Advanced Legal Writing: Appellate Litigation

This course will give students intensive practice with legal analysis, argument structure, and writing in the appellate context. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, selected readings, and writing exercises, we will cover the most important components of appellate writing. The Lecturer will bring her practical experience in legal writing -- both as outside counsel at a law firm and in-house counsel at a high-growth tech company -- to bear as we work together towards each student crafting an appellate brief. The goals of this class are to deepen students' understanding of how to make compelling written arguments and to practice doing so in the context of an appeal on a cutting-edge issue. While this course will be focused on writing an appellate brief, the skills learned will be useful for all legal writing in a litigation context. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignments. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (https://law.stanford.edu/education/courses/consent-of-instructor-forms/). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.