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LAW-2088 Massachusetts Housing Law Drafting and
Advocacy
Mr. James Matthews,
2 credits day; 2 credits evening.
Students using this course to fulfill the experiential learning requirement may not also use this
same course to meet the legal writing requirement.
Many students graduate from law school having never drafted the documents they will need to
write in practice. This course is designed to help students prepare for the practice of law by
combining study in Massachusetts Landlord-Tenant law with experiential legal writing activities.
Students will draft documents such as a demand letter, complaint, answer, and pretrial motions,
and participate in simulated exercises chronologically sequenced through a complex landlord-
tenant problem. Housing law topics covered will include evictions, affirmative defenses and
counterclaims, G.L. c. 93A, and fee-shifting statutes. This practical course will also help students
prepare for the Massachusetts Bar Examination as many of these topics may be tested in the new
Access to Justice Section of the bar exam.
Faculty comments
: Grades will be based on the following: in-class participation (30%),
research and writing assignments (40%), and a final project (30%).
Elective Course
Meets Skills Menu Requirement
Meets Experiential Learning Requirement
Recommended for the Mass Bar