Hofstra University
First Year Program
The first year program is devoted to developing student skills in legal writing, research, and analysis. Emphasis is placed on rule extraction, synthesis, organization, and analysis of complex legal and factual issues in written form. Students spend one semester writing trial level documents; the second semester is devoted to appellate advocacy, written and oral. There are generally no more than 45 students in each section. Legal Writing and Research (a two-credit, letter grade course) is taught in the Fall. Students are required to write a series of objective and persuasive memoranda. The legal writing instructors then provide the students with a face-to-face critique.
Then, in the Spring, Appellate Advocacy is taught (also a two-credit, letter-graded course). The instructors cover the following subjects: the appellate process; scope and standards of review; development of a theory of error (or its absence); and brief writing. Students argue their cases to benches consisting of instructor, practicing lawyers and third year students.
Upper Level Programs and Courses
There are two upper level writing requirements. Writing Requirement I can be satisfied in substantive law seminars or through independent studies arranged by the student with a faculty member. All students are required to satisfy this requirement through the preparation of ?a substantial scholarly research paper? during the second or third year. Several options, including independent study and law journal participation, are available for this purpose.
In addition, students are required to satisfy a second upper class writing requirement, Writing Requirement II. Recognizing the need to focus on skills training, the faculty decided to permit this requirement to be satisfied by a non-research paper. While students may still satisfy this second requirement by writing a research paper, they may also satisfy it by preparing briefs, motions, memoranda of law, draft legislation, or corporate documents.
Faculty
Legal Writing Faculty are 405(c) long-term contract faculty with a form of job security ?substantially similar to tenure.? They are well integrated into the general faculty community. They serve as full members of law school committees, and vote at faculty meetings on most issues. The Legal Writing Faculty publish and speak extensively, both within the Legal Writing field, and within other disciplines.
Web Links
http://law.hofstra.edu/home/index.html
Contacts
Hofstra's program is directorless, however there is a Coordinator for administrative purposes. For further information, please contact: Amy Stein, Professor of Legal Writing and Coordinator of the Legal Writing Program, email: lawars@Hofstra.edu