Legal-Research & Writing (LRW) Professors
It’s no secret that law schools treat legal-research & writing (LRW) professors like 3rd class citizens.
It’s been like this since I went to law school in the 1990s, and it’s largely the same today.
LRW profs rarely get tenure.
They often have no vote.
And they typically make less than $100,000/year.
That’s a lot less than clinical profs, and only about HALF of doctrinal-prof pay.
Adding insult to injury, many law schools don’t even call LRW profs “professors.” They give ‘em an “Instructor” or “Lecturer” title.
So why does this matter to me?
Well, for one, it was a law-school professorial hierarchy that staged my lack of respect for my own LRW prof.
And because of that, I failed to listen to her.
And because of that, I didn’t learn from her.
Dear 1L,
Don’t make my mistake!
You must respect—even revere—your LRW prof.
LRW profs work SO hard, and they really do want to see you succeed.
I realize that Bluebooking and Westlaw have dominated your LRW September.
Legal writing, though, is the most important class you’ll take this year.
And October gets really real, really fast.
So, on your Memo:
—Don’t blow it off.
—Don’t leave it until the last weekend.
—And don’t disregard what your LRW prof has to say.
Your most important job as a law student is to emerge with tangible skills you can deploy on your first job, day one.
And that means legal writing is the most important class you take this year.
Lawyers say legal writing is what they use most every day.
Legal writing is a skill that no one can take away.
It’s portable. It transfers with you.
So respect your LRW prof.
Learn from them.
Don’t make the mistakes I made.
And go out and rock this fall memo!
I’ll be here rooting for you at every step of the way—
Fondly,
💌 Amanda
#Dear1L
P.S. I’m sure the whole law-school-hierarchy thing is complicated and involves considerations of which I’m unaware. But if law schools treated LRW/legal-skills profs with greater respect, perhaps law students would emerge with legal-writing skills that warranted a little more respect, too?
We really need to attack our industry’s legal-writing problem with more zeal at each stage on the way. While I’m hoping my book will help some of this-year’s 1Ls enter with stronger grammar and usage skills and a more dedicated investment in the subject, once they’re into memo-writing, they are entrusted to the schools. There’s only so much I can do from here.
LRW profs are a deeply dedicated group.
They deserve respect.
And a lot more pay.
I welcome your thoughts.
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