Syllabus

 
WRITING FOR THE LAW                   DR. MCINERNEY
WRITING 212                           FALL, 1998
  SYLLABUS
 
GOAL:      Students will: analyze and practice using some
           of the particular writing skills (precision, argument,
           summary, etc.) needed for legal work; analyze and
           practice using several specialized prose formats
           legal communications employ.

 
TEXT:      LEGAL WRITING: THE STRATEGY OF PERSUASION (3rd edition), by Brand and White. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.

 
METHOD:    Some lecture, discussion of assigned readings, in-
           class and outside-of-class exercises and papers,
           personal conferences with the instructor, and a
           mock hearing.

 
ASSIGNMENTS:
            A series of 6 short papers (2-5 pages long), each
            one designed to utilize designated writing skills,
            and/ or legal formats.  Due dates will be announced later. Note: these major papers will be supplemented
            by a number of shorter written assignments, usually given for ?homework.? LATE PAPERS may be penalized by a
            grade reduction, at the discretion of the instructor, unless he has agreed in advance to sanction the delay.

 
            Papers will be evaluated by considering how well the
            their content fulfills the terms of the assignment, and  how cogently, clearly, and correctly they are written. All papers are to be typed, preferably on a word processor, and on plain white paper.

 
GRADES: Final grades will be determined by averaging the
            grades earned on the major papers, together with average grade earned on the other exercises and assignments.  In those cases in which the average grade is difficult to determine, such factors as the trend of the  marks and  the degree of class participation will be used to "tip the balance."

 
ATTENDANCE:
            Students will be allowed four cuts without penalty. Additional, unexcused cuts may result in an automatic              reduction of the grade earned.

 
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:  Here are some "dos" and "don'ts" I would ask you to keep in mind: I hope we'll all get to class on time for the most part, but if now and again you are two or three minutes late, don't worry; just come in and take your seat as usual. If you are five-to-ten minutes late, try to enter as unobtrusively as you can, and sit in the first empty seat you can find. If you are more than ten minutes late, enter the same way, but see me after class to explain, and face the possibility that you may still be penalized with a cut. Once class has begun, you should not get up and leave, either for a few minutes or for the rest of the period, unless you believe that an abrupt exit is absolutely necessary. During class sessions, an occasional, discreet, low-voiced question or comment to your neighbor (except during a test or quiz) is okay; animated conversations are not acceptable.  Finally, please do not anticipate the end of a class session by closing books, rattling papers, or scraping chairs backward; wait until I dismiss the class. In short, having good classroom manners simply means taking care  not to distract your classmates and the instructor.

 
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF PRINCIPAL TOPICS:

 
            1.  Rhetoric and "Strategic" Writing  (Sept. 1 - 8)

 
            2.  Personal Statements for Law School Applications  (Sept. 10-Sept. 17)

 
            3.  Summarizing facts and ideas  (Sept. 22 - Sept.29)

 
            4.  The IRAC method  (Oct.1 - Oct.8)

 
            5.  The Logic of Argument  (Oct. 13 ? Oct. 27)

 
            6.  Writing and Hearing the Brief  (Oct. 29 ? Nov. 19)

 
            7.  The Judicial Opinion  (Nov. 24 ? Dec. 1)

 
            8.  Law Review Articles (Dec. 3 ? Dec. 8)

 
            9.  Summary  (Dec. 10)

 
SPECIAL NOTE: Students will be formally encouraged to meet privately with the instructor for a personal assessment of their writing skills, and they are hereby urged to come to see him often, not just in response to formal invitations.  They may seek out the professor during posted office hours, or they may set up a mutually convenient appointment.  In short: let's talk!  My office is in   CLP203 and my telephone number is 941-7659.  My e-mail address is MCINERNEYJ1@UOFS.EDU.  Later in the semester, I also hope to establish a web site for this course, and to use it to communicate further with you.