AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research Viate Their Fears
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Section on SectionSection Newsletter Newsletter AALS Section on Fall 2009 Legal Writing, 18Fall Pages 2004 Reasoning, and Research 8 pages often students’ first contact when they begin to Providing Leadership think about applying for summer jobs. As such, we are in a unique position. This year in in Uncertain Times particular, students are By Rachel Croskery-Roberts frightened. We can help alle- Chair, AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research viate their fears. In these University of Michigan School of Law uncertain economic times, we can and should be the In the spring newsletter, I reflected on the calm in the storm for stu- past, present, and future of our discipline. I talked dents. One way we can do about how far we had come in this field as well as this is to provide the best ad- how much more we have to do. One of several is- vice possible to students fac- sues I addressed was the challenges our students ing a difficult job market. Luckily, we are in a great face given the downturn in the economy. That issue position to provide good advice on the job market, deserves more attention. I imagine all law schools as we are a tight-knit community of professionals are discussing (ad nauseum) what to do to help stu- from around the country and can educate each dents find work in the current economic climate. other about the various markets. Much of the ad- Students (along with countless tireless counselors vice we have given in the past will obviously still in law school career services offices) must work (The Section Chair’s Column is continued on page 10) harder than ever before to seek out and secure meaningful legal work. Inside This Issue: When I last wrote in the newsletter, I high- lighted the fact that the downturn in the economy Teaching Law to Students from Other Countries 2 has made skills training an even more vital compo- nent of legal education. This is, of course, still true. Joe Kimble to Receive the Section’s 2010 Award 3 Law firms, government entities, and public interest groups all want to hire capable, prepared students. New Section Leaders to be Elected in New Or- 3 We are in a perfect position to help train students leans to be competitive in today’s legal market. However, we can help our students do more ALWD/LWI Reception in New Orleans 4 than learn to write well and analyze complex legal issues. As legal writing professionals, we wear Legal Writing Videos 4 more than one hat. Many of us teach the same small group of students for more than one semes- ter, and we get to know each student well. As such, Friends of Legal Writing Luncheon 5 we are likely to take on several roles: teacher, coun- selor, and professional mentor. We often know our Recent Legal Writing Publications 6 students better than almost anyone else in the law school, and the students are likely to turn to us for Awards, Promotions, and Accomplishments 7 advice on more than just issues regarding the sub- ject matter that we teach. While career services of- fices have wonderful resources for students, we are Conferences and Events 8 Page 2 Newsletter for the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research The Section’s 2010 Program in New Orleans Teaching Law to Students from Other Countries Thursday, January 7, 2010 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Versailles Ballroom, Third Floor Hilton New Orleans Riverside Speakers: • Cary A. Bricker, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law • Juliana V. Campagna, The John Marshall Law School—Chicago • Leah M. Christensen, Thomas Jefferson School of Law • Grace Dodier, Northwestern University School of Law • John Haberstroh, Northwestern University School of Law • Brian K. Landsberg, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law • Deborah B. McGregor, Indiana University, Indianapolis School of Law • Mark E. Wojcik, The John Marshall Law School—Chicago The extended section program is a joint program with the AALS Section on Teaching Meth- ods. The program is designed for professors who teach students from other countries or who may want to teach in other countries. The Section Award will be presented at the start of the program to Professor Joseph Kimble. The AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research will hold its business meeting at the conclusion of the program. The AALS Section on Teaching Methods will also hold its business meeting at the conclusion of the program. Mandatory Disclaimer Articles and other submissions for the next issue of This newsletter is a forum for the exchange of the section newsletter can be sent to incoming sec- views. Any opinions expressed here are not tion secretary (see the article on the next page) or necessarily those of the Section or the Associa- to the current newsletter editor. tion of American Law Schools. Prof. Mark E. Wojcik Past Issues of the Section Newsletter The John Marshall Law School 315 S. Plymouth Court Past issues of the newsletter are posted on the Chicago, IL 60604 AALS website at www.aals.org. Click on or by email to “Services” and then “Sections” to find the link [email protected] or to the Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and [email protected] Research. Newsletter for the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research Page 3 The 2010 Section Award Professor Joseph Kimble The AALS Section of Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research pre- sents an award each year to a section member in recognition of contri- butions to the section and to the field of legal writing. It is the only award given by the section. The 2009 recipient was Professor Richard K. Neumann (Hofstra University). The recipient of the 2010 Section Award will be Professor Joseph Kimble of the Thomas Cooley School of Law. The award will be formally presented to him at the start of the section program in New Orleans, but you can hear comments from him at the Friends of Legal Writing Luncheon just before the section program (see story on page 5). New Section Leaders to Be Elected in New Orleans The Nominating Committee of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Rea- soning, and Research announced the nominees for the 2010 Section of- fices of Chair, Chair-Elect, and Secretary. Martha Pagliari of DePaul University College of Law, currently Chair-Elect of the Section, will be- come Section Chair at the meeting in New Orleans. Mark E. Wojcik of The John Marshall Law School—Chicago was nominated as Chair-elect of the Section. He currently serves as Section Secre- tary. Mark has taught legal writing at John Marshall since 1992 and has wide experience across AALS Sections, the Legal Writing Institute, the American Bar Association Section of International Law, the Illinois State Bar Association, the International Law Students Association and other or- ganizations. He also founded the Global Legal Skills Conference. Kathleen Vinson of Suffolk University is the nominee for Secre- tary. Kathy is the Director of the Legal Practice Skills Program at Suf- folk, where she has taught for fourteen years. Her experience in the legal writing field is both deep and broad in that she has served on com- mittees and on the Boards of Directors of both LWI and ALWD. Her experience on our Section’s Media Committee and her experience pub- lishing The Second Draft and the LWI Monograph Series, both online publications, will enable her to hit the ground running as she takes over the publication of our Section’s online newsletter. Page 4 Newsletter for the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research Blackwell Award Reception in New Orleans Professor Steve Johansen The Association of Le- The 2010 Blackwell award will be presented to gal Writing Directors Steve Johansen (Lewis and Clark Law (ALWD) and the Legal School). Writing Institute (LWI) The event will also be a special celebration to jointly present an annual honor the 25th anniversary of the Legal Writing award to honor the memory Institute. of Thomas F. Blackwell, a legal writing professor at Thursday, January 7, 2010, Fulton Room, Sec- Appalachian School of Law ond Floor, Marriott New Orleans at the Conven- who was killed in January tion Center, 859 Convention Center Blvd., New Or- 2002 by a disturbed stu- leans. Please note that the event has been dent. The award given in moved to 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. to allow faculty his memory honors indi- members to attend other law school receptions be- viduals who have made an fore coming to the ALWD/LWI reception. outstanding contribution to improving the field of The 2010 Golden Pen Award, which has tradi- legal writing. tionally also been presented during the AALS An- The award was first given in 2003. Past re- nual Meeting, will instead be presented at Marco cipients include Richard Neumann, Pamela Ly- Island, Florida, as part of the 2010 Conference of saght, Ralph Brill, Mary Beth Beazley, Diana the Legal Writing Institute Pratt, Louis Sirico, Jr., and Linda Edwards. Section’s Media Committee Creates Legal Writing Videos The Media Committee of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research created two videos that demonstrate the importance of legal research and writing instruction in legal education. One video is meant to be relatively humorous, while the other is designed to be more formal and serious. Both communicate the importance of strong legal research and writing instruction to prospective law students. The videos can be accessed through YouTube at the following links: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5-vmt2iKT0 (that’s the link for the funny video) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZinUZDntsIg (that’s the link for the serious video) The Media Committee of the AALS Section of Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research plans to make the videos available to law school admissions and undergraduate career counseling personnel.