Seattle University School of Law, the Legal Writing Institute, the Association of Legal Writing Directors, and the American Society of International Law are sponsoring a Conference on the Pedagogy of Legal Writing for East African Legal Academics on March 15-17, 2007, in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Fairview Hotel.
While the conference program has not yet been set, the conference will co ver three main themes: (1) the emergence of Legal Writing as discipline in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries; (2) the learning theory underpinning Legal Writing pedagogy; and (3) the "nuts and bolts" of teaching Legal Writing.
We expect that we will have sessions covering the following topics:
Why teach legal writing
Incorporating Legal Writing into existing curricula
Learning theory
Writing as a process
Writing to a particular audience for a particular purpose
Characteristics of effective Legal Writing
Teaching organization
Teaching effective sentence structure
Teaching persuasive techniques
Teaching conciseness and precision
Critiquing student work
Conferencing with students about their writing
In addition, many of the sessions will have a "hands-on" component, allowing the participants to try out the techniques and exercises explored in the sessions. The conference participants will also have an opportunity to engage in "sharing sessions" to discuss the curriculum and methodology at their institutions with the other participants and conference presenters.
While the conference will be presented free of charge for the African participants, presenters from the U.S. will be expected to cover their own transportation and accommodation costs. If you are interested in presenting at the conference or have questions, please contact Mimi Samuel at msamuel@seattleu.edu or Laurel Oates at loates@seattleu.edu no later than Friday, October 6, 2006. If you are interested in presenting, please let us know your preference for presentation topic, and please send a current copy of your resume.
– Professor Mimi Samuel, Seattle University
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