MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

LAS131  2004 Summer I – 2009 Summer II

Legal Writing I

1.

Use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. (I-III)

2.

Construct well-written sentences. (III)

3.

Organize and develop effective, well-written paragraphs. (IV)

4.

Describe and explain the purpose of the stages of the writing process. (V)

5.

Prepare case briefs. (VI)

6.

Prepare a demand letter. (VII)

7.

Prepare an internal memorandum of law. (VIII)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

LAS131  2004 Summer I – 2009 Summer II

Legal Writing I

I. Grammar

A. Subject-verb agreement

B. Pronoun-antecedent agreement

C. Tense

D. Sentence fragments

E. Run-on sentences

F. Modifiers

G. Parallel structures

H. Proper word choice

1. That/which

2. Because/since

3. Who/whom

4. There/their/they're

5. To/too/two

I. Possessive form

II. Punctuation

A. Commas

B. Semicolons

C. Colons

D. Parentheses

E. Quotation marks

F. Hyphens and dashes

G. Apostrophes

H. Capitalization

III. Sentence Construction

A. Omitting surplus words

B. Avoiding the nominalization of verbs

C. Using active voice instead of passive

D. Varying and restricting sentence length

E. Optimizing word arrangement

F. Using familiar, concrete words

G. Using proper spelling

IV. Effective Paragraph Development

A. Unity

B. Coherence

C. Development

1. Thesis and topic sentence

2. Transitions

3. Headings

V. The Writing Process

A. Determining purpose and audience

B. Planning the document

C. Drafting the document

D. Editing the document

E. Revising the document

F. Proofreading the document

VI. Case Briefing

A. Purpose

B. Identifying the parties

C. Procedural history

1. Importance

2. Components

3. Terminology

D. Summarizing facts

1. Identifying facts relevant to determination of the issue(s)

2. Identifying facts that provide context but are not essential to determination of the issue(s)

E. Stating the issue(s)

1. Identifying the issue as the court has framed it

a. Court's wording or holding

b. Parties' arguments

c. Errors of lower tribunals

2. Phrasing an issue that can be answered yes or no

F. Stating the holding(s)

1. Identifying the holding of the case

2. Phrasing a holding that answers the question asked in the issue

G. Summarizing the court's rationale

1. Identifying the reason for the court's holding

a. Findings of fact

b. Rules of law

2. Resolution of conflicts

3. Definition of vague or ambiguous terms or concepts

4. Public policy considerations

5. Fitting the facts

H. Synthesizing case law

VII. Demand Letters

A. Elements of letters in general

1. Letterhead

2. Date

3. Special mailing notations

4. Inside address

5. Reference or subject notation

6. Salutation

7. Body

8. Close

9. Copies and enclosures

B. Format

C. Elements of demand letters

1. Introduction of firm

2. Recitation of facts

3. Demand

4. Consequences of non-compliance

5. Date of compliance

VIII. Internal/Closed Memorandum of Law - Introduction to I.R.A.C.

A. Statement of the facts

1. Purpose

2. Examples of effective statements of facts

3. Potential pitfalls

B. Statement of issue

1. Purpose

2. Examples of effective statements of facts

3. Potential pitfalls

C. Discussion of law

1. Purpose

2. Examples of effective discussions of law

3. Organizational patterns

4. Potential pitfalls

D. Application of case law

1. Comparing facts of case law to client's situation

2. Application of courts' reasoning to client's situation

3. Examples of effective applications of law

4. Organizational patterns

5. Use of proper bluebook citations

6. Potential pitfalls

E. Conclusion

1. Purpose

2. Examples of effective conclusions

3. Potential pitfalls