A Glimmer of Insight

Abstract

In this Article, the author discusses one of her “best” classes, which evolved as legal writing students considered and decided a real case, using a brief submitted to one of the Pennsylvania appellate courts. Through panel deliberations as “judges,” the students quickly realized the advantage of a well-written brief and the detriment of a poorly written brief to attorneys and clients. Students also gained an understanding of the difference in tone and authority attributed to majority and dissenting opinions in cases as each panel voted on the outcome of the case. By experiencing the power of effective written and oral advocacy, students learned more about advocacy, perspective, tone, and professionalism than a lecture or reading could ever convey.

Keywords: experiential learning, legal writing, opinion writing, appellate briefs, legal education, legal instruction LL.M., international law students