Making Effective Use of Practitioners' Briefs in the Law School Curriculum

Authors

Anna P. Hemingway, Widener University School of Law-Harrisburg

First Page

417

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This article argues that practitioners' briefs do have a place in the law school classroom. Part II of this article discusses the pedagogy behind using practitioners' briefs in the legal writing classroom. It demonstrates how using practitioners' briefs enriches lesson plans, heightens interest in the classroom, and helps students gain a richer appreciation for lawyers' goals when they write as advocates. Part III presents some different ways of using practitioners' briefs to teach persuasive writing. It examines how the author has used practitioners' briefs to teach persuasive writing of the statement of facts, point headings and summary of the argument. Part IV discusses ways of using practitioners' briefs in classes other than legal writing and suggests that by introducing the briefs behind the appellate opinions students read, students ultimately gain a stronger understanding of legal process. Finally, the article concludes with a summary and a brief examination of potential pitfalls to avoid when using practitioners' briefs.

Recommended Citation

Anna P. Hemingway, Making Effective Use of Practitioners' Briefs in the Law School Curriculum, 22 St. Thomas L. Rev. 417 (2010).
Available at: https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol22/iss3/4