Legal Writing (LTGL)

LTGL 0001. LTGL. (0 Credits)

LTGL 0100. CPT Seminar. (1 Credit)

LTGL 0106. Legal Writing and Research. (0 to 3 Credits)

Training in analysis of legal problems, the legal process, legal writing, and legal research. This is a small-group required course that meets weekly for approximately twelve weeks in the fall semester and eight weeks in the spring. The fall semester focuses on objective writing (law office memoranda) and common law research, while the spring semester concentrates on advocacy writing (briefs) and oral argument skills. Although the number and length of the writing assignments are uniform for all writing sections, the content of the problems varies from professor to professor. Legal research sessions, which meet in a different time slot for six weeks in the fall semester, are conducted by lawyer-librarians on the law library staff. Students learn the process of legal research using basic primary and secondary sources in both print and electronic formats. The course also introduces students to the lawyering skills of interviewing and negotiating.

Attribute: JD.

LTGL 01113. Principles of Legal Drafting. (2 Credits)

This seminar is designed to develop a student's general skills in drafting a variety of legal documents. Documents examined in depth will include wills, commercial leases, judicial opinions, and entertainment law contracts. Other topics will include the drafting of definitions, the development of "legalese," and the rise of the "Plain English" movement. The number of students in the course will be limited to12, as each student's writing will receive substantial individual attention from the professor.

Attributes: EXP, LAW.

LTGL 0129. Discovery Drafting. (2 to 3 Credits)

This seminar covers the preparation of civil discovery papers and related documents in a trial court. Students analyze the discovery issues raised by real cases and hypothetical fact patterns, learn how the discovery process fits within the larger pre-trial preparation process, evaluate, critique, and comment on sample discovery-related documents, and prepare various discovery-related documents, such as initial disclosures, interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions and deposition outlines. Students will consider special problems related to electronic discovery, expert discovery, and privilege disputes, and will be required to draft court papers common in situations involving those topics, including letters to opposing counsel, privilege logs, and motions to compel. Students will also gain some experience in specific practice skills based on the discovery and court papers drafted.

Attributes: JD, LAW, LDS.

LTGL 0153. Securities Regulation Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/22148/advanced_legal_writing_program/7327/securities_regulation_drafting.

Attributes: BFS, LAW.

Prerequisites: BUGL 0201 (may be taken concurrently) and SCGL 0417 (may be taken concurrently).

LTGL 0156. Entertainment Law Drafting. (3 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/22148/advanced_legal_writing_program/7318/entertainment_law_drafting.

Attributes: IPIS, LAW.

LTGL 0207. Narrative Advocacy Drafting. (2 Credits)

LTGL 0225. Legal Writing and Research for LL.M.s. (2 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/23814/llm_legal_writing_program.

Attribute: LLM.

LTGL 0230. Criminal Litigation Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/22148/advanced_legal_writing_program/7316/criminal_litigation_drafting.

Attributes: EXP, INLJ, JD, LDS, LLM, PIS.

LTGL 0271. Corporate Finance Drafting. (2 Credits)

This course will teach students to draft documents common to the practice of corporate finance, including a series of preferred stock, a convertible debenture, and amendments to a certificate of incorporation. For each assignment, students will submit a preliminary draft, receive feedback, and then respond to that feedback in a final document.

Attribute: LLM.

LTGL 0288. Narrative Advocacy Drafting. (2 Credits)

LTGL 0301. Commercial Drafting. (2 to 3 Credits)

This course will teach the principles of drafting for business contracts and transactions and lay out the art and science of commercial drafting. The course will cover how to (i) structure a contract, (ii) use language and format to achieve clarity in drafting and (iii) identify and resolve issues in documents lawyers prepare or review. The course will emphasize how to select the correct contract principle to effectuate each part of a business transaction. The class will study how to draft to safeguard a client’s interests. Students will become familiar with different types of contracts, and other documents used in commercial transactions, and the drafting problems they present. Students will draft and critique contracts, both in written assignments and in-class exercises.

Attributes: BFS, EXP, LAW, LAWB, LAWI, LLM.

LTGL 0302. Advanced Legal Writing Strategies and Skills. (2 or 3 Credits)

This class is designed to strengthen each student’s persuasive legal writing and advocacy skills. Using a practice-based approach, the centerpiece of the class will be an appeal pending (or recently decided) in federal or state court. Students will work directly from an actual appellate record and learn to write clear and compelling factual statements and legal arguments through a process that includes outlining, drafting, editing, and rewriting. Additionally, as part of the writing process, students will explore how the underlying policy issues in the selected case may impact the judicial outcome and shape their writing and advocacy choices.

Attributes: JD, LAW, LDS, LLM, PIS.

LTGL 0310. Civil Litigation Draft. (2 or 3 Credits)

This class is designed to teach students general principles of strong legal writing through exposure to the types of legal drafting common in civil litigation, with an emphasis on writing a legal brief in support of or in opposition to a motion. By outlining, drafting, and revising their own demand letters and briefs over the course of the semester, students will learn to write clearly, persuasively, and purposefully.

Attributes: EXP, LDS, LIDR, LLM, PIS.

LTGL 0316. Family Law Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/22148/advanced_legal_writing_program/7319/family_law_drafting.

Attributes: EXP, JD, LAW.

LTGL 0329. Upper-Class Legal Writing Workshop. (2 Credits)

This 2-credit seminar will build on the first-year legal writing course in developing and enhancing basic legal writing skills. The primary focus will be on writing in a clear, organized, precise, and accessible fashion. Class sessions will review basic principles of good writing, covering in particular issues of structure, style, and grammar (and also analysis to the extent that good legal reasoning is essential to good legal writing). The course will consist of a series of short writing assignments in a variety of substantive areas. Students will learn to write objective documents that new lawyers typically produce in practice, including memoranda, letters, client advisories, judicial opinions, and simple contracts. The course will also explore the writing process (prewriting, writing and rewriting) and teach students effective techniques of self-editing. There is no final examination. Enrollment is limited to 12 students. This course does NOT satisfy the upper-class writing requirement.

Attributes: EXP, LLM.

LTGL 0345. Trusts and Estates Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

This course focuses on drafting documents used in estate planning. The class integrates substantive law discussions into exercises for drafting documents commonly used by estate and trust practitioners. Documents covered in the course include wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations for life insurance policies and retirement funds.

Attributes: EXP, JD, LAW, LLM.

LTGL 0351. Employment Law Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

This course exposes students to the principles and skills of writing in the employment law context. Students will draft documents commonly used in the course of an employment relationship, such as employment and separation agreements, restrictive covenants, and handbook policies. Students will also draft documents involved in employment discrimination actions in federal court such as demand letters, EEOC charges and position statements, pleadings, mediation statements, and discovery devices. 2 credits.

Attributes: EXP, JD, LAW, LLM, PIS.

LTGL 0417. Counter-Storytelling. (2 Credits)

Counter Storytelling is a two-credit upper-level legal writing course with the goal of centering non-dominant narratives in the law. Counter storytelling creates space for untold narratives and truths from “outsiders.” By exploring the field of counter storytelling, rhetoric, and writing, the goal is to empower students to be more critical of the legal stories we are told, the legal stories we tell ourselves, and the legal stories we tell when we advocate for others. <p> Students in this course will engage with counter stories that are not usually included in the legal writing classroom -- narratives from enslaved people, freedom cases, oral histories, and primary source materials like photos, ledgers, manifests, and maps. Students will then use those materials to draft counter stories in legal writing genres such as briefs, memoranda, judicial opinions, and/or complaints.

Attributes: EXP, LLM.

LTGL 0505. Media Law Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

http://www.fordham.edu/info/22148/advanced_legal_writing_program/7323/media_law_drafting.

Attributes: IPIS, JD, LAW.

LTGL 0622. Intellectual Property Drafting. (2 or 3 Credits)

This is a transactional drafting course that focuses on license and services agreements addressing copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, and related rights. The course is designed to give students a real-life look at intellectual property agreements and to impart practical drafting and analytic tools.

Attributes: EXP, IPIS, LAWT, LLM.

LTGL 0690. Real Estate Drafting. (2 to 3 Credits)

In this course, students will learn to prepare, negotiate and revise documents used in commercial real estate transactions from the perspective of each of the parties to the documents. Discussions and assignments will be based upon hypothetical fact patterns and mock negotiations by guest speakers. The course will teach students to identify legal and business issues that arise in the preparation and revision of documents, and to address both in a clear and well-organized fashion. The course will cover commercial leases, subleases, purchase and sale agreements and other documents used in real estate transactions. The course will be useful to students who plan careers in real estate and to other students who are interested in learning more about commercial transactions and legal drafting.

Attribute: LAW.

LTGL 0781. Commercial Litigation Drafting and Mediation. (2 or 3 Credits)

This class will focus on the practical writing, analytic and advocacy skills for litigating and settling a commercial dispute. Students will focus on strategies and briefing for a motion for summary judgment and supporting papers in connection with a paradigmatic example of commercial law litigation, and then engage in a related mediation/settlement process culminating in a settlement agreement. Based on a common dispute scenario, students will (i) draft supporting, opposing and reply litigation papers (including supporting affidavits) covering the essential elements of the claim and defenses on a motion for summary judgment, (ii) be divided into groups to engage in a global mediation process, and (iii) draft a Settlement Memorandum of Understanding and Settlement Agreement. <p> The course will utilize TWEN as the course platform, so students should register for the course on TWEN (rather than Blackboard) and monitor TWEN regularly. A Zoom link has been posted on the TWEN Calendar for each Tuesday morning session..

Attributes: EXP, LDS, LLM.

LTGL 0828. Effective Drafting and Advocacy in Criminal Law. (2 Credits)

This seminar is designed to provide students with practical written and oral advocacy skills in criminal prosecution and defense. The course will cover investigative techniques, charging decisions, discovery obligations, sentencing, and appeals. Criminal procedure is strongly recommended as a prerequisite or concurrent course.

Attribute: EXP.

LTGL 0900. Writing Requirement. (0 Credits)

LTGL 0901. LLM Writing Requirement. (0 Credits)

LTGL 0903. MSL Writing Requirement. (0 Credits)

LTGL 0929. Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Graduate Students. (2 Credits)

This course will focus on the basic principles of negotiation and contract drafting. Special emphasis will be placed on financial and commercial contracts. The course will be divided into three parts. First, we will cover the basic principles of effective negotiation. Second, we will cover the basic principles of clear and unambiguous contract drafting including general principles of proper English usage. Finally, we will review and understand specific types of agreements. Particular attention will be given to the US financial system by studying Credit Agreements and other types of agreements typically used in financing transactions. The course is taught through a combination of lectures and hands-on drafting and negotiation exercises.The final grade will be determined on a weighted basis combining assignments and a scheduled final exam.

Attributes: LAWB, LAWI.

LTGL 0972. Fashion Law Drafting. (2 Credits)

LTGL 1111. First Year JD Research Sections. (0 Credits)

LTGL 1225. LLM Writing Facilitation. (0 Credits)

LTGL 1929. Legal Writing and Research for M.S.L. Students. (2 Credits)

This course will introduce MSL students to the mode of writing that lawyers typically engage in (outside of the litigation context). The goal of the course is to better prepare MSL students for their law school work as well as for aspects of their professional lives in which they may interact with attorneys, corporate officers, or others with whom they need to communicate in well-crafted legal language. The course will help students write in the analytical way common to lawyers and to draft effective legal memoranda, letters, emails and contracts. One class session will introduce and be devoted to the use of standard legal citation form.