SLI: Legal Writing
Course Objectives
Participants learn to produce a range of writings that foreign-trained attorneys are commonly called upon to create when working with U.S. lawyers and law firms, including a case brief, a client opinion letter, a simple agreement and an update of the law. In addition to lectures and group discussions, all participants receive individual one-on-one conferences with their instructors to review their written work, thereby receiving immediate, personalized feedback.
Course syllabus and materials are listed below. Please log in to view these items.
Student Comments
"I planned about learning about the US legal system, and to practice my English and improve my writing sills. All of these have been put into practice. The best part of my experience was presenting cases in front of the class and doing the writing assignments... I was amazed today when I presented my last case brief. This was due to my new and improved legal vocabulary." Anon., Summer 2009
"The Legal Writing course is an extremely comprehensive one, very well taught, very to the point, systemized through existing knowledge and added a great deal of US legal writing techniques." Anon., Summer 2009
"The best part of my experience was excelling in writing skills and US legal terminology, as well as good understanding of the latter." Anon., Summer 2009
"The program was a very good exercise for me to improve my legal writing and speaking skills."-Anon., Summer 2008
"It's a nice way of learning about US legal system as well as law terminology." Anon., Summer 2008
Faculty Information
Professor Robert Volk As BU Law's director of the Legal Research and Writing Program, Professor Volk is responsible for developing the curriculum for one of America's most highly acclaimed legal writing programmes and overseeing the writing programme for BU Law's foreign LL.M. students. A member of the faculty since 1982, he also has served as associate director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and has taught courses in banking law, law and morality and the American legal system.
Connie Browne came to Boston University School of Law in 1982 as an instructor in the First-Year Writing Program and joined the full-time faculty of Clinical Programs in 1989. As an associate professor in the Civil Litigation Program, she supervises students who represent clients in special education, unemployment, divorce, disability and housing cases. She also teaches courses in lawyering skills, helping students to develop and polish their interviewing, counseling, negotiating and trial advocacy abilities. In addition to teaching in the clinical programme, Professor Browne offers an advanced writing and editing seminar and a seminar in trial advocacy. She helped initiate the Student Trial Team Program and served as a faculty advisor for the School of Law's Public Interest Law Journal from the publication's
inception until 1995.
Course Syllabus and Materials
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