Legal Research and Writing Writing Advisor Seminar

  This seminar is required for all writing advisors in the Legal Research and Writing Program and is open only to those writing advisors. The seminar reinforces the analytical and writing skills taught in the first year legal research and writing curriculum. Students in the seminar discuss in detail how to approach analyzing case authority, as well as how to approach the process of predictive and persuasive written argumentation. As preparation for the classroom discussion, students prepare several substantive assignments that require them to articulate the process of legal analysis as well as the process of presenting legal analysis in written form. In developing these skills students in the seminar work with students in the first year legal research and writing course to refine the writing advisor's and the first years’ understanding of the process of legal analysis and written argumentation. Students will also practice their own writing and research skills through several objective and persuasive writing assignments that are unrelated to the first year curriculum. WA Seminar Credit Information

• Students receive five credits for serving as a WA.  
  • Three credits are letter-graded (Law 572A/B).  These three letter-graded credits relate to students’ performance in the WA Seminar.
    
    • Student grades are not subject to the mandatory curve. 
  • Two credits are graded on a pass/no pass basis (Law 346A/B).  These two P/NP credits relate to the students’ critiques and other work with the 1Ls assigned to them by their individual professor.
• Students receive three credits for the fall semester and two for the spring semester.
• Students do not receive any credits for serving as a WA unless they’ve completed the full year.
• Students are not allowed to do a full-time externship and serve as a WA at the same time. Students may do a part-time externship, provided the externship does not interfere with their WA duties.