Arizona State University
First Year Program
The Legal Method and Writing Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is staffed by six full-time writing faculty.
The student-teacher ratios are generally 36:1, taught in two sections per professor during the fall and one section per professor during the spring.
During the first year, signifiant time is spent teaching the underlying method of legal analysis. Students learn to work with the hierarchy of legal authorities, to recognize and present different legal tests, and to use analogical, policy-based, and other types of reasoning, among other analytical skills. Students receive two credits each semester and are trained in both manual legal research and computer-assisted legal research. They draft numerous legal documents, including inter-office memoranda and motions. They also complete several oral presentations and arguments.
Upper Level Programs and Courses
Upper-level students can take advantage of additional research and writing courses, such as Intensive Legal Research and Writing. In this four-week summer course, students meet with the professor daily in individual conferences. They receive extensive written and oral feedback on approximately thirty written projects.
Additional upper-level courses include Contract Drafting and Negotiating, Advanced Legal Writing, Appellate Advocacy, Fundamentals of Legal Drafting, and Advanced Legal Research. Various other advanced writing options exist in upper-level courses outside the writing program, including Advanced Legal Research and Writing -- Indian Law, which is a required course for students completing the Indian Law Certificate.
Faculty
We have six full-time writing faculty, all with significant law practice experience. We also hire occasional visitors to cover sabbaticals and other leaves. Our faculty are prominently involved in the national legal writing community through conference presentations, publications, and committee service, and we have hosted the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference twice since its inception.
All members of the writing faculty are tenured or on tenure-track (a four-year track with no subsequent reviews) and vote on all matters except hiring and promotion of non-clinical faculty.
Writing faculty have the same benefits as other faculty, including summer research grants, paid sabbaticals (two this year), research assistants, conference travel, etc. We serve on all committees, including appointments, admissions, curriculum, dean's advisory, personnel advisory, and the dean search committee.
Web Links
http://www.law.asu.edu/?id=409
Contacts
Judy Stinson | Phone: 480-965-8512
Chad Noreuil 480-965-9158;
Tamara Herrera 480-727-7194;
Zig Popko 480-965-6557;
Amy Langenfeld 480-727-8726;
Susan Chesler 480-965-2554;
Stacey Dowdell 480-965-9672;
Carrie Sperling 480-727-7465