Joe Fore

This is good 1L exam advice from Prof. Kerr. But I feel the need to provide an addendum: While this A+ answer is undoubtedly an A+ answer for a timed in-class exam in a doctrinal class, it would *not* receive a high grade in my legal writing class. Timed in-class exam answers are their own thing! 1/

Especially for the 1Ls out there, preparing for their 1st set of law school exams, I wrote this post back in 2007 about how to get a good grade on a law school issue spotter. The post, "Bad Answers, Good Answers, and Terrific Answers," is available here:
volokh.com/posts/116838...

As a child of the 80s, I would also welcome a law school course taught by Canadian Raffi. The world would be an inestimably better place if every law student graduated with the kind of kindness and joy that he radiates.

And if you don't know anyone at your local law school, reach out to me. I'm happy to talk to any lawyer interested in designing a course. It's always a fun and exciting exercise to help convert a kernel of an idea into a proposal for an effective, engaging, well-planned course.

/end

No disrespect at all to our doctrinal colleagues (many of whom are fantastic teachers), but many skills-based law faculty spend comparatively more time thinking about teaching, as opposed to scholarship. So, to many of us, the questions of curriculum design are front-and-center for us.

8/

So, before you go pitching a course to the Vice Dean, talk to a current faculty member. Specifically, try to connect with a skills-based faculty member--especially a clinic director or #legalwriting professor. They are experts in designing these kinds of courses and teaching, more generally.

7/

You don't have to have a finalized syllabus, but the more thought you've given, the more likely you are to have a course accepted. These may seem like hard questions to answer, and they are--especially when you're not used to thinking about them!

6/

The more specific your proposal, the better: What's the format? Twice a week for 1.5 hours or once for 2 hours? What would a typical class session look like (lecture vs. discussion vs. activities)? What topics will you cover, specifically? In what order? What types of assignments will you have?

5/

Also, in terms of content, envision a class that offers students the chance to develop/practice skills--not just a course that teaches doctrine & ends with an exam. The ABA requires students to take "experiential courses"; law schools are eager for more courses that help students meet that.

4/

Before pitching an adjunct course, browse the school's offerings and identify any curriculum gaps. Your best bet is to focus on a niche topic involving your day-to-day specialty. "Computer Law" is too broad; "Preparing for and Responding to Cyber Security Events" probably isn't.

3/

First, find a way to get involved besides teaching: reach out to a student group and speak on a career panel, do recruiting events on-campus interviews (if that's still a thing), volunteer to coach a moot court team or mock trial. Schools are more likely to hire folks they already know.

2/

I'm so heartened to hear that Raffi took time to share his wisdom. No doubt these lucky students learned a lot--both in terms of nuts-and-bolts lawyering skills and professionalism and decency. Our students need more, good adjuncts like him.

A quick 🧵 with some tips for lawyers who want to.

The number of ways that playing cards in a deck can be ordered is 52!, which is 8x10^67 (an 8 w/ 67 zeros after).

So any time you shuffle a deck of cards, it's a near mathematical certainty that that specific arrangement has never existed and will never exist again in the history of the universe.

Pete Seeger would have loved this.

Maybe we could’ve held off on those Hot Takes on Judge Brown’s #legalwriting style for 24 hours?

I have never seen an opinion like Judge Smith’s dissent in the Texas redistricting case in public before. H/t to the election law blog

electionlawblog.org/wp-content/u...

I think we just call that "life" now.

I see your law-related Halloween costume and raise you: the Voir Deer.

I don’t really get the critique. Short, clear sentences that concisely summarize the key point. What’s the harm?

Maybe it’s the “Here’s why”? It not really necessary. I’d probably cut it and go right to the remedy: “As a result, we X the map and order Texas to Y.”

But it’s…not the worst opening?

What, exactly, is “this style”?

I understand (and agree) w/ the criticisms about pop culture allusion, puns, and self-importance.

But this just seems like short, clear sentences that employ contractions and transitions to breezily summarize the takeaway point.

What’s the problem here?

NYC voters elect fonts, mayor I’ve covered typography in the 2020 and 2024 US presidential elections. In these confusing times, my hope for 2028 is simple: that one candidate rises to the high typographic standards of NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani’s main campaign font was Union Gothic, designed by Matthew Hinders-Anderson, who amazingly makes his whole type library free for non-commercial use. Matthew’s fonts are rad. Let’s hope more candidates discover them.

From the great Matthew Butterick's newsletter.
Fonts: wehtt.am/fonts/
Newsletter: mbxs.matthewbutterick.com
#Fonts
#LegalWriting

👀

My Christmas wish is that we get the @badlawyerpod.bsky.social take on this nonsense--even if just a hot toppy.

Jim's account implies that members of the Board of Visitors/Youngkin Administration effectively colluded w/ DOJ (including 2 UVA alums) to oust him after DOJ brought its investigation.

Is it possible DOJ *initiated* its investigation w/ this goal--perhaps in consultation w/ those same parties?

Related to this, I have a pending FOIA request with UVA for the retainer agreement and billing records/invoices from McGuireWoods regarding UVA’s interactions with DOJ. It was filed on *July 2* and I still haven’t received a substantive reply. (The deadline is a maximum of 12 working days.)

So after JIm resigned, DOJ had caught the car and had nothing to hang their hat on. But they still needed some way to end things without totally giving up the game. Hence, the comparatively favorable settlement (no $, no monitors, no specific changes, just compliance with guidance).

/end

UVA actually *was* complying with SFFA/DEI/DOJ demands--at least enough that DOJ couldn't realistically bring the hammer down on the University. And a full, real investigation (or document production) would have shown that.

3/

Why'd they want that? Either (a) personal grievance or (b) the looming VA governor's election in Fall '25 created urgency to install a new, favorable president before GOP lost Board control. (Jim had already planned to step down in Summer '26, but that wasn't soon enough; I wonder why?)

2/

I have no insider info, but Jim's account plus the recent agreement that DOJ signed w/ UVA suggests, to me, the following theory:

- Key folks at Board of Visitors and/or DOJ (at least two of whom UVA alums) wanted Jim out immediately in Summer '25.

1/

The letter comes in response to another one sent to UVA faculty by Rector Rachel Sheridan.

drive.google.com/file/d/14JEz...