University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Law

At Mizzou, LR&W is a graded, two-semester, four-credit program, with 150 first-year students divided into eight small sections (with 19 to 20 students in each). The fall semester focuses on print research and predictive writing. The first writing assignment requires students to attend court and report on the proceedings. After that court visit report, students learn to write a law office memorandum by writing a shorter CRAAC assignment and two pass-fail, open-universe memoranda (usually based on state law issues). Students work in pairs on these early assignments, but work alone when writing the final, graded memorandum (usually based on a federal statutory issue). Students receive detailed written critiques of their work and are required to attend at least two conferences with their professor to discuss their writing. The second semester focuses on persuasive writing, oral advocacy, and CALR. Students write a complaint, an answer, a motion for summary judgment (with suggestions in support), and an appellate brief. The early assignments are pass-fail, and the later assignments are graded. Students also present two oral arguments, one for a trial court and one for an appellate court.

LR&W courses are taught by three full-time legal writing professors and one adjunct. The adjunct faculty member in recent years (and again this year) has been a Missouri Assistant Attorney General who is able to draw from substantial practice experience. In coordination with the legal writing faculty, five law librarians teach research strategies by making presentations in the LR&W classrooms, assisting small groups of students with hands-on assignments in the library, and meeting one-on-one with every student. The full-time legal writing faculty members have long-term contracts and voting rights (including a vote on the hiring of tenure-track faculty). The law school provides a Teaching Assistant for each section of legal writing, and separate Research Assistants are available for any full-time legal writing faculty member who has scholarly interests requiring research assistance. Full-time legal writing professors have faculty accounts for travel and are eligible for summer research grants.

Anyone interested in more information about the Legal Writing Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia should feel free to e-mail the director, Professor Melody Daily, at dailyma@missouri.edu.