Wake Forest University School of Law

What makes the Legal Research and Writing (“LRW”) Program at Wake Forest University School of Law strong? Our experienced faculty, small classes, demanding curriculum, and extensive orientation program. The eight full-time members of the LRW faculty have diverse and significant legal experience from the courtroom to the boardroom, and a range of academic and practical experience. The faculty members are able to provide students with significant one-on-one attention because of the 20-1 student/faculty ratio.

The LRW program at Wake Forest consists of a week long LRW-orientation (“LRW Week”) program and three required semesters of formal instruction. During LRW Week, the students receive 14 hours of LRW classroom instruction ranging from basic civics to legal analysis and how to draft a memorandum of law. During the first semester, which focuses on basic legal objective memoranda, the students are required to submit three major legal memoranda, plus one re-write. In addition, during the first semester, students have two individual conferences with their professor and generally two individual conferences with student teaching assistants. During the second semester, the students focus on statutory interpretation and persuasive writing. The students submit one complex statutory memorandum, one trial brief, and engage in a motion hearing. The students also have an opportunity for an individual conference with their professor during the second semester. During the third semester, most students write a complex federal statutory appellate brief, and engage in an oral argument. Wake Forest has started, however, an alternative third semester program where students write a pro bono appellate brief for the state guardian ad litem program. The students’ brief is submitted to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

For further information, please contact Chris Nero Coughlin at coughlcn@law.wfu.edu