Legal Writing

First Year: Legal Writing Foundation 

During the first year at Colorado Law, students take a year-long course which teaches them the essential tools needed for effective legal writing.  During the fall semester, students learn how to analyze a practical legal problem and communicate that analysis in writing.  Students write legal memoranda, letters, or e-mail messages, all with the goal of communicating practical legal analysis to the appropriate audience.  In the spring semester, students turn to persuasive writing, learning how to appropriately craft legal documents to accomplish a client's objectives. 

• Legal Writing is taught in small sections.  The transition to the legal writing universe is a challenging one for many students, as they are introduced to both an unfamiliar vocabulary and methods of organization and analysis.  Accordingly, full-time faculty members teach legal writing in small sections.

• Students receive extensive individual feedback.  Students receive extensive written comments on their work, revise work in accordance with their professor's suggestions, and meet one-on-one with their professor throughout the year.

• Students engage in increasingly complex problems set in realistic contexts.  First-year students begin by learning how to read a case, and they complete increasingly complex assignments over the course of the year.  Every student concludes the first year by producing an appellate brief and participating in an oral argument before a mock judicial panel of practicing attorneys.  Every assignment requires students to use legal authorities in real-world ways.

Throughout the Colorado Law curriculum, students have opportunities to improve their written analytical skills.  A broad array of choices makes it possible for students to design an individual legal writing curriculum in accordance with their own substantive areas of interest.  Students can choose to build on the first-year legal writing foundation through advanced legal writing courses, seminars, journals, clinics, and independent legal research. 

Individual Support for Upper-Level Students. Amy Griffin, Director of Academic and Legal Writing support, was hired in 2012 to ensure that second- and third-year students continue to have access to one-on-one writing support throughout their law school career.

Journals. Colorado Law's three journals give students an opportunity to write a significant piece of scholarly work, with the guidance of journal editors and law school faculty.  All three journals select several student articles for publication in each issue.

Upper-Level Seminars. Upper-class seminars provide every Colorado Law student with the opportunity to write a scholarly paper exploring a particular area of interest.  Seminar papers are written with the guidance of a faculty member with expertise in that area. (Please note that only courses numbered 8000 and above have been approved as seminars that satisfy the graduation requirement.)

Clinics.  Colorado Law's nine clinics offer the chance to develop legal writing skills in a real-world context. Under the supervision of Colorado Law's experienced clinical professors, Colorado Law students write actual legal documents for clients in need.

Advanced Legal Writing Courses.   Colorado Law's full-time and adjunct legal writing faculty currently offer a number of advanced classes for students to choose from.  For course offerings in the upcoming year, click here.   

Writing Competitions and Awards 

Colorado Law encourages all students to develop both their legal writing skills and their knowledge of a particular substantive area of the law by participating in one of the many national and local writing competitions.  Students interested in participating in a writing competition should contact Amy Bauer, Associate Dean for Instructional Development and
Legal Writing Professor.

There are currently two competitions designed specifically for and open only to Colorado Law students:

• Sandgrund Consumer Rights Award. The Sandgrund Award encourages and rewards writings by Colorado Law students that advance the field of consumer rights, especially the rights of homeowners.  This recognition is sponsored by alumnus Ron Sandgrund ('82), and awards between $5,000 and $10,000 to the winner, depending on the amount available in the fund.
• Silicon Flatirons Writing Competition Award. This award is sponsored each year by a law firm and is given to the best paper about a topic involving law and technology, or law and entrepreneurship. The 2014-15 award was sponsored by Faegre Baker Daniels. The 2015-16 award was sponsored by WilmerHale.