Program Overview

Introduction to the Legal Practice Program

The Legal Practice Program is a commitment to educating highly skilled and ethical lawyers. This program helps students gain the writing, oral communication, and professional skills they'll need to be great lawyers.

Program Structure

The Legal Practice Program is a required three-semester course of study. It begins with Law Week, a multiday introduction to law school and the practice of law. During Law Week, students receive information about the Law School, meet their professors, get to know their classmates, and renew their inspiration about the profession they'll be joining. They start to learn how to read and analyze cases and attend the first of their doctrinal classes. Additionally, they hear about the Law School's tradition of the citizen lawyer and about the importance of the community at William & Mary.

First Year of the Program

In the first year of the program, students work in small Legal Writing classes with a full-time faculty member who specializes in legal writing. They develop their objective legal analysis and writing skills in the fall semester and their persuasive writing abilities in the spring semester. Students learn techniques for effective communication through twice-weekly classes and in individual conferences designed for effective, targeted feedback that will help make them not only better writers but also better editors of their own work.

Legal Research and Citation

The law librarians provide separate sessions on finding legal authorities and other aspects of legal research. A 2L or 3L student with particular skill in legal writing is assigned to each section to teach the ins and outs of proper legal citation. Practicing attorneys in a variety of fields teach the Lawyering Skills course, providing close guidance on how to interview a client, conduct a negotiation, and other skills necessary to the successful practice of law.

Second Year of the Program

In the second year, students build on the skills developed in the first year of the program by choosing an Advanced Writing & Practice course in a particular field of practice:

• Civil pretrial practice
• Criminal pretrial practice
• Appellate advocacy
• Transactional practice In this upper-level writing course, students continue to improve their professional writing skills by drafting more advanced documents and learning strategies from a specialist in the field. They receive not only careful feedback on their work but also advice on professionalism and practice tips.

Program Benefits

Throughout the program, students gain the confidence they need as they enter the job market. Beyond the Legal Practice Program, students can continue to develop their writing and practice skills through electives, clinics, and externships.