Legal Writing Institute

THE LEGAL WRITING INSTITUTE (LWI) IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WHOSE MISSION IS TO IMPROVE LEGAL WRITING, TO PROMOTE AND IMPROVE LEGAL WRITING INSTRUCTION, AND TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BAR ABOUT LEGAL REASONING, RESEARCH, AND WRITING. TO THAT END, LWI PROVIDES A FORUM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS ABOUT LEGAL WRITING AND ABOUT RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP REGARDING LEGAL WRITING AND ANALYSIS.

LWI BIENNIAL CONFERENCE:THE FLAGSHIP BIENNIAL CONFERENCE DRAWS AROUND 450 - 500 PARTICIPANTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD FOR THREE DAYS OF SHARING INFORMATION, LEARNING NEW IDEAS, CELEBRATING AT A GALA EVENT, AND CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. LAW SCHOOLS SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO HOST THIS PRESTIGIOUS CONFERENCE.

THE BOOTCAMP PROVIDES AN INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING 1L LEGAL WRITING FROM EXPERT LEGAL WRITING FACULTY AS WELL AS ADVICE FROM MORE JUNIOR COLLEAGUES ABOUT GETTING STARTED. TOPICS INCLUDE MANAGING THE 1L LEGAL WRITING CLASSROOM, ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES, DEI IN THE LEGAL WRITING CLASSROOM, GRADING AND GIVING FEEDBACK, AND TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY.BOOTCAMP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE TWO DAYS OF INTERACTIVE TRAINING AND LEAVE THE BOOTCAMP WITH A SET OF TEACHING MATERIALS AND RESOURCES THEY CAN USE IN THEIR FALL COURSES. THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO SOCIALIZE AND NETWORK WITH FACILITATORS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS.RECEPTION HONORING WITH BLACKWELL AWARD RECIPIENT. THE AWARD RECOGNIZES A PERSON WHO HAS MADE AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO IMPROVING THE FIELD OF LEGAL WRITING BY DEMONSTRATING THE ABILITY TO NURTURE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO EXCELLENCE; A WILLINGNESS TO HELP OTHER LEGAL WRITING EDUCATORS IMPROVE THEIR TEACHING SKILLS AND LEGAL WRITING PROGRAMS; AND AN ABILITY TO CREATE AND INTEGRATE NEW IDEAS FOR TEACHING AND MOTIVATING LEGAL WRITING EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS.

JOURNAL OF LEGAL WRITING WEBSITE:IN ITS NEARLY 30 YEARS OF PUBLICATION, THE JOURNAL HAS ENCOURAGED AND COMMUNICATED SCHOLARLY RESEARCH DEVOTED TO THE THEORY, SUBSTANCE, AND PEDAGOGY OF LEGAL WRITING.

WRITERS' WORKSHOPS:THE SIRICO SCHOLARS' WORKSHOP IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTH NEW AND EXPERIENCED LEGAL WRITING SCHOLARS TO GATHER IN SMALL GROUPS TO PROVIDE CRITIQUES AND SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER'S WORK IN PROCESS. EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A WORK IN PROCESS THAT, WHILE NOT YET COMPLETED, IS AT A STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT WHERE OTHER SCHOLARS CAN REVIEW THEIR WORK AND PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK.THE FORMAT INCLUDES BOTH SMALL AND LARGE GROUP SESSIONS. EVERY PARTICIPANT IS ASSIGNED TO A SMALL GROUP OF THREE OTHER SCHOLARS PLUS AN EXPERIENCED SCHOLAR/FACILITATOR AND IS EXPECTED TO REVIEW AND PROVIDE CRITIQUES IN A HELPFUL GROUP SESSION FOR THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP. THERE WILL ALSO BE SEVERAL LARGE-GROUP MEETINGS THAT WILL INCLUDE DISCUSSION OF NAVIGATING THE PUBLICATION PROCESS, HOW TO FIND OR MAKE TIME TO WRITE, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOLARLY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.EVERY YEAR IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, LWI SPONSORS ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS ON SELECTED TOPICS AT 10-12 LAW SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THESE WORKSHOPS OFTEN GIVE MEMBERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND A CONFERENCE IN A MORE INTIMATE SETTING CLOSE TO HOME AND HELP BUILD REGIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG FACULTY.