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2016

Legal Writing: Precision and Persuasion

Dallas May 13, 2016 Cityplace Conference Center
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Overview

Whether you're a new attorney or a seasoned professional, effective legal writing is essential for a successful professional practice.  Join experienced UT instructors for a step-by-step approach to great legal writing: learn what causes poor writing, explore the principles of clear and persuasive prose, and leave with practical tips and materials to help you bring excellence to your writing.

INSTRUCTORS

Kamela Bridges teaches legal writing at The University of Texas School of Law. A member of the faculty since 2000, she teaches Legal Research and Writing, Brief Writing and Oral Advocacy, and Advanced Legal Writing: Litigation. She is the co-author, with Wayne Schiess, of Writing for Litigation. Prior to joining the faculty, Bridges was a partner at the firm now known as Locke Lord, where she handled civil matters at the trial level and on appeal.

Wayne Schiess teaches legal writing at The University of Texas School of Law and directs the David J. Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy. After practicing law at Baker Botts LLP, he joined the faculty at UT Law in 1992. He has written four books on legal writing, including Preparing Plain Legal Documents (2d. ed. 2015) and Writing for the Legal Audience (2d ed. 2013). He writes a monthly column on legal writing for Austin Lawyer magazine.

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Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.
All times are Central Time Zone.

  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Friday Morning, May 13, 2016
  • 8:00 am
    Registration Opens
    Includes continental breakfast.

  • 8:25 am
    Welcoming Remarks

  • 8:30 am
    0.50 hr
    Pleasing the Court
    Judges have opinions about legal writing too.  Hear the best advice collected from a variety of judicial sources about what judges do and don’t like in legal writing.

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 9:00 am
    0.50 hr
    Beyond Commas
    Legal writing is professional writing. Legal writers should master not only basic writing mechanics but also advanced skills. Learn the fine points of grammar that will add credibility and precision to everything you write. In addition, get to know the most reliable sources to consult when you need to answer a question that goes beyond commas—and when you need advice on commas, too.

    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 9:30 am
    0.50 hr
    Point/Counterpoint
    Enjoy an enthusiastic and informative debate on three writing topics:
    • Practical: How detailed should your pleading be—general or specific?
    • Persnickety: Can we and should we avoid the default male pronoun (he, him, his) in legal writing? Are we sexist if we don’t? And can we use the singular they?
    • Passionate: Legal citations for practitioner documents—in footnotes or in text?

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 10:00 am
    Break

  • 10:15 am
    0.50 hr
    Looks Matter
    Learn to:
    • layout a legal document so it welcomes readers—even those who read it on a screen;
    • use Microsoft Word to enhance outlining and document navigation;
    • generate a Table of Contents in 5 seconds; and
    • make Microsoft Word’s grammar checker useful instead of laughable.

    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 10:45 am
    0.50 hr
    Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right
    You found some relevant cases and you plan to rely on them, so shouldn’t you tell the reader about them? Or not, since no one wants to read a series of lengthy case summaries? Learn techniques for presenting legal authority concisely and efficiently, including selective use and placement of explanatory parentheticals.

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 11:15 am
    0.50 hr ethics
    Name That Penalty (Part I)
    Guess the consequences for lawyers who misquote, exceed the page limit, attack the judge, and just plain write poorly in this entertaining and informative multiple-choice quiz.

    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 11:45 am
    Pick Up Lunch
    Included in registration.

  • Friday Afternoon, May 13, 2016
  • LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
  • 12:05 pm
    0.50 hr
    Why Good Writing Matters: A View from the Bench
    Good legal writing helps the court understand what you're asking for, and why you're asking for it. Hear straight from the bench about what happens when papers are well written, and what can happen when they are not.

    Hon. H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas - Dallas, TX

  • 12:35 pm
    Break

  • 12:50 pm
    0.75 hr
    Organization: Giving the Reader a Roadmap
    Sensibly ordering your writing is important, but not as important as ensuring that your reader knows the order you’ve chosen. Convey that order by using up-front conclusions and summaries, headings (both topical and explanatory), bullets, transitions, and connectors.

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 1:35 pm
    0.75 hr
    Persuading with Style
    In legal writing, exaggeration, hyperbole, and sarcasm don’t persuade, and neither do bold italics, ALL-CAPS, or exclamation marks!!! Legal writers have more effective tools.  Learn sentence- and word-level writing techniques ranging from punctuation to classical rhetoric that legal writers can easily add to their tools for persuasive writing.

    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 2:20 pm
    Break

  • 2:30 pm
    0.50 hr
    You've Got Questions
    Attendees anonymously submit a question related to writing, and the presenters answer them.

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX
    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 3:00 pm
    0.50 hr
    Lawyers are Editors
    Bad writing becomes good and good writing becomes great only through editing. Get advice for improving your editing techniques, creating and using an effective editing checklist, implementing a thorough editing process, and editing in a time crunch.

    Kamela Bridges, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 3:30 pm
    0.50 hr ethics
    Name that Penalty (Part II)
    More consequences for lawyers who fail to cite, omit binding law, blather on for pages, and just plain write poorly in this entertaining and informative multiple-choice quiz.

    Wayne Schiess, The University of Texas School of Law - Austin, TX

  • 4:00 pm
    Adjourn

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Conference Faculty

Kamela Bridges

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Hon. H. DeWayne "Cooter" Hale

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
Dallas, TX

Wayne Schiess

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Planning Committee

Kamela Bridges—Co-Chair

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Wayne Schiess—Co-Chair

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Deborah Salzberg

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Gregory J. Smith

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Credit Info

  • Dallas
MCLE Credit
Toggle view Texas – 6.50 hrs  |  1.00 hrs Ethics
You may claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the State Bar of Texas. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided in Your Briefcase for your records. The system reports Texas CLE credit every Tuesday. If you are claiming credit in the last week of your birth month, self-report your CLE credit directly to the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com, using the course number  provided on your certificate of attendance.
Toggle view California – 6.50 hrs  |  1.00 hrs Ethics
You must claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE is required to provide the State Bar with electronic attendance records for any MCLE participatory activity within 60 days of completion of the activity. The California licensee is responsible for reporting their compliance/credit hours earned to the State Bar at the end of their reporting period directly to the State Bar of California at calbar.ca.gov.  UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.  
Toggle view Oklahoma – 8.00 hrs  |  1.00 hrs Ethics
You must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, then you will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Oklahoma Bar Association within 30 days after the conference.
Other Credit
Toggle view TX Accounting CPE – 8.00 hrs
The University of Texas School of Law (Provider #250) live conferences are presumptively approved by The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for Texas Accounting CPE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour. Approved for general CPE credit only.

At the conference, you are welcome to sign in on the Accounting CPE Record of Attendance form at the registration desk, but we are now reporting all credit online. You will receive a Texas Accounting Certificate of Completion in Your Briefcase. Self-report your CPE credit directly to TSBPA. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.  

Contact us at accreditation@utcle.org if you have additional questions.

Key Dates

Dallas – May 13, 2016 – Cityplace Conference Center
Conference Concluded
Buy
  • Dallas
Individual
Last day for $295.00 Regular pricing: May 6, 2016

$345.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (5 registrants minimum)
Last day for $310.00 Regular pricing: May 6, 2016

$360.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (10 registrants minimum)
Last day for $275.00 Regular pricing: May 6, 2016

$325.00 for registrations received after this time

Last day for cancellation (full refund): May 6, 2016

$50 processing fee applied after this date

Last day for cancellation: May 11, 2016

Venue

speaker

Cityplace Conference Center

2711 North Haskell Avenue
Dallas, TX
214.515.5100
Map

Nearby Hotel Accommodations
speaker

Warwick Melrose Hotel Dallas

3015 Oak Lawn Avenue
Dallas, TX 75219
214.521.5151 (reservations)
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