Introduction to Legal Skills - Fall 2019
The Introduction to Legal Skills course has two components: (1) Legal Analysis, and (2) Legal Writing. Legal Analysis focuses on the analytical skills used by lawyers and law students, while Legal Writing focuses on the expression skills of lawyers and law students.
Introduction to Legal Skills begins on Tuesday, August 27, and continues through Friday, August 30, with a required follow-up session on Tuesday, September 24, from 12:45-1:45 p.m. Please note that no regular classwork will be held until Tuesday, September 3. Any required makeups will be scheduled by your professors and will be announced. Please click here for the complete schedule for Introduction to Legal Skills.
Information about your professors, including office location, email and phone contacts, may be found by clicking on the links below. You will find out which ILS professors you will have when you receive your class schedules.
Legal Analysis:
, Prof. Thomas Barton, Prof. Paul Gudel
, Prof. Ken Klein
, Prof. Don Smythe, and Prof. Glenn Smith
Legal Writing:
, Prof. Allison Cato
, Prof. Roberta Thyfault, and Prof. Monica Todd
**Please allow ample time to receive your materials via mail, prior to the first day of class on August 27**
Click on the live links in the table below to be directed to the websites where you may purchase your course materials. Don’t forget to create an account on each book vendor’s website to track the status of your orders.
*******In the Online Documents section below, there are additional required materials the faculty has provided for you. *******
| COURSE | USAGE | ISBN | TITLE | AUTHOR | INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 056 INTRO TO LEGAL SKILLS: LEGAL ANALYSIS | Required | 9781726901903 | LAW 056 COURSEPACK - FALL 2019 | EHRLICH | PDF copy is located under the Online Document Section. You can also purchase a hard copy at RedShelf. |
| 055 INTRO TO LEGAL SKILLS: LEGAL WRITING | Required | 9781531006990 | PLAIN ENGLISH FOR LAWYERS, 6TH (2019) | WYDICK | It is highly recommended that you use this as a resource throughout law school and your legal career. |
| 055 INTRO TO LEGAL SKILLS: LEGAL WRITING | Required | 9781611635843 | CORE GRAMMAR FOR LAWYERS, DIGITAL (2011) | MCKINNEY | CORE GRAMMAR is digital material available through the publisher. Your LSI 055 professor will issue a CLASS CODE to enter while purchasing and it will link your account to theirs. The Fall 2019 discount/ACCESS CODE is CWSL2019 Instructions to purchase this are on the Online Bookstore FAQ Page (under Complete Online Bookstore FAQ PDF) |
| 055 INTRO TO LEGAL SKILLS: LEGAL WRITING | Optional | 9781611632248 | BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN COLLEGE & LAW SCHOOL, 3RD (2014) | STROPUS | It is highly recommended that you read this BEFORE starting law school. |
As a convenience to those who may want to begin working on their first day reading assignments, the assignments for the first class are listed below:
Legal Analysis: For the first class read pages 1-18 of the Legal Analysis materials. Complete the Questionnaire on pages 7-8 and do the Exercises on pages 15 and 17. Download the reading materials for the first class above.
Legal Writing: Complete the writing assignment and the assigned readings by the deadlines noted on the Legal Writing materials listed above.
The syllabi and assignments for the entire course are set forth in the beginning of the materials for each component and are also available to download above.