Legal Writing Program

Legal analysis and persuasion are the heart of a lawyer’s work. For most attorneys, communication skills are crucial. From drafting a contract to arguing an appeal – from negotiating with opposing counsel to writing a motion – the practice of law embraces good communication skills. The better those skills are, the better the lawyering.

At the James E. Rogers College of Law, our dedication to students’ mastery of legal problem-solving begins at Orientation and continues through the third year of school. The Legal Writing Program is fundamental to that effort. Highlights of the Program include:

Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

Our first-year course is taught in sections of 12-13 students. This allows for intensive one-on-one learning opportunities, including individual meetings with the professor, detailed instruction tailored to address the student’s weak points, and two oral arguments. The legal writing professors are practitioners; their experience as practicing lawyers ensures that students receive real-life insights into the practice of law.

Persuasive Communication

Persuasive Communication is a recommended upper-level, fall-semester course.  It is also a prerequisite for participation in Moot Court. Classes remain small and intimate, with only 13-15 students per section. Instruction is given by seasoned practitioners. The course begins with an examination of classical rhetoric and progresses to comprehensive instruction in appellate advocacy. Each student drafts an appellate brief and receives detailed feedback at every major phase of work. At the end of the semester, students argue their cases before a panel of three judges from the legal community.

Moot Court

Moot Court and Advanced Appellate Advocacy form a combined program for students who have completed Persuasive Communication. In the 2L spring-semester program, students prepare a substantial appellate brief, usually to a federal court of appeals. They argue both sides of that brief before panels of outside lawyers acting as judges. Students who excel in the competition go on to semi-final and final rounds, and are eligible for monetary and other awards. The top six students in the semi-finals are invited as 3Ls to represent the Law College in the ABA's National Appellate Advocacy Competition. The Moot Court/Advanced Appellate Advocacy Program is jointly administered by a faculty director and a board of third-year law students, selected on the basis of their excellence in the preceding year's program.

For more detailed information, see the Moot Court page.

Further Opportunities to Improve Lawyering Skills

Additional opportunities to advance legal problem-solving skills abound at the College of Law. Clinical education, the Arizona Law Review, the Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law, externships, various moot court programs, and the required faculty-supervised substantial paper are just some of the many other avenues students have for honing their analytical and advocacy skills while at the College.