Legal writing articles written by Suffolk Law legal writing faculty.
Legal Writing Matters: Cracking Citations, One Post-it Note at a Time
By Irina V. Gott When new law students try to decipher citation, they are understandably overwhelmed and intimidated. But by customizing their ALWD Guide they can crack any citation. Some students may not know where to begin when scanning through the myriad of citation rules in the Guide. Some even admit to burying it under a [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Why Law Students Should Welcome Feedback
Suffolk University Legal Writing Professor Kathleen Elliott Vinson By Kathleen Elliott Vinson Professor of Legal Writing and Director of Legal Writing, Research, and Written Advocacy Getting back that first legal writing memo assignment with your professor’s critique and grade – what could be more stressful for a 1L. But, students should view it [...]
Legal Writing Matters: 4 Tips for Encouraging Creativity in Law Students
By Samantha A. Moppett An IBM poll of more than 1,500 CEOs revealed that creativity—not intelligence—was the most crucial factor for future success. This shift from intelligence to creativity as the most valuable trait has been attributed to the unprecedented challenges and frantic pace of change today. This is especially true for lawyers and law [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Encouraging Law Students to Use Mindfulness Techniques
By Shailini J. George A study published in the journal Science found that a majority of participants would prefer to give themselves mild electrical shocks rather than be alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Last summer, a tourist in Melbourne, Australia, was so engrossed in reading Facebook on her smartphone that she walked off [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Infusing International Law into Advanced Legal Writing
By Rosa Kim Imagine that a lawyer with a solo practice in downtown Boston has two clients: Client A is injured on a flight from St. Louis to Boston, when the flight attendant accidently slammed the beverage cart against her arm, breaking it. Client B is injured in the same way on a flight from [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Concerns of Incoming First-Year Law Students
By Kathleen Elliott Vinson Excitement mixed with a little panic. These are typical feelings of an incoming 1L at law schools across the country in September. As students start their first year of law school, I am often asked for tips, especially when it comes to writing. “I am not good at writing.” “I don’t like [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Preparing Students for the Bar Exam
By Sabrina DeFabritiis and Kathleen Elliott Vinson While July means fireworks, barbecues, and beaches for some, for recent law school graduates practice readiness and bar passage are the focus this time of year. At the end of July looms the biggest hurdle for these graduates – the bar exam. While their stress level is understandably [...]
Legal Writing Matters: Using a Writing Lockdown to Help Law Students Avoid Procrastination
By Kathleen Elliott Vinson Professor of Legal Writing and Director of Legal Writing, Research, and Written Advocacy Staring at a blank screen, cursor blinking, you wait for the words to pour out from your fingers. Looking at your calendar you notice a writing deadline looming. Whether it is writing a paper, reading a recent case, [...]
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