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As early as two weeks into the fall semester, I already hear it. With a knowing look, some of my students announce that “1L is the time to grind it out,” while others proudly declare, “My well-being is really important to me, so I am OK with getting all Bs.”
Why are students reluctant to attend faculty office hours? For years, this issue has confounded me. Students’ meeting with faculty outside of class has been shown to increase their comprehension and retention of material, satisfaction, engagement, and sense of belonging.[1] That is why I tell my students that I am almost always in my office, my door is always open, and they may drop by with any questions they have—no appointment needed.
In Summer 2023, I was scheduled to teach Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing I (LARW I) asynchronously online for the summer start students. One week before summer semester started, I was told I would have a visually impaired student in my class.
The legal writing class is the heart and soul of the first-year experience. This is largely so because much of the vital work legal writing professors do is outside of the actual curriculum. In addition to teaching substantive legal writing skills, legal writing faculty also teach process-based skills—how to manage time, how to study effectively, how to maintain mental well-being, and how to begin to develop a professional identity.
Patricia Montana
Professor of Legal Writing
Director of Street Law: Legal Education in the Community Program
Lessons from a Retiring Legal Writing Professor
Mary Ann Robinson
Professor Emeritus
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Published: November 2023
Pondering Parentheticals: Problems and Possibilities[1]
Peggy Kline Kirkpatrick
Legal Writing Instructor
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Wendy Shea
ARTICLE
Before the Final Draft: Oral Argument as a Student-Centered Feedback Tool
Stephanie Juliano
Assistant Professor of Practice
Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Published: November 2023
Developing writing assignments can be one of the most challenging aspects of teaching first-year legal writing. Collaborating with other professors, using research assistants, and reworking old problems[1] can all make it easier.
Recent revisions to ABA accreditation standards provide yet another exciting opportunity for faculty teaching lawyering skills[1] to position our courses as central to preparing students for excellence in professional practice, particularly in terms of offering opportunities for professional identity formation in the first-year curriculum.