Marquette University Law School

Students at Marquette are required to take six credits of legal writing during their first year. During the first semester, the course focuses on predictive writing. Students write two closed research office memoranda; they submit a draft and a re-write of each memorandum. Each student has an individual conference with his or her professor before submitting the rewritten version of the memo. Students also complete two research assignments, one relating to each office memorandum. Most professors also give a final quiz covering plagiarism, principles of authority, citation, grammar, punctuation, and usage. During the spring semester, the focus switches to persuasion. Students write two open research trial court briefs. Again, each assignment consists of a draft and a re-write, and students confer individually with their professors during each assignment sequence. During the spring semester, students also complete two research reports documenting their research process and results. During the second or third year, students are required to complete an upper-level academic writing requirement. Beginning next semester, the legal writing professors will also begin offering advanced legal writing courses (electives) in topics of their choosing. We have offered advanced legal writing during the summer session as well.

In order to ensure the autonomy of each legal writing faculty member, Marquette does not have a director but rather has a program staffed by six full-time writing professors. Each professor has approximately 40-45 students, and each professor has complete autonomy as to the course curriculum. The writing professors are initially given one-year renewable contracts but are eligible for three-year contracts after completing five years on the faculty. Legal writing professors serve on all law school committees, attend faculty meetings, and are permitted to vote on all matters other than hiring and promotion of tenure-track faculty. They are eligible to receive summer research stipends and receive the same faculty development funds as the tenured and tenure-track faculty. Although scholarship is not required of the writing faculty, the administration supports scholarship.

E-mail contact: Alison Julien
Alison.Julien@marquette.edu