By: Timothy J. Duff Being a successful lawyer is difficult. Being a happy, successful lawyer even more so. One reason is that lawyers are essentially professional writers, and writing is hard work—time consuming and stressful even when done well. Fortunately, however, you can maintain your well-being as a lawyer by focusing on the writing process.… Continue Reading Maintaining Well-Being as a Lawyer by Focusing on the Writing Process

By: Emily Gold During one of my first classes in law school, my LPS professor told my class the importance of failing. She went on to explain that F.A.I.L. simply stands for “first attempt in learning”, and it is the first step towards fostering a new skill. I was at first skeptical of this advice—in… Continue Reading Learning to F.A.I.L. in Law School

By  Harmony Decosimo It’s hard to believe, but the arrival of the first few snowflakes and the panicked expressions on student faces remind us that it’s true: another fall semester is coming to an end. For 1Ls, the end of the first semester is particularly fraught because of the impending arrival of final exams and… Continue Reading More Than Grades: Prioritizing The Development of Trustworthiness

By Dyane O’Leary Associate Professor of Legal Writing Co-Director, Legal Innovation & Technology Concentration Robots (insert: fun term for computer algorithms) vacuum our homes, tell us the weather, tweet out football scores, play our favorite songs, and help us avoid last minute traffic jams. But they can’t write “like a lawyer,” right? Wrong. Algorithms can… Continue Reading Submitted By: Legal Writing Robot, BBO #55555

By Professors Rosa Kim and Dyane O’Leary We often tell law students not to expect to “get it right” the first time doing something new.  Our recent experience teaching online legal writing courses revealed just how true that is. Distance education in law schools is exploding.  The American Bar Association’s decision last year to allow… Continue Reading Teaching a Hybrid Legal Writing Course? Lessons From Two First-Timers

By: Professor Adam Eckart When students file into Sargent Hall at Suffolk University Law School later this month, each student will step foot into one of the most important courses of their law school career — Legal Practice Skills (“LPS”). The LPS course teaches students key skills related to the practice of law, including written… Continue Reading Welcome to LPS: “Legal Power Skills”

What I Wish I Knew Before Law School By: Kathleen Elliott Vinson “If only I had known that before law school” students often lament with regret.  It may seem like some students have inside information, depending on their prior experience, education, or network.  To level the playing field and start off law school in a… Continue Reading What I Wish I Knew Before Law School

By Hanna J. Ciechanowski When I first started law school, my dad strongly encouraged me to take as many writing classes as possible.  “It’s the most important skill,” he argued, “since effective legal writing is needed for every position you’ll apply for.”  At first I thought this was the best advice I had received—I was… Continue Reading Talk It Out – The Importance of Practicing Oral Advocacy

By Hunter Wildrick When I stepped into the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office on the first day of my summer-after-1L internship, I was filled with emotions.  I was nervous, excited, and questioning whether I would be prepared for the job.  As I sat down at my desk, I was presented with my first task: writing… Continue Reading Skills that Count From the Classroom to Practice

By Clarissa Brady Michael always says ‘K-I-S-S.  Keep it simple, stupid.’ Great advice.  Hurts my feelings every time.” Dwight Schrute I learned that this advice is not only great for paper sales, but also for legal writing.  The natural instinct in the first attempt at legal writing is to add legalese or unnecessary detail.  Whether… Continue Reading Simple is Key

By Kathleen Elliott Vinson & Shailini J. George “I am anxious, stressed, and tired all the time.  I have a headache and my body aches. I feel stupid.  I’m not good enough. Why am I the only one who doesn’t get it?  I’ll never get all this work done.  I feel so overwhelmed.  I feel… Continue Reading Educating The Whole Lawyer: Mind, Body, and Spirit

By Adam Eckart Many students dislike group work, but group work is a key aspect of law school. Group work provides many benefits, such as learning from others, hearing different perspectives, and challenging your own ideas. Although law students are prohibited from working in groups on independent projects or assessments, group work can aid student… Continue Reading The Power of Group Work

By Sabrina DeFabritiis Learn the Law. Practice the Skill. These are two key pieces of advice that anyone who has prepared for the bar exam has heard over and over again.  In order to pass the bar exam, a law school graduate must have a strong understanding of the testable areas of law and must… Continue Reading Everything I Know About Surviving the Bar Exam I Learned from Running.

By Adam Eckart When I meet with students to review a paper, students often react to our discussion with an “aha” moment or with a comment similar to “I don’t know why I wrote that.” While these realizations are important in the writing process, having them at a conference with a professor is often too… Continue Reading Revising Your Way to an A