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Advanced Legal Writing: Civil Practice
Prof. Shailini Jandial George,
3 credits day; 3 credits evening.
In this course, students will learn advanced legal research skills, persuasive and objective writing
techniques and transactional drafting by following a sexual harassment case through a variety of
stages. Students will draft a variety of documents that mimic civil practice. The course will
involve substantial legal research and students will produce an appellate brief at the end of the
course, after receiving extensive written and oral feedback during the semester. The goal of this
course is to help students improve their research and writing skills so that they will be productive
civil attorneys. STANDARDS FOR ADVANCED LEGAL WRITING COURSES The faculty
has voted to encourage all students to take an advanced legal writing course during their upper-
class years at the Law School. Advanced legal writing courses are courses that meet the
standards set forth below. Ordinarily, an advanced legal writing course will satisfy the Upper
Level Skills Requirement. See Law Suffolk University Law School website,
www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/jd/skills/cfm. If so designated, it may also be used to meet the
Upper Level Legal Writing Requirement. See Law School Academic Rules and Regulations 2H.
1. Advanced legal writing courses include a significant writing component. This will include at
least three practice-oriented writing assignments--such as a legal memo or brief, writing
exercises, a draft of a transactional document, or an opinion letter based on an analysis of
appropriate legal materials such as cases and statutes. 2. The three writing assignments will total
at least fifteen pages of written work or twenty pages if the course is designated as one that can
be used to meet the Upper Level Legal Writing Requirement. The written work shall be
completed independently by each student in the course. 3. Students will receive extensive written
feedback, on each major writing assignment, covering the substance, analysis, and writing issues
reflected in the student‘s work. 4. Students will receive the opportunity to re-write one of the
assignments, which may increase their final grade for the entire assignment. 5. The professor will
have an individual writing conference with each student on at least one of the three writing
assignments. 6. The professor will discuss a sample memorandum for at least one of the
assignments, after the student papers have been handed in. 7. The grades for the writing
assignments shall constitute at least fifty percent of the course grade. 8. The syllabus for the
course shall include the three practice--oriented writing assignments and the approximate due
dates for each. 9. The faculty member is encouraged to discuss legal writing skills and
techniques with the students throughout the course. 10. Courses that provide substantially
equivalent practice oriented writing experiences may be certified by the Legal Writing
Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee as Advanced Legal Writing Courses.
Enrollment is limited: 15
Elective Course
Meets Civil Litigation Concentration Requirements
May Fulfill Legal Writing Requirement