Legal Writing

Understanding the importance of writing clearly and effectively

Regardless of the legal specialty, location, or practice size, there is one truism that rings throughout the legal community: Lawyers write. What students learn in the Legal Writing and Analysis, Appellate Advocacy, and other courses that fulfill the upper-level writing requirement is essential to becoming an effective advocate.

As in many law schools' writing courses, students learn the basics for formulating, writing, and defending a legal argument - research, jurisdiction, use of authority, standards of review, and effective methods for completing written legal analysis.

But what sets the Moritz College of Law apart from most other law schools is that the legal writing classes are taught by faculty, including the most experienced chairs and named professors.

Legal writing is "thinking made visible," and in courses at Moritz, students learn how to reason like lawyers by writing and revising legal arguments under the guidance of law professors and practicing attorneys. But there's even more that's special about the Moritz Law program:

• Legal writing at Ohio State is comprehensive. Beginning with a course in legal research, students continue to improve their writing and analysis skills throughout their law school careers. They learn the essential practical skills that will be with them the rest of their lives.
• Moritz's legal writing program is rich in one-on-one learning. In the spring semester of the first year, there are 18–20 students in a section of Legal Writing and Analysis taught by a full-time Moritz faculty member. Most faculty design research and writing problems to reflect their teaching and practice experience.
• Small classes in first-year courses offer a significant writing component. Class sizes of 35 to 40 students provide plenty of opportunity for personal interaction with professors and classmates.
• Moritz's Appellate Advocacy course is team-taught by Professor Mary Beth Beazley, director of the Legal Writing program, and adjunct professors, most of whom are experienced practitioners or law clerks at state or federal courts. Using actual record materials, each student writes a brief in a case that is pending before the United States Supreme Court. The adjunct professors provide practical input as they critique student papers, hold individual conferences with students, and judge oral arguments.
• Legal writing is an important part of the complete curriculum at Moritz. Each student must take a seminar course, which requires a substantial writing assignment. In addition, students may take several additional courses in which writing is a critical requirement.
• Student-faculty interaction is a hidden benefit of the legal writing program. By working one-on-one with faculty members and with members of the legal community, students get to know the professors well, and the relationships forged are valuable on both personal and professional levels.