Legal Methods II: Problem Solving For Lawyers

In this simulation-based workshop class, you will practice confronting client problems the way lawyers do, from the very beginning, before the facts are all known, before the client's goals are clarified, before the full range of options is explored, and before a course of conduct is chosen. You will undertake these tasks by working in teams on a number of problems drawn from different practice settings. You will write short memos of the kind written by practicing lawyers, identifying facts that need to be gathered, questions the client needs to answer, and options that should be considered, before going on to interpreting laws that impinge on the problem and recommending a course of action.

A key aspect of the course -- reflective of modern legal practice, but not of most traditional first-year law school work -- is the expectation that students will work collaboratively and submit their group work product. Deadlines are tight, as they often are for lawyers seeking to respond with immediacy to particular client problems.

Daily attendance and active participation in the team work are required. You will also be asked to fill out assessments that offer constructive feedback to the other members of your team. (The feedback will be anonymized; individual team members will see a summary of their teammates' assessments, but will not be able to see which feedback comes from which teammate.)

There is no final exam, but there is a short final memo that asks you to reflect and debrief on your individual experiences in the course. This memo should be no more than 500 words, and is due on or before 11:59 pm on Monday, January 30.

Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis. Good faith participation in class and in team meetings, together with completion of team assessments and the final memo, will be sufficient to earn credit.

For more information, see the full course description and syllabus posted on CourseWorks at: courseworks2.columbia.edu/courses/170443