A seminar is a course offered for a small group of advanced law students. A seminar paper is a record of what you say to the group about a topic you have studied.
How to Write Legal Seminar Paper: Brooklyn Law School Library is co-hosting a workshop on February 2, 2011, at Brooklyn Law School, Room 504 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
The workshop focuses on finding topics, researching topics, developing theses, and avoiding plagiarism. Led by Elizabeth Fajans, Associate Professor of Legal Writing and Kathleen Darvil, Reference Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Law, this workshop will help improve and sharpen your skills.
Professor Fajans is the winner of the 2011 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning & Research Section Award. The award is given to an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the field of legal writing and research. Professor Fajans has been Brooklyn Law School’s writing specialist since 1984. She is a co-author of the seminal book, Writing and Analysis in the Law, now in its 5th edition, and the more recent Writing for Law Practice, as well as the publication, Scholarly Writing for Law Students: Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes, Law Review Competition Papers, co-authored by Fajans and BLS Professor Mary Falk.
Law Students and Seminar Papers: Here are five great reasons to write a legal seminar paper:
1. Opportunity to publish, develop professional reputation
2. Writing product for jobs, especially judicial clerkships
3. Opportunity to specialize in area of interest and to learn substantive law
4. Self-fulfillment achieved from producing a truly independent scholarly writing
5. Enter and win a legal writing competiton
Legal Writing Competitions: Entering a legal writing competition helps you hone your legal research and writing skills, which increases your attractiveness to potential employers. You’ll have a superior writing sample which you’ll be proud to discuss and show others. Moreover, the odds are excellent that your paper will be published, you’ll win a monetary prize, or you’ll be invited to present your paper at a conference of practitioners in your area of interest.
Locating Legal Writing Competitions: Unless specifically noted, all contests listed are open to students at all ABA-accredited law schools.
- University of Idaho: Legal Writing Competitions Directory http://www.law.uidaho.edu/legalwritingcontests
- ABA Law Student Division: Awards, Competitions, Grants and Scholarships http://www.abanet.org/lsd/competitions/writing-contests/
- University of Arkansas School of Law Legal Research and Writing Program: Legal Writing Competitions Blog http://legalwritingcompetitions.blogspot.com/
