This is the application for Professor DiGennaro's Spring 2021 Advanced Legal Writing course (Law 207.5 Section 3). Students will be admitted on a rolling basis.

This is a litigation writing class with a focus on building and honing fundamental skills. Enrollment is limited to 16 students. I hope to be able to enroll everyone who is interested, but if demand exceeds capacity, then I will focus on students who, for one reason or another, have struggled with legal writing and analysis. That reason could be related to demands external to school, the pressures of law school, past academic or personal experiences, or one of many, many other reasons.

The course will prepare students for the rigors of general civil litigation by providing in-depth writing experience and individual feedback. The written assignments are designed to replicate and train students to handle real-life assignments typically encountered by junior litigators. Through the lens of legal writing, this course will enhance students' abilities to read and synthesize cases, formulate and organize effective legal arguments, and effectively edit written work.

Students will produce several written assignments, including research emails, a client letter, and a persuasive brief. Writing assignments may involve initial drafts, instructor feedback, peer review, and final revisions. We will review and practice legal research skills, but that is not the focus of the course. There is no oral argument component to this course.

Grades will be assigned based on the quality of the written work, attendance, and in-class participation. Attendance at the first class is mandatory; any student who is not present on the first day of class without prior permission of the instructor may be dropped from the class.

This is an Option 1 course; two Option 1 courses fulfill the writing requirement.

Thank you and please contact me (ddigennaro@law.berkeley.edu) if you have any questions.