LAW 705 - Independent Legal Writing

This course requires the completion of a significant research paper on a topic selected by the student, under the supervision of a faculty member. Students may enroll in this course for credit no more than twice and this course satisfies the writing requirement. An important goal of the major paper requirement is to improve students’ writing skills. Faculty supervisors should communicate this goal to students at the beginning of the process and reinforce it throughout the paper-writing process, especially after submission of the first draft. Papers that satisfy the major paper requirement should evolve through four major stages, each of which should occur in consultation with the supervising faculty member: 1. Topic Development: The student should produce a succinct, coherent topic statement that sets out the thesis of the proposed paper. 2. Outline: The student should produce a reasonably comprehensive outline of the paper, including a statement of the basic steps in the argument, the major sources used, and a tentative conclusion or a comparable writing. 3. First Draft: The student should produce a first draft of the paper in time for the supervising faculty member to make comments and for the student to respond to those comments in the form of a second draft. Normally, the first draft should be submitted to the supervising faculty member by the end of the 10th week of classes. 4. Final Draft: The student should turn in the final draft of the paper by noon on the last day of exams for the semester, or as otherwise designated by the professor.