conference participants talk with each other at table

Southeastern Regional Legal Writing Conference

The Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication hosted the 2017 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference, Legal Writing in 3-D: Discourse, Discipline, and Doctrine. About 60 faculty from around the country attended and spent the day exploring new avenues for legal writing scholarship and the rhetoric of legal writing, the changing technology landscape of legal research and writing, and methods for teaching students the core skills necessary for effective legal research and writing.

At the plenary session, participants heard from Dr. Juliane Mora, assistant professor of speech and director of the Center for Public Speaking at the University of Tampa, and Dr. Megan O'Neill, Jane Heman Language Professor and director of the Writing Program at Stetson University, about what's being taught in undergraduate speech and writing programs today, how these programs are evolving, what new challenges faculty and undergraduate students face in speaking and writing, and their views on student preparedness for graduate and professional school. Institute faculty Catherine Cameron, Kirsten Davis, Kelly Feeley, Lance Long, and Jason Palmer designed and organized the conference. This conference accomplishes the institute's goal of supporting an active community of legal communication teachers and scholars.

In conjunction with the conference, the institute brought together faculty who research and write about law, rhetoric, and legal writing for a seminar and workshop. Participants spent the day discussing the connections between law, rhetoric, and legal writing and presented works-in-progress. Dr. Katie Langford, associate professor of communication studies at Texas Tech University, spoke to the group about her new book on the rhetoric of Justice Antonin Scalia. Kirsten Davis designed, organized, and directed this event, and she presented her work-in-progress. This event accomplishes the institute's goal of supporting an active community of legal communication teachers and scholars.