The Influential Teaching Award

The Influential Teaching Award recognizes 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, we acknowledge our 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.

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.

 

2024 Winner: Joan M. Rocklin, Clinical Professor, University of Oregon

The Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute is thrilled to announce that Professor Joan M. Rocklin is the recipient of the 2024 Influential Teaching Award.

The Influential Teaching Award recognizes our colleagues in the legal writing academy who are outstanding teachers and who have influenced the teaching of legal writing beyond their individual classrooms. With this award, LWI acknowledges its continued commitment to excellence in teaching and advances in legal writing pedagogy. Rather than a lifetime award coming at the end of a career, the Influential Teaching Award seeks to celebrate new or mid-level professors who have yet to be recognized in the national legal writing community.

Joan has made a substantial impact on legal-writing education through her textbooks, presentations, and workshops. Her teaching style is both effective and inspiring, with a lasting influence on students and professors nationwide. Many legal writing professors credit Joan with shaping their teaching methods, and her textbooks, such as A Lawyer Writes and An Advocate Persuades, are considered some of the most popular legal writing texts in use today. 

Joan's critiquing workshop at the 2008 LWI Conference is a prime example of her teaching prowess. Attendees found her methods insightful and transformative, demonstrating her ability to engage and guide legal writing professionals. Joan's  extensive career, marked by her presentations and mentoring, speaks to her commitment to advancing legal writing education. 

Her nominators underscored Joan's profound influence, describing her as someone who has shaped a generation of legal writing professors. Joan's mentorship of new teachers, coupled with her compassionate yet challenging approach, has set a high  standard for legal writing education. Her balance of authority and openness, along with her professionalism and approachability, has made her a respected figure in the legal writing community. 

Through her workshops, presentations, and textbooks, Joan has reached students and teachers across the country, creating a lasting legacy in legal writing education. Her work continues to inspire and guide those in the field.

The LWI Board is grateful for the work of the LWI Awards Committee in identifying nominees and making recommendations to the Board. The Committee includes Chair Colin Black and members Cindy Archer, Janet Dickson, Caroleen Dineen, Lindsey Gustafson, Tamara Herrera, Liz Kukura, Karen Mika, Hilary Reed, and Nancy Soonpaa.

The recipient of the Influential Teaching Award will be recognized at the 2024 LWI Biennial Conference at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis in July. You can join us in congratulating Joan by emailing her directly at jrocklin@uoregon.edu.

 

Past Recipients

  • 2022 Winner: Rosario Lozada, Professor of Legal Skills and Values and Director of Well-Being in Law at the Florida International University College of Law, Florida International University College of Law