Legal Writing
University of Arizona Law’s small size and our team of career legal-writing faculty (pictured above) provide an ideal opportunity to model professionalism and bring lessons from the real-world practice of law into the law-school classroom.
Recognized among the top legal-writing programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report and led by award-winning faculty, University of Arizona Law’s Legal Writing Program nimbly adapts to train students for the ever-changing and truly global world of law practice.
With leadership from the program’s core faculty, our legal-writing classes become laboratories for innovative teaching techniques, including peer editing, live drafting, team-based learning and realistic simulations. Our periodic Writing Space sessions—we describe them as “study hall meets office hours”—provide students a dedicated time and space to write and the opportunity to ask questions of writing faculty during the actual writing process. And our writing professors provide comprehensive written and live feedback to each legal-writing student. The program also hosts “Short Story Club,” a periodic gathering of students, faculty and staff to discuss provocative non-legal writing and build community.
We make it our mission to convey our passion for the legal profession. Both in and out of class, we strive to model and instill the highest standards of diligence, competence, service, and candor to prepare students for a client-centered law practice.
Despite our intimate scale, we offer a diverse array of legal-writing courses, a fellowship program and other opportunities to enhance your writing skills and fully prepare you for your legal career.
"Professor Salmon is very clearly interested in and passionate about her subject. She made learning about legal writing more enjoyable than it normally would be. I also appreciated her focus on mindfulness and meditation around the time of oral arguments."
-Legal Writing Student
Further Opportunities to Improve Lawyering Skills
Arizona Law offers many other opportunities to hone writing, advocacy and other key lawyering skills. Our clinical and externship programs allow the students— in guided, real-life settings— to apply the lessons they have learned in their legal writing classes. Other opportunities abound:
Law Journals
Explore our four scholarly publications — Arizona Law Review, Arizona Journal of International Comparative Law, the Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, and Arizona Law Journal of Emerging Technologies.
Legal Competitions
Legal skills competitions are an important method of developing and practicing a wide variety of legal skills, including negotiation, trial advocacy, and appellate advocacy.
Advocacy Program
Our nationally known Advocacy program teaches students specific courtroom skills through simulation courses that allow students to learn and rehearse fundamental trial techniques.
Legal Writing News
