ART OF THE FACT (2) (PRO 160)

Professor Jethro Lieberman

Considers the nature of facts – what they are, where they come from, and how they are discovered and assembled to draw inferences to prove a legal hypothesis. Outside the clinical setting, most legal courses present students with a statement of the facts, as if they were drawn up “pre-packaged” when the client first walks in the door, leading students to assume that analyzing cases and rules is the staple of legal work. But for most lawyers, finding and assembling the facts into a narrative framework is the most significant part of the job. Working through many exercises, both in and out of the class, students learn what lies at the root of legal problem-solving. No specialized knowledge of any particular legal field is required. Final grade is based on a paper.