Legal Writing - What's Next? Real-World, Persuasion Pedagogy from Day One
New England Law Review on Remand, Vol. 48, Spring 2014, Forthcoming
14 Pages Posted: 4 Dec 2013 Last revised: 24 May 2014
Date Written: December 3, 2013
Abstract
Law schools have an ethical duty to train effective legal writers who understand that the skills acquired in law school are intended to serve something greater than themselves — the bench, bar, and broader community. Training good writers — and good people — can happen by creating a writing curriculum that focuses on persuasive advocacy, public service, and honest legal representation from the first semester to the last.
This change will be a challenge to legal writing professors everywhere, but with proper institutional support and collaboration, law schools can prepare their students for a profession “that depends on flawless writing, logical reasoning, and persuasive argumentation.”
Keywords: Legal Writing, Lawyering Skills
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation