JD students are required to complete 9 credits of Legal Writing coursework.
Required first-year program
(6 credits over the first year: 2.5 fall and 3.5 spring for full-time students, 3 fall and 3 spring for FLEX)
In small, interactive classes over the course of your first year, you will learn how to write an objective or predictive memorandum to a supervising attorney, which prepares you for summer work as a legal intern/extern. In doing so, you will learn the following essential skills and concepts:
- Legal research and citation
- Legal reading, analysis, and synthesis
- Principles of effective legal writing
In addition, you will start your formation as a legal professional by exploring the following:
- Professional identity, professionalism, and the values of cultural competence and reflection
- Lawyering skills such as client interviewing and counseling, fact development, and negotiation
During spring semester, one of your assignments will be the Real Clients in the First Year assignment, where you will research and write a memorandum under the guidance of your Legal Writing professor that addresses a legal issue identified by a law school clinic or legal nonprofit.
Required second-year course
(3 credits, can be taken in fall or spring of second year)
This class builds on your first-year legal writing training by introducing persuasive writing and oral advocacy in the context of a simulated legal case that you will work on for the entire semester. Specifically, in the class you will do the following:
- Research and write a pre-trial motion and present oral arguments
- Learn to review a trial record to identify potential errors for appeal
- Research and write an appellate brief
- Gain more oral argument experience arguing an appeal before a panel of local attorneys and judges
In addition, if you earn at least a B+ on your appellate brief, you will qualify for a major in-house moot court competition, which can lead to opportunities to compete nationally and win scholarships.
Upper-division elective courses
2L and 3L law students can build on their skills training by taking advanced legal writing and research classes as electives:
- Advanced Legal Research Courses (3 options, 1-2 credits each): Learn and apply advanced techniques and strategies for efficient and cost-effective legal research using real-world problems.
- Contract Drafting (2 credits): Learn to draft business contracts using a strategic and well-drafted conceptual approach.
- Drafting Labs (1 credit): Master legal drafting principles by applying them in labs tied to certain legal practice areas, such as business law, real estate law, or family law, taught by expert practitioners.
