the United States

Posted on January 20, 2009
and he can WRITE! Congratulations, President Obama! (mew)

When is a book like a hammer; when is it like an LP?

Posted on January 19, 2009
This Op-Ed piece from the New York Times suggests that the debate over the obsolescence of books is both premature and more nuanced than we often consider. The book, like the hammer, is a "tool ideally suited to its task."...

If "Randy the Ram" could, he would. You should.

Posted on January 19, 2009
Getting paid for writing an article in the warmth and comfort of your faculty office is better than a kick (literally) in the head any day of the week. That's why you should apply for an ALWD/LWI scholarship grant -...

phrases/sayings

Posted on January 19, 2009
Well, this is just too cool-a website that explains the derivation of common English phrases, with over 1500 searchable phrases/sayings. You can even sign up for the phrase of the week! Now excuse me while I go browse . ....

Congratulations to Sarah Ricks

Posted on January 19, 2009
Professor Sarah Ricks of Rutgers School of Law-Camden has been appointed by the mayor of Philadelphia to serve on the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. The Commission enforces the City's very broad antidiscrimination ordinance and also has a public education...

Cross-Generational Influences in Legal Writing

Posted on January 18, 2009
Tracy McGaugh, Assistant Dean for Academic Advising and an Associate Professor of Legal Process at Touro Law Center, has been exploring the topic of cross-generational influence in the field of legal writing. If you'd like to see the first post...

Congressional Research Grants

Posted on January 17, 2009
Click here for information on congressional research grants. Deadline is February 1, 2009. Hat tip to the Constitutional Law Prof Blog. (mew)

another AALS poster presentation!

Posted on January 16, 2009
At AALS, Hillary Burgess, Hofstra Law School, displays her poster on "Flowcharts Facilitate Learning Law." (njs)

another poster presentation at AALS

Posted on January 16, 2009
At AALS, Gail Stephenson displays her poster on "Why Should Law Schools Take Concrete Steps Towards Diversity?" (njs)

poster presentation at AALS

Posted on January 16, 2009
At AALS, Robin Wellford Slocum and Lisa McElroy display their poster on "Building Capable Lawyers." Note especially the ladder of learning in the middle and the labels on its rungs. (njs)

Many More Photos from the AALS in San Diego

Posted on January 15, 2009
Thanks to Ken Chestek (University of Indiana School of Law-Indianapolis and President-Elect of the Legal Writing Institute), who sent along these additional photos from the Golden Pen and Blackwell Awards in San Diego. Click on any of the photos to...

More Photos from the AALS Annual Meeting -- The Blackwell and Golden Pen Awards

Posted on January 15, 2009
Ralph Brill has sent us some more photos from the legal writing events at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. Here they are. You can also click here for another post of photos from the AALS....

kudos, Diane!

Posted on January 13, 2009
For many years, Diane Penneys Edelman has been the Assistant Dean for Legal Writing at Villanova University School of Law. As of January 1, 2009, she became the Assistant Dean for International Programs at Villanova. Diane will continue to teach...

citations to unusual sources

Posted on January 13, 2009
You know how sometimes you need to cite a source that you've never cited before? Something that makes you go hunting in the index of the ALWD Citation Manual or The Bluebook, but that you just can't find? PMLA (the...

Video of the AALS Section Award to Richard Neumann

Posted on January 13, 2009
We have a VIDEO of the AALS Legal Writing Reasoning and Research presentation to Professor Richard Neumann of Hoftsra University School of Law. The section's award was presented in January 2009 at the annual meeting of the Association of American...

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