The Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning (OCEL)

The Upper-Level Writing Electives Program

T: 212-431-2366
F: 212-343-1860
O: 40 Worth St FL 9 SE
 

Professor of Legal Writing,
Director of The Upper-Level Writing Electives Program, and 
The Writing Specialist: Sandra D. Janin, B.A., J.D.
Program Administrator: José Nogueras
 

Our philosophy is simple; like any other form of writing, good legal writing must be judged on quality, not subject or effort. The quality of writing depends on the skill of the writer and the time invested in the act of writing.

The rules we want students to learn are fundamentally the same as those any writing professor would teach: clarity, precision, and good organization. The good writer is one who, with due regard for the reader, has a point and makes it well. Of course, this is law school, and we are dealing with legal subjects.

Our objective is to train professionals to analyze legal issues and communicate that analysis to others. That means we also teach analysis of statutes and case law, the relationship of the law to the case at hand, document and citation format, and the other special needs of the legal audience.

The Upper-Level Writing Electives Program administers ten upperclass writing electives:

1. Drafting: Contracts,
2. Drafting: Corporate Documents,
3. Drafting: General Principles,
4. Drafting: Judicial Opinions,
5. Drafting: Legislation,
6. Drafting: Litigation Documents,
7. Drafting: Real Estate Documents,
8. Drafting: Wills and Trusts,
9. Memo and Brief Writing, and
10. Persuasion,
11. Writing Skills for Lawyers, Advanced.

All of these electives can satisfy the Writing Requirement if a student earns a B- or better in the course. Trained adjunct professors teach each section.

In addition to the upper-class electives, the Program offers students the services of a Writing Specialist, Prof. Janin, who holds workshops throughout the year on topics covered in the first-year course, and basic writing and analytical skills.  

Faculty

David Epstein, Associate Professor of Law
Sandra D. Janin, Professor of Legal Writing
Jethro K. Lieberman, Professor of Law
Stephen A. Newman, Professor of Law

 

 Adjunct Faculty

Daniel S. Abraham
Anne Marie Bowler
Emily Campbell
Pei-Pei Cheng-de Castro
Julia Ann Cort
Mark DeWan
David Fish
Lisa Fleischmann
Elizabeth Gertz
Scott G. Goldfinger
Martha Hochberger
Richard M. Horowitz
Thomas Hughes '85
Judith Kaufman
Dean Leslie
Amy Littman
Robert Marino II '94
Danielle Mazzini-Daly
Oscar Michelen '85
Aaron Polak
Michael Resko
Anne-Marie Santangelo
Andrew Turro
Francis J. Valentino
Nancy Waite
Justin A. Xenitelis '06
 

For more info, please go to Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning