Lawyering Skills and Strategies I
Professor Lauren Simpson
Sections E-1 & E-2 ● Mon. & Thurs., 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Fall 2016 Syllabus (DRAFT)
Lecture
Class 1
Monday,
Aug. 22
Topic
New Lawyer Boot Camp I: Sources
of Legal Authority
Class Preparation
• Coughlin: Please read pp. 1531.
Assignment(s) Due
• Introduction to LSS I
• Introduction to the U.S. Legal
System
• Introduction to Legal Authority
Class 2
Thursday,
August 25
Classes 3
and 4
Monday,
Aug. 29
7:30-9:30
p.m.1
• Coughlin: Please read pp. 33New Lawyer Boot Camp II:
34, 43-56, 57-66, 89-97.
Analyzing and Understanding
Judicial Opinions and Rules of Law
• Please review, but do not yet
work on, the “Armed
• Understanding Judicial
Robbery” synthesis exercise
Opinions
in the TWEN, Class 2 folder.
• Understanding and Deriving
Statutory and Case-Law Rules
Thinking Like a Lawyer: Legal
Analysis
• Coughlin: please read pp. 3543, 67-79, 181-96.
• Introduction to Legal Analysis
• Please review, but do not yet
work on, the State v. Glass
issue-spotting exercise in the
TWEN, combined Class 3 & 4
folder.
• Legal Analysis: Statutory
• Legal Analysis: Case Law
• Thinking Like a Lawyer: Legal
Analysis (Wrap-up)
Class 5
Thursday,
Sept. 1
7:30-9:30
p.m.
1
• Overview of Litigation
• Informing the Client on the
Case: Drafting an Informal
Client-Advice Letter
• Bridges & Schiess: please read • Please bring to class
pp. 51-64.
your completed answers
to any homework
• Please bring to class the
assigned in Classes 1 or
Ungraded Client Advice
2.
Letter assignment posted
under the relevant TWEN
Assignment & Quiz Drop
Box.
Due to Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 5), I will cover the material from Classes 3, 4, and 5 on two days: Monday, August 29, and
Thursday, September 1, adding an extra 40 minutes to each class. Accordingly, LSS class on August 29 and September 1 will run
from 7:30-9:30 p.m., and there will be no class on Monday, September 5.
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• How to Cite Authority in Your
Legal Writing:
1. Introduction to the Bluebook
(in-class presentation)
2. Citing to Cases (self-study)
• Finding the Law for Your Legal
Analysis: Legal Research (begin)
(in part by “flipped” lectures)
• Please listen to the three
“flipped” legal-research
lectures (with accompanying
PowerPoints) before Class 6.
• Please briefly review, and
bring with you to class, the
Ungraded Law Firm Memo.
[discussion section]
assignment posted under the
relevant TWEN Assignment
& Quiz Drop Box.
• Additional: Please bring your
laptop and WL, Lexis, and BL
passwords to class: Classes 611.
Class 6
Thursday,
Sept. 8
• Before doing your ICW
exercises (not before Class 6),
please skim briefly
 the topics within the
Bluebook’s “bluepages”
(pp. 3-56),
 Bluebook Rule 10, and
 ICW Chs. 1-4
(introductory text only,
not exercises).
Class 7
Monday,
Sept. 12
Class 8
Thursday,
Sept. 15
• Finding the Law for Your Legal
Analysis: Legal Research
(cont’d)
• Please bring the ungraded
law-firm memo. [discussion
section] problem + your notes
on it to class, for in-class
work.
• Finding the Law for Your Legal
Analysis: Legal Research
(cont’d)
• Please bring ungraded lawfirm memo. [discussion
section] problem + your notes
on it to class, for in-class
work.
• More on How to Cite Authority
in Your Legal Writing (selfstudy by flipped lecture)
• Before doing ICW Exercises
5-8 (not before Class 6),
please
 review the two citation
self-study PowerPoints in
the TWEN, Class 8 folder,
 skim briefly Bluebook
Rules 11-12, and
2
• ICW Exs. 1 & 2
 skim briefly ICW Chs. 5-8
(intro. text only).
Class 9
Monday,
Sept. 19
• Finding the Law for Your Legal
Analysis: Legal Research
(cont’d)
• Please bring ungraded lawfirm memo. [discussion
section] problem + your notes
on it to class, for in-class
work.
• Ungraded client-advice
letter due at 6:00 p.m.
(please submit via
TWEN)
• Finding the Law for Your Legal
Analysis: Legal Research (finish)
• Please bring ungraded lawfirm memo. [discussion
section] problem + your notes
on it to class, for in-class
work.
• Note: you should be
researching the law for
the ungraded law-firm
memo. [discussion
section] no later than the
weekend of Sept. 24. If
you do not, then you will
not have time to
complete the ungraded
exercise before the
graded one is distributed.
It will take you much
longer than you think!
You will also benefit
from the Sept. 26 class
most fully if you’ve
researched beforehand.
• Putting it all together: Analyzing
the Law and Issues in our InClass Case Study
• Please bring ungraded lawfirm memo. [discussion
section] problem + your notes
on it to class, for in-class
work.
Class 10
Thursday,
Sept. 22
Class 11
Monday,
Sept. 26
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
of a Single Issue: CR[e]AC
(begin)
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
of a Single Issue: CR[e]AC
(cont’d)
Class 12
Thursday,
Sept. 29
• Coughlin: please read pp. 97120 (suggest also briefly
reviewing pp. 89-96), 167-72.
• Coughlin: please read pp. 129- • Note: you should start
65, 173-80.
writing your ungraded
law-firm memo.
[discussion section] no
later than the weekend
of Oct.1. If you do not,
you will likely not
complete it before the
graded assignment is
distributed. It will take
you much longer than
you think!
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Class 13
Monday,
Oct. 3
Class 14
Thursday,
Oct. 6
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
of a Single Issue: CR[e]AC
(wrap-up, if any)
• ICW Exs. 3 & 4
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
to Your Supervising Attorney:
the Predictive Memorandum I
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
to Your Supervising Attorney:
the Predictive Memorandum II
• Coughlin: please read pp. 199215, 233-41.
• Please briefly review, but do
not yet work on, the in-class
exercise(s) in the TWEN,
Class 14 folder.
• Conveying Your Legal Analysis
to Your Supervising Attorney:
the Predictive Memorandum III
• Coughlin: please read pp. 121- • ICW Exs. 5 & 6
28, 247-71 before listening to
the recorded lecture
• Professionalism, Ethics, and
Editing (resources)
• Notes:
 Before you submit your
Graded Law-Firm Memo.
(not before Class 15),
please listen to the
“flipped” lecture entitled,
“Class 15--plagiarism and
quotations F2016
student.ppt,” located in the
TWEN, Class 15 folder.
 There are two resource
PowerPoints on editing
and strengthening
sentences in the TWEN,
Class 15 folder. These are
optional, but they may
help you with your prose
on the Graded Law-Firm
Memo.
Class 15
Monday,
Oct. 10
Class 16
Thursday,
Oct. 13
• Coughlin: please read pp. 313, 217-32, 243-45.
• Citation Diagnostic and Practice
• Please bring your Bluebook
and ICW workbook to class.
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Drafting Your Client’s Contract I
• Stark: please skim briefly Ch.
1 and also read Chs. 2-4.
• Introduction to Legal Drafting:
Forms vs. Zero-Based Drafting
Class 17
Monday,
Oct. 17
• Turning the Deal into a
Contract (begin)
Drafting Your Client’s Contract II
Class 18
Thursday,
Oct. 20
• Turning the Deal into a
Contract (cont’d)
• Parts of a Contract—The Frame
Drafting Your Client’s Contract III
Class 19
Monday,
Oct. 24
• Note: graded law-firm
memo. (60% of grade)
will be distributed via
TWEN after tonight’s
class.
• Stark: please read Chs. 5-7, 17
(no exercises in any chapter).
• Please review, but do not yet
work on, the “Healthy Hearts”
in-class exercise in the
TWEN, Class 18 folder.
• Stark: please read Chs. 8-16
(no exercises in any chapter).
• Parts of a Contract—The
Picture
Drafting Your Client’s Contract IV
Class 20
Thursday,
Oct. 27
• Ungraded law-firm
memo. [discussion
section] due at 6:00 p.m.
(please submit via
TWEN).
• The Drafting Process: Putting
the Contract Together
• Stark: please read Chs. 26-28
(no exercises in any chapter),
focusing on Ch. 26, which is
relevant to our in-class
practice.
• ICW Exs. 7 & 8
• Please review, but do not yet
work on, the in-class exercise
in the TWEN, Class 20 folder.
Individual Conferences with
Senior Partner Simpson to Discuss
Oct. 31 and
Graded Law-Firm Memorandum
Nov. 1, 2, 3,
• No LSS class on Oct. 31 or Nov.
4, & 5
3
(Classes 21
• one conference per student
and 22)
• schedule on TWEN “Sign-Up
Sheets” page
Class 23
Monday,
Nov., 7
• Putting it all together: a
Practical Exercise on Contract
Drafting
• Please bring your Stark text to
class for in-class exercise.
5
• Graded law-firm memo.
due at 6:00 p.m. (60% of
grade; please submit via
TWEN)
Drafting Your Client’s Contract V
Class 24
Thursday,
Nov. 10
Class 25
Monday,
Nov. 14
Class 26
Thursday,
Nov. 17
(last class)
• Clear and Unambiguous
Drafting
• Please briefly review, but do
not yet work on, the in-class
exercise in the TWEN, Class
23 folder.
• Note: graded contract
(40% of grade) will be
distributed via TWEN
after tonight’s class.
• Stark: please read Stark, Chs.
18-21, 23-24 (no exercises in
any chapter).
• Graded law-firm memo.
due at 6:00 p.m. (60% of
grade; please submit via
TWEN)
• Please briefly review, but do
not yet work on, the in-class
exercise in the TWEN, Class
24 folder.
• Note: graded contract
(40% of grade) will be
distributed via TWEN
after tonight’s class.
• Please briefly review, but do
not yet work on, the in-class
exercise in the TWEN, Class
25 folder.
• More In-Class ContractDrafting Practice
• Students’ Choice Class (topic to
be determined by student vote)
Individual Conferences with
Senior Partner Simpson to Discuss
Graded Contract
Nov. 19, 21,
• No LSS class Monday, Nov. 21
22, & 23
• One conference per student
(Class 27)
• Schedule on TWEN “Sign-Up
Sheets” page
Thursday,
Nov. 24
Thanksgiving (no class)
• Graded contract due at
6:00 p.m. (40% of grade;
please submit via
TWEN)
Monday,
Nov. 28
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2.
3.
4.
The syllabus may be modified as needed to achieve course objectives.
Please register for my LSS class on TWEN immediately after the first class.
Please being your laptop and Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg Law passwords to each class.
Beginning with Class 9, please bring your Bluebook and ICW Workbook to each class: as time allows, we
may review citation matters even on days for which citation is not noted on the syllabus.
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