creating fact patterns for legal writing€¦ · sources for fact based legal writing assignments...

Creating Fact Patterns for Legal Writing

Fact versus Fiction

Jeff Watts - Lone Star College

Introduction

• Outline ways to incorporate current events to increase student interest and engagement

• Discuss possible source material for potential assignments• Review flipped classroom possibilities as it pertains to current

events


Sources for Fact Based Legal Writing Assignments

• LinkedIn discussion groups• “Paralegal Network” has over 36,000 members from all over the

United States• Members often times repost articles from various publications

detailing atypical events in the legal field


Facebook Groups

• “Paralegals Connect”• “Paralegal Network”• “Perfectly Paralegal”• Members sometimes repost articles in these groups too.• An added benefit, sometimes I have found jobs posted in some of

these occasionally.


Online Publications

• New Jersey Law Journal• New York Law Journal• Daily Report Online


Own War Stories

• Child support with no start date• Client was sued for bad credit card debt by investment company

who sold debt• Obligor who was self employed with four other individuals on

d/b/a refused to comply with withholding order


News Stories – Bank of America Foreclosed On – Local News in Florida


Bank of America Foreclosed On – Fox News Channel

• http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/991669767001/


Home Depot Had Inventory Seized to Satisfy Judgment

• http://www.chron.com/default/article/Home-Depot-closer-to-settling-2094828.php


Assignment

• I have used The Bank of America video in Ethics class. As part of the assignment, the students watch the video and are told that the law firm they are working at has just acquired Home Depot as a new client.

• The paralegal’s supervising attorney has been asked to prepare a memo on what new procedures should be implemented to prevent a similar incident like this from happening again.

• The attorney has asked the paralegal to prepare a rough draft of the memo for his review.


Flipped Classroom

• Students are asked to research a concept in a news story and to come back to class to discuss their findings.


Conclusion


Any questions?

creating fact patterns for legal writing€¦ · sources for fact based legal writing assignments...

Documents