During the first few weeks of the fall semester, I will offer a number of workshops designed to help you through the process of writing the first and final drafts of your Legal Skills assignments. You are invited to register for one or all of the workshops by emailing me (Susan.Dailey@quinnipiac.edu) and letting me know which time slot you prefer. Each workshop will be limited to twenty participants. Please note that there may be some room or time changes that result from other classes being moved. I will send out an email each week reminding you of the workshops and noting any changes. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 582-3266.
Grammar
We know from experience that many, if not most, students come to law school a little rusty about some of the rules of grammar. This workshop will give you the opportunity to ask questions and review points of grammar before you submit your first paper in your Legal Skills class. The Diagnostic Grammar Test (available on my website) should help you to gauge how much you need to review. Before you come to the workshop, please take the test and make note of any questions you answer incorrectly.
Wednesday, August 20 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LC 202
Wednesday, August 20 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LC 201
Thursday, August 21 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LC 202
Thursday, August 21 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LL 222
Punctuation Review
Still confused about commas or semicolons? Unsure when to use brackets or ellipses? This workshop will review basic rules of punctuation with special emphasis on punctuation with quotations.
Wednesday, August 27 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LC 202
Wednesday, August 20 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. LC 201
Thursday, August 28 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LC 202
Thursday, August 21 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. LL 222
Reading Cases Critically
Strong legal analysis begins with critical reading of cases. This workshop will review effective strategies for case reading. Using the context of a particular assignment, we will go through the thinking process of determining how a case can best be used to support solid legal reasoning in a predictive memo. To prepare for the workshop, review the materials under “Reading Cases for Predictive Memos” on the “Reading Cases” page of my website (http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/law/dailey/Reading%20Cases.htm). Listen carefully to Prof. Schairer’s commentary on State v. Hoskins.
Wednesday, September 3 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LL 116
Wednesday, August 27 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 4 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, August 28 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LL 116
Organization and Legal Reasoning
The structure of a good predictive memo conveys the writer's legal reasoning in a way that is clearly accessible to the reader. In this workshop, we will analyze a variety of legal issues and map out the best way to organize a memorandum on each issue.
Wednesday, September 10 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LL 116
Wednesday, August 27 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 11 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, August 28 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. LL 116
Critical Thinking and Legal Writing
Critical thinking is an essential part of the reasoning process that leads to strong legal writing. Many new law students, however, struggle to make the transition to legal reasoning from the type of critical thinking they have done in the past. In this workshop, we will explore the ways in which you can apply your critical thinking skills to the legal writing tasks you encounter in law school.
Wednesday, September 17 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LL 116
Wednesday, September 3 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 18 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 4 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. LL 116
Editing for Clarity and Style
This workshop will focus on developing strategies for writing coherent paragraphs and effective sentences. Designed to help participants develop a polished, clear writing style, this workshop will demonstrate how active voice, concise sentence, careful word choice, and use of transitions can improve the quality of a legal memorandum.
Wednesday, September 24 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. LL 116
Wednesday, September 3 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 25 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. LL 116
Thursday, September 4 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. L 116
Making the Transition to Legal Writing
Were you a professional writer before coming to law school? Did you write a dissertation or thesis in graduate school? Have you worked in a field that required a substantial amount of writing and editing? If so, this workshop is for you. In the workshop, we'll compare the conventions of legal writing with those of other fields. I hope that the dialogue generated about writing in various disciplines will help you build more effectively on your previous academic and work experiences. To facilitate discussion, I ask that each workshop participant bring a sample piece of writing from his/her field. If you are willing to share your sample with the rest of the students in the workshop, please let me know in advance so that I can have additional copies made.
TBA
Revising and Rethinking in a Second Draft
A second draft presents the writer with the opportunity to rethink a legal problem. Many students, however, miss that opportunity by confining their work on a second draft to fixing errors in grammar and punctuation. While this is certainly important, knowing how to approach a more thorough revision is crucial to success as a legal writer. This workshop will address some strategies for making the process of revision more productive and effective.
TBA
Legal Writing for Multilingual Students
This workshop will review some of the resources available specifically for the multilingual writer. In addition, participants will discuss some of the genres of legal writing, examine rhetorical conventions in legal documents, and analyze the linear logic of American law.
TBA