Stetson Law launches new Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication
Stetson University College of Law has recently launched a new Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication.
Stetson’s Institute will serve as a nexus of research, teaching and service to improve the quality of legal communication, particularly legal writing, among law students, lawyers, members of the judiciary and other professionals.
“The creation of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication, combined with the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, demonstrates Stetson University College of Law’s commitment to helping the next generation of law students build the two primary skills necessary for professional success–oral and written communication with the courts, the public and clients,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.
Stetson’s advocacy program has been recognized 15 times in the past 18 years as the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Stetson’s legal writing program is ranked fifth this year by U.S. News.
“The message from every constituency law schools serve—lawyers, bar associations, students, and the public as consumers of legal services and information– is that legal communication deserves more attention as a topic of investigation and instruction,” said Dr. Kirsten Davis, director of the Institute and the legal research and writing program at Stetson.
In addition to Davis, the founding faculty of the Institute includes scholars who are nationally recognized for their work in legal research and writing.
The Institute will support an active community of legal communication scholars and work to develop innovative and effective legal communication teaching methods, studying contemporary legal communication issues and providing legal communication instruction for judges, lawyers, other professionals, students and the public.
Stetson has several advanced research and writing courses including Pretrial Practice, Advanced Legal Writing, and Advanced Legal Research, and offers seven credit hours of Legal Research and Writing credits in the first year of law school. Stetson also offers legal communication courses including Negotiation and Arbitration and Client Counseling. Stetson’s student moot court teams are regularly recognized for their outstanding brief writing, across the country and around the world.
Post date: Sept. 11, 2013
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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