No prerequisites. I hope for diversity; one must often write for people with very different backgrounds and interests.
    If you plan to drop, you must do it by the end of the first day.

• Plain English for Lawyers
      Source of exercises for most classes
• Scholarly Writing for Law Students
      To be discussed in one class, an excellent reference
• Blue Book (16th Ed.)
      I assume that people already have it.
• Handouts
• Also useful
  • Winning on Appeal
        I assume that people also have this. If not, don't worry about it.
  • The Legal Writing Nutshell is also useful for reference.
  • Day-to-Day Notepad
         I will demonstrate the use of Acta, an ancestor. Such outlining software goes beyond the realm of "easy typewriters" -- even with grammar and spell checking. The Notepad is inexpensive and available for both Macs and Windows.

• I plan to focus on editing. Problems in course books will be supplemented with articles from Risk, possibly Idea, depending on what's available.
  
• We will give attention to citation form, especially for federal administrative and legislative materials. This will call for brief attention to a few advanced research topics no longer covered in basic legal research.
  
• Students, on the first pass, will help edit each other's short written assignments -- in pairs or triads. Group membership will rotate so that everyone can work with everyone else at least once.
  
• We may also be able to help those interested get a running start on, e.g., a case comment.

Class --- Date --- Assignment

• 1* --- 6/5
  --- Introductions -- what you expect to take from the class
  --- Discuss Syllabus, handouts, grammar checkers -- what people regard as their own biggest weakness, as the biggest sins committed by others.
  --- Demonstrate software.
  
• 2 --- 6/8
  --- Scholarly Writing, pp. 1-63.
      We may also discuss later if interest warrants.
  --- Bring -- Case Note 1
      A 2-3 pp. (about 500 words) description of Case X (each student chooses one) written for people in this class (will be edited in class).
  
• 3 --- 6/12
  --- Hand in:
  * Exercises 1A & 2A (Plain English) -- depending on how these go, we may cover more exercises per class.
  * the original and edited versions of Case Note 1.
  --- Bring:
  * a second copy of the exercises 1A & 2A for discussion
  * Case Note 2: 2-3 pp. about Case X for a lawyer that you want to work for.
  
• 4 --- 6/15
  --- Hand in:
  * Exercises 3A & 4A
  * the original and edited versions of Case Note 2.
  --- Bring:
  * a second copy of the exercises for discussion
  * Case Note 3: 2-3 pp. about Case X for a client who needs the information.
  
• 5 --- 6/19
  --- Hand in:
  * Exercises 5A & 6A
  * the original and edited versions of Case Note 3.
  --- Bring:
  * a second copy of the exercises for discussion
  * Case Note 4: 2-3 pp. about Case X for a beginning 1-L.
  
• 6--- 6/22
  --- Hand in:
  * Exercises 7A & 8A
  * the original and edited versions of Case Note 4.
  --- Bring a second copy of the exercises for discussion
  --- Begin work on Risk articles (chosen previously).
  
• 7 --- 6/26 --- As above: Exercises 9A & 10A
  
• 8 --- 6/29 --- As above: Exercises 11A & 12A
  
• 9 --- 7/3 --- As above: Exercises 13A & 14A
  
• 10 --- 7/6 --- As above: Exercises 15A & 16A
  
• 11 --- 7/10 --- As above: Exercises 17A & 18A

Field's Exams
Field's course page

6/14/98 tgf
URL: http://www.piercelaw.edu/tfield/e&wsyl.htm
© 1998 Franklin Pierce Law Center