Lawyering Skills I Course Policies
Professor Sorkin
Spring 1999
Attendance at each class meeting is required. By school policy, you will not receive credit for the course if you are absent from more than 25% of the number of scheduled class meetings. (In other words, you may not miss more than 3 meetings of a regular evening class.) You do not have any "free" skips.
I expect you to prepare for each class by reading the materials listed in the syllabus and any assigned handouts before class each week. You are responsible for all material covered or handed out in class and all announcements made during class, whether or not your absence is excused. If you must miss a class, please try to let me know in advance.
During my posted office hours I will be available to meet with students individually in my office. I will post any deviations from my regular office hours on my office door, and will announce them in class if possible. If you cannot meet with me during my office hours, let me know and we can arrange to meet at another time. (My office phone is (312) 987-2387; my electronic mail address is 7sorkin@jmls.edu. I am willing to answer questions by e-mail as well as in person. If you want to e-mail me an excerpt from your paper, please include it in the body of your message rather than as an attachment.)
Do not expect to get substantial assistance from me immediately before an assignment is due, especially on substantive or organizational questions. I may not be available on the day or two preceding a due date, and will normally restrict questions during the last several days to technical matters (e.g., grammar and mechanics, citation form, etc.). In other words, if you choose to wait until the last moment to complete an assignment, you are on your own.
Normally I will be available to assist students during my office hours on a walk-in basis rather than scheduling appointments. At certain times during the semester, however, I will ask you to sign up for individual tutorial conferences. I consider these conferences important, and they are a required part of this class. I hold them to provide you with individual feedback on your writing assignments in addition to my written comments, to work with you on specific problems with writing and legal analysis, and to help you learn what you can do to improve your performance on future assignments. These conferences are not intended to serve as a forum for challenging or arguing about grades. If you believe a grade is erroneous, please let me know in writing rather than during a tutorial conference.
There are four graded writing assignments (including a rewrite) required in this course. Unless otherwise announced, each assignment must be turned in by the beginning of class on the day that it is due. You must turn in two identical copies of each assignment; each copy should be stapled.
Do not wait until the last minute to complete the assignments. I will consider granting extensions of the due dates only in extreme circumstances, only where the circumstances are reported to me as soon as they arise, and only where the student can demonstrate that the circumstances could not reasonably have been foreseen.
Computer and copier problems will not be accepted under any circumstances as an excuse for late assignments. If you are relying on a computer to print your paper:
I strongly suggest that you plan to have your paper completed and ready to turn in at least a day in advance. The law school's computers, printers, photocopy machines, staplers, and elevators frequently do not work on days that assignments are due. You should locate a photocopy machine outside the school that you can use if necessary. Make sure in advance that you have access to a working stapler. If you think there is any chance that you will be late to class on the day that a paper is due, turn it in ahead of time so you don't risk a late penalty.
Late penalties:
Up to fifteen minutes late . . . one half grade deduction*
Up to 24 hours late . . . . . . . . . one grade deduction*
Up to one week late . . . . . . . . two grade deduction
One to two weeks late . . . . . . . no grade assigned
* May be reduced by one half grade if you attend class
on the due date.
Students cannot pass the course unless all assignments are completed and turned in. No paper may be turned in after graded papers have been returned to students, normally two weeks after the due date. Thus, if a paper is not turned in by the time graded papers are returned, the student will fail the course.
When you turn in an assignment in this class, you are representing that it is your own work. You may use words and ideas of others in appropriate circumstances, but only if you give proper credit. You may not use computer-assisted legal research systems such as LEXIS and WESTLAW to do any of the research for the writing assignments. Plagiarism and related issues will be discussed in class. If you have questions about plagiarism, acceptable forms of collaboration, or related issues, ask me in advance.
Writing assignments will be graded and returned to you two weeks after the due date. Normally I will not discuss assignments with individual students until 24 hours have passed after the assignment has been handed back. This "cooling-off" period is for your benefit as well as mine.
Although the grade for this course is based upon your performance on the writing assignments, you are also required to complete a series of research assignments in order to receive a passing grade in the course. If you do not complete a particular research assignment satisfactorily, you may be required to redo the assignment, to complete an alternative assignment, or both.
The research assignments will be distributed in class during the semester. They need not be typed unless your handwriting is illegible. If an assignment consists of more than one page, it must be stapled.
The research assignments are intended to help you learn how to use the legal research tools discussed in the research text. They are not intended to be particularly time-consuming, although it can take a lot of time to learn to use a law library. As with the writing assignments, you may not use systems such as LEXIS and WESTLAW for the research assignments. You are welcome to seek help with the research assignments from me, the reference librarians, or even other students. If you choose, you may work in a small group to locate the sources and learn how to use them. However, you must complete the assignments themselves on your own. (If I decide to make an exception to this rule for a "group assignment," the assignment will be clearly identified as such.) In any event, you may not divide up the problems among the members of a group, and you may not simply copy the answers from another student's paper. If you have any questions about this policy, please let me know, and I will attempt to resolve them.
1999/01/12