Texas Tech University School of Law

Texas Tech University School of Law offers a two-semester, six-credit Legal Practice course that covers a range of lawyering skills: analysis, research, writing, ADR, oral advocacy, and client interviewing/counseling. The course is taught in a contextualized and integrated manner. The LP Professors teach all facets of the course (with support from the library staff for specialized research workshops), and most exercises and skills are taught within the arc of a typical client representation (interview to research to memo, or trial brief to negotiation/mediation to appellate brief). The LP Professors are supported by Teaching Fellows--2L and 3L students who assist with giving workshops, grading objective assignments, running exercises before distribution, etc. This year's student-teacher ratio is 39:1.

In the fall semester, students write a closed memo and open memo (each with drafts), complete three extensive research exercises, draft a client letter and counsel a client, and take a writing exam.

In the spring semester, the students start with an in-depth 5-week course-within-a-course on ADR with related writing exercises. They also draft a brief and give an oral argument. They have an MPT-type final as a capstone assignment.

The professors who teach LP enjoy 405(c) status and are treated like other faculty in terms of research funds, travel, offices, committee assignments, etc. They vote on all matters except tenure-track hiring and promotion. In addition, the school is very receptive to offering LP faculty room for professional growth/change (one LP faculty member joined the doctrinal faculty, and another was named deputy director of a new specialty law center). The Legal Practice Program also includes a part-time Writing Specialist who is available for workshops, conferences with students, etc.