Upper-Level Writing Requirement for Full-time Program: Entering Class of 2023 and After

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The first writing experience consists of the successful completion of the following courses: Legal Communication I (LAW 1052), Legal Research I (LAW 1051), Legal Communication II (LAW 1054), and Legal Research II (LAW 1053). A student must satisfy the first writing experience before undertaking a second writing experience.

For the second and third writing experiences, students must complete two of the following three categories:

  1. an academic legal writing seminar;
  2. a practice-oriented legal writing seminar; or
  3. Law Review.

Students complete the second and third writing experiences in the upper-level curriculum, and the requirements for each option are set forth below. A student may use the same option twice to satisfy the second and third writing experience (for example, a student may take two academic legal writing seminars or two practice-oriented legal writing seminars to meet both the second and third writing experiences).

In each upper-level writing course, a law librarian will be available to assist students with relevant legal research skills, including the development of a research plan, the completion of a preemption check, and the identification of relevant sources associated with the subject matter, if applicable.

The specific requirements for the upper-level options are as follows.

  1. Academic Legal Writing Seminar

Academic legal writing seminars have course numbers from 4000-4499. For an academic legal writing seminar to satisfy one of the required writing experiences, the student must comply with the following requirements:

  • The student must complete a writing project, as prescribed by the supervising faculty member, which may consist of one or more submissions of expository or argumentative legal writing totaling at least 5,000 words of substantive text, exclusive of footnotes, endnotes, headings, and the like;
  • Before the final submission of the writing project, the student must submit an outline and a draft to be critiqued by the supervising faculty member; and
  • The student must earn a grade of “B” or higher on the writing project (if the writing project consists of multiple submissions, the average grade must be a “B” or higher).

A student’s successful completion of an Independent Study shall be considered the equivalent of the completion of an academic legal writing seminar. For an Independent Study to satisfy one of the required writing experiences, the student must comply with the same requirements as an academic legal writing seminar and must also comply with the Independent Study Guidelines promulgated by the Curriculum Committee.

  1. Practice-Oriented Legal Writing Seminar

Practice-oriented legal writing seminars have course numbers from 4500-4999. For a practice-oriented legal writing seminar to satisfy one of the required writing experiences, the student must comply with the following requirements:

  • The student must complete at least one writing project, as prescribed by the supervising faculty member, which must consist of one or more substantial, original submissions of practice-oriented legal writing, such as a trial or appellate brief, a contract, probate documents, legislation, or a judicial opinion;
  • Before the final submission of the writing project, the student must submit a draft in addition to the final document to be critiqued by the supervising faculty member; and
  • The student must earn a grade of “B” or higher on the writing project (if the writing project consists of multiple submissions, the average grade must be a “B” or higher).

  1. Law Review

For participation on the Law Review to satisfy one of the required writing experiences, the student must complete two academic years, including summer terms, on the Law Review. In addition, the student must comply with the following requirements:

  • After serving as a member of the Law Review for at least one semester, the student must produce a note consisting of either expository or argumentative writing that is least 5,000 words of text, exclusive of footnotes, endnotes, headings, and the like;
  • An outline and draft must be submitted and critiqued by the Law Review Faculty Advisor, or another faculty member designated by the Advisor, prior to submission of the final paper;
  • A minimum of three meetings shall be held between the student and the Law Review Faculty Advisor, or another faculty member designated by the Advisor, to allow the Advisor to provide detailed feedback to the students prior to the submission of the final paper;
  • The note shall be published in a law review journal or other similar legal publication; or, if approval is granted by the Law Review Faculty Advisor, accepted for publication in a law review journal or other similar legal publication; or, if approval is granted by the Law Review Faculty Advisor, of publishable quality;
  • The paper must be supervised by the LMU Law Review Faculty Advisor, who shall be a full-time faculty member;
  • The student must earn a grade of “B” or higher on the note; and
  • The note must be written independently and without collaboration with others.