Advanced Legal Writing and
Communication Skills
Development Program
Institute Mission
– Study the legal communication issues that face lawyers,
judges, other professionals, and the public.
– Support an active community of legal communication and
writing scholars.
– Develop innovative and effective methods and programs
for teaching legal communication theory, skills, and values
to students.
– Provide instruction for lawyers, judges, and other
professionals to improve their legal communication skills.
Advanced Legal Writing and
Communication Skills
Development Program
1.
Lunchtime Series (Attend 4 each semester)
– Ten each year
– Address legal communication topics:
– Listening skills
– Intercultural communication skills
– Running an effective meeting
– Readability strategies for legal documents
– Techniques for effective contract drafting
2. Complete three follow-up assignments:
–
Drafting a Complaint
–
Conducting a witness interview.
–
Drafting an email to a potential client.
3.
Complete a real-world assessment of legal
communication practices.
4.
Complete Practice-Ready ePortfolio.
–
Examples of legal communication work
5. Satisfactorily complete Core Grammar for Lawyers.
Benefits
– Learn oral and written communication skills you may not learn
elsewhere.
– Practice legal communication skills and get feedback.
– Build a portfolio of writing and oral communication samples.
– Complete a scientifically-valid training program for grammar and
punctuation conventions for legal writing. (Stetson provides the
subscription.)
– Get to know more professors.
– Complimentary lunch!
– Earn a resume-enhancing credential upon completion.
What students have said
– I found this workshop particularly valuable because, while
there are many courses in law school that teach you what
these documents are, few require you to actually produce
them. These skills proved essential while working as a law
clerk this past year. The small assignments are “real world”
practical and require only a very manageable amount of
work—the workshop was the perfect addition to a busy
semester. Lunch is provided and the speakers vary every
session to allow exposure to a wide variety of knowledge and
skill sets. Overall, I found this workshop to be useful and
enjoyable, and I highly recommend applying for a seat.
– Cherish Fuller, Class of ‘17
What students have said
– This program was extremely beneficial to me because I was
able to practice dealing with a number of situations that I have
never even seen before. It has now given me the confidence
to attack those issues and best represent my client in my legal
practice.
– Paul Thompson, Class of ’17
– The program has given me a more solid understanding of the
role and methods of writing in relation to my legal education. I
was given an opportunity to be exposed to components that I
had not yet addressed which has provided me a deeper
understanding of how or why a particular method of writing is
used.
– Jami Worley, part-time student
To Apply or Questions
– Email letter of interest and CV to Dr. Kirsten Davis at
kkdavis@law.Stetson.edu
– Deadline: April 19, 2016
– Questions: Dr. Davis at kkdavis@law.stetson.edu