Most students are unpleasantly surprised by their first set of law school grades. After working diligently and expecting whatever worked well in undergraduate classes to work in law school classes, many well-intentioned students are disappointed that they did not get an A on their first legal writing assignment. I was. I came to law school expecting to receive glowing praise on my writing assignments. After all, I had a lot of undergraduate academic writing experience.

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.

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

Are you “feedback literate”? Are your students? Do you design and deliver your legal writing course to hone your students’ feedback literacy and maximize the power of your feedback?

Being a teacher of legal writing can be overwhelming and intimidating. A legal writing teacher has so much work to do prior to getting in the classroom, and then once in the classroom, a legal writing teacher must manage what happens during class. Moreover, a legal writing teacher must divide time between tasks that occur after class, such as grading students’ work and conferencing with them.