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10 Fall23 Legal Analysis Writing and Research I

Sheerin - Sec. 10 Fall23 Legal Analysis Writing and Rese

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University of Iowa College of Law

Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research (“LAWR”) I

LAW:8032

Th/Fri 11:15-12:30 in Room 275

Professor Caroline Sheerin

Office: BLB 434

Phone: (319) 335-9131; email: caroline-sheerin@uiowa.edu

Secretary: Mary Sleichter, 335-9096, Mary-sleichter@uiowa.edu, Office 469

Office Hours: While I do not have a set time for office hours, I am happy to meet with you if you
send an email request. We can meet either over Zoom or in person.

Texts (available in the bookstore)

The following textbook is required:

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st ed. 2020)

Note: there is an electronic version of the Bluebook available. I have not yet used it, but the
content should be the same as the hard copy. You can use either.

The following textbooks are recommended:

Linda Edwards, Legal Writing, Process, Analysis and Organization (6th ed. 2014) (“Legal Writing”)

Deborah E. Bouchoux, Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers (4th ed. 2017) (“Aspen Handbook”)

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The Legal Writing text and the Aspen Handbook are on reserve in the library.

I will also post course content on the ICON website.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of LAWR I, you will be able to:

1. Write a legal memorandum in which you:

Identify legal rules within legal authorities;
Synthesize legal rules of law into a logical framework for analysis;
Use legal authorities to determine the likely outcome of a case;
Identify and use relevant primary sources and assign proper weight to them, which requires you to
understand the structure of the American legal system and how case law evolves;
Provide proper attribution to cases; and
Follow the form a law-trained reader expects.
2. Use legal research resources to find relevant cases using different search methods, such as using
digests and citators.
3. Work within a team to write a memorandum.

Course policies

Per ABA guidelines, regular attendance at all legal writing classes and conferences is required. I will
excuse absences in extraordinary circumstances, but you must contact me in advance and explain the
reason for the absence.

It is important that you arrive on time for class. If you arrive late to class an excessive number of times, I
will begin to count late arrivals as unexcused absences.

During the semester, I may need to notify you about some matter before your next class. Therefore,
check your University of Iowa email on a daily basis.

I am happy to communicate with you through email. If I do not respond to an email within 24 hours,
please send me a follow-up email.

I will use ICON to post assignments, list due dates, and to communicate with the class throughout the
semester. If you are unfamiliar with ICON, or are having trouble using the site, please contact IT (384-
4357).

While I teach two sections of LAWR I, you are only permitted to attend your own section’s class, unless I
permit you to do otherwise.

When we meet in class, have a laptop or other device with you that you can use for writing
assignments.

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Students are expected to comply with University policies regarding appropriate classroom behavior as
outlined in the Code of Student Life.

I will record classes and make those recordings available upon request. Here's a dire warning about use
of my recordings (!):

These recordings are the intellectual property of the faculty and they may not be shared or reproduced
without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. Further, students may not share these
sessions with those not in the class, or upload them to any other online environment. Doing so would be
a breach of the Code of Student Conduct, and, in some cases, a violation of the Federal Education
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Grading criteria

I will assign two memoranda. The first will be the Closed Memorandum, and the second will be the
Closed Universe Memorandum.

Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

Closed Memorandum: Ungraded. A lack of a good-faith effort will be reflected in the Professionalism
portion of your grade.

Closed Universe Memorandum: 75%

Professionalism (teamwork, in-class and optional assignments, in-class participation): 25%

You must complete all required assignments, whether graded or ungraded, in a satisfactory manner in
order to pass the course.

In addition to required assignments, I will post optional assignments on ICON. You are not required to
complete these assignments, but I will add points to your class participation grade if you do.

This class is graded on a curve. You can find the parameters of the curve in the LAWR guidelines,
which are available on the College of Law website.

Deadlines

I have listed all deadlines in the course calendar on ICON. Make sure to check both the date and the
time your assignments are due. Turn-in times may vary to accommodate your class schedule. I will not
grant extensions except in extraordinary circumstances. If such a circumstance arises, you must notify
me as soon as possible because you must get an extension before the due date. If I am not in my
office, please send me a detailed email stating your reason for the extension request.

Use of the Writing Center

I encourage you to use the College of Law's Writing Center. By bringing your drafts to the Center,
you can get feedback on them before you turn them in for class. The Center will provide a fresh
reader who can give you feedback on whether you are communicating your thoughts effectively. The
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Center staff can help you with clarity, organization, grammar, style, and any other writing issues that
may concern you. The Writing Center staff does not comment on the substance of your legal
analysis. Of course, the Center can only make suggestions, which you are free, in the exercise of
your good judgment, to disregard. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own work.

As a first-year law student, you have been enrolled in the Writing Center's ICON site. You will find
more information about the Writing Center services there as well as other helpful writing resources.
You can schedule tutoring sessions 3 days to 24 hours in advance. You must upload the draft you
want reviewed 24 hours in advance of your appointment. You can schedule your appointment at the
Writing Center’s bookings site:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/UniversityofIowaCollegeofLawWritingCenter@iowa.o

(https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/UniversityofIowaCollegeofLawWritingCenter@iowa.onmicroso
. You can also email the Writing Center with questions at law-writingcenter@uiowa.edu (mailto:law-
writingcenter@uiowa.edu) <mailto:law-writingcenter@uiowa.edu (mailto:law-
writingcenter@uiowa.edu) >. Plan ahead. The Writing Center gets very busy when L1 LAWR deadlines
approach.

Instructional use of student writing

The other legal writing professors and I may use student papers from this class as instructional aids in
our current or future classes. For example, I may ask students in Section 9 to comment on one of the
papers that a student in Section 10 has submitted, or I may distribute excerpts from student drafts to
illustrate common concerns in legal writing and reasoning. My colleagues and I will not reveal the
author’s identity when we use a paper in these ways.

Collaboration policies

On the Closed Memorandum, you will be assigned to a team. You and your fellow teammates may
collaborate on the assignment, both inside and outside of the classroom. You may not collaborate with
students who are not on your team, whether those students are in your LAWR class or not. In addition,
you may not ask any lawyer to review your work. You may not use artificial intelligence to complete this
assignment.

You are not permitted to collaborate with any other law student on the Closed Universe Memorandum,
which means you are not allowed to ask a fellow student to review your memoranda, whether that
student is in your LAWR class or not. You may not ask any lawyer to review your work. You may not use
artificial intelligence to complete this assignment.

Plagiarism policy

You may not use another’s work without attribution. All of the work that you turn in for a grade must be
your own.

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Use of artificial intelligence to prepare, structure, write or edit an assignment is prohibited.

University policies:

Free Speech and Expression

The University of Iowa supports and upholds the First Amendment protection of freedom of
speech and the principles of academic and artistic freedom. We are committed to open inquiry,
vigorous debate, and creative expression inside and outside of the classroom. For information on
the university’s policies on free speech and academic freedom, see https://freespeech.uiowa.edu

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The University is committed to providing an educational experience that is accessible to all
students. If a student has a diagnosed disability or other disabling condition that may impact the
student’s ability to complete the course requirements as stated in the syllabus, the student may
seek accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS). SDS is responsible for
making Letters of Accommodation (LOA) available to the student. The student must provide a
LOA to the instructor as early in the semester as possible, but requests not made at least two
weeks prior to the scheduled activity for which an accommodation is sought may not be
accommodated. The LOA will specify what reasonable course accommodations the student is
eligible for and those the instructor should provide. Additional information can be found on
the SDS website.

Absences for Religious Holy Days

The University is prepared to make reasonable accommodations for students whose religious
holy days coincide with their classroom assignments, test schedules, and classroom attendance
expectations. Students must notify their instructors in writing of any such Religious Holy Day
conflicts or absences within the first few days of the semester or session, and no later than the
third week of the semester. If the conflict or absence will occur within the first three weeks of
the semester, the student should notify the instructor as soon as possible. See Operations Manual

Course Summary:
Date Details Due

Thu Aug 24, 2023  Week 1: Day One due by 11:15am

(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977010)

Fri Aug 25, 2023  Week 1: Day Two due by 11:15am

(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977011)

Wed Aug 30, 2023  Case briefing assignment due by 10am

(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1976987)

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Date Details Due

 Conference on Closed
Thu Aug 31, 2023 Memorandum 11:15am to 12:45pm
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/appointment_groups/3030)

 Overview of the office

Fri Sep 1, 2023 memorandum due by 11:15am
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977005)

 Roadmap and rules synthesis

Wed Sep 6, 2023 for Closed Memorandum due by 10am
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977006)

 Rule Illustration and

Application for Closed
Wed Sep 13, 2023 due by 9am
Memorandum
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977007)

 Closed Memorandum-- first

draft due by 10am
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1976989)
Mon Sep 18, 2023

 Self Assessment Checklist due by 10am

(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1977008)

 In class exercise: review of

writing the memorandum
(https://uiowa.instructure.com/courses/224398/assignments/1976995)

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