Lawyering Skills Program

Course Descriptions

Lawyering Skills I is an introduction to the American legal system and the skills that competent lawyers must possess in order to thrive within it, principally legal writing, research, and analysis. The program is problem-based and thus the students will learn to “think and write like a lawyer” through working with fact patterns that will simulate actual lawyering experiences. Through practice, redrafting, and intensive individual feedback from the Lawyering Skills professors, the students will learn to write and reason in the specific organizational format that the legal profession demands. As an integral part of learning this organizational method, the students will also be introduced to the skills of legal research and the uniform system of citation known as the Blue Book.

Lawyering Skills II builds upon the skills acquired in Lawyering Skills I by teaching the student to make the shift from objective, predictive analysis to persuasive analysis. Students will further develop their research and analytical skills by advocating their hypothetical client's position through clear written and oral communication. For the first half of the semester, each student will interview a mock client, develop a case,and negotiate a settlement. For the second half of the semester, each student will research and draft an appellate brief and argue it against an opponent in moot court.