Advanced Legal Writing: Legislative Drafting and Analysis
This course is designed to submerse students in the practical and theoretical work of drafting and analyzing legislation. The course is divided into three segments. In the first segment, students are exposed to the procedures and political dynamics of our legislative process, with guest lectures supplementing academic writings. The second part of the course focuses on the art of statutory interpretation in understanding the text and reviews the use of legislative history and canons of construction. In the final part of the course, students draft legislation through realistic legal writing and drafting problems: most collaborative. The course should appeal to a wide range of students: those interested in working in American representational government on any level--staffer, lobbyist, representative; those that will interpret statutes in their practice areas--UCC, bankruptcy code, corporations code, etc.; or, those that desire to litigate matters in the courts, but who would also like to understand how to effect change if the court process are insufficient to meet their client's needs.