Professor Ursula Weigold AEP Session for 1Ls April 2015

 Introduction  Background  Analysis  Conclusion

I. Have a clear viewpoint or thesis. II. Organize and explain the law. III. Revise and polish your writing.

A. Decide what you think. B. State your thesis in one sentence. C. Modify it as you write and edit.

 How do your sources expand, limit, or change the law?  Do they further the law’s underlying policies?  What impact will this rule have? What problems may arise? Is it good or bad?

 “This ruling subordinates a Native-American tribe’s compelling interests in its children and culture to the local prejudices of state courts.”  “This ruling undervalues the best interests of adoptive children to serve outdated federal policies relating to Native-American tribes.”

◦ Don’t be too wedded to your thesis at first. ◦ Use the writing process to clarify your thinking.

I. Have a clear viewpoint or thesis. II. Organize and explain the law. III. Revise and polish your writing.

Remember the goals of each section. Be mindful of the differences between scholarly writing and practitioner writing.

Give a roadmap of your key points in your Introduction and follow it. Use topic sentences where appropriate. Use transitions to link previous points to new ones.

Explain the leading case(s) carefully. Connect it to the law’s context or history. Anticipate the reader’s questions. Take counter-arguments seriously.

Sample case notes are posted on the Law Review’s website: faq

Check your substance. Check your organization. Check your writing style. Check your mechanics. Check your citation use and form.

Edit surplus words. Keep your sentences short. Keep your sentence structure simple. Use ordinary words. Avoid passives and shortcut labels.

Check for typos. Check your grammar. Check your punctuation. Use the Redbook or the Texas Manual on Style.

Use the Bluebook’s inside cover for examples of source types. --Use the examples for scholarly writing. If in doubt about a source, look it up!

 Divide your project into smaller chunks.  Start with something easy.  Give yourself permission to write a bad first draft.  Keep track of your source pages as you write, so you won’t have to re-trace your steps later.  Leave enough time for revising and polishing.