Mercer University School of Law will host the 2011 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference, Opening the Lens: Re-Visions in Legal Writing Teaching, Theory, & Practice, April 15-16, 2011. The deadline for conference proposals is Jan. 21, 2011.
The theme of the 2011 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference will be Opening the Lens: Re-Visions in Legal Writing Teaching, Theory, & Practice.
By opening the lens to let in interdisciplinary theories and practice perspectives, the 2011 conference is designed to encourage legal writing teachers to look again at their teaching, scholarship, and service to the profession. The conference will focus on interdisciplinary approaches that enrich our understanding of legal interpretation and composition. Just as important, it will highlight the ways in which legal writing teachers are integrating theory and practice throughout their work.
Opening Colloquium
Mercer University School of Law is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for the opening colloquium will be Martha Albertson Fineman, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory Law School. Professor Fineman is an internationally known law and society scholar and expert in feminist jurisprudence. She will introduce and explore the use of feminist theory as a lens through which we can re-view legal language. Responding to Professor Finemans presentation, one or two panels will discuss ways to integrate feminist theory within lawyering teaching, scholarship, and professional service.
Call for Conference Proposals
In line with the Conference theme, Opening the Lens: Re-Visions in Legal Writing Teaching, Theory, & Practice, proposals may draw on interdisciplinary perspectives or emphasize new ways to bring together theory and practice in legal writing teaching, scholarship, and service. To give just a few examples, a proposal might (1) apply feminist theory to suggest ways that lawyers and law students could more effectively frame arguments for clients; (2) draw on cognitive, narrative, or rhetoric theory as resources for teaching law students and lawyers more effective means of persuasion; (3) illustrate how the experience of law practice illuminates teaching or encourages scholarly study; or (4) explain why the use of storytelling in the classroom and the courtroom is effective.
The Program Committee encourages proposals for 25-minute individual presentations or panel discussions but anticipates that there will be a few 55-minute slots as well. Please use the following format to submit your proposal. Proposals must be submitted by email to Jennifer Sheppard, Program Committee Co-Chair, at Sheppard_jl [at] law.mercer.edu. The deadline to submit proposals is January 21, 2011. Please include the following in the proposal submission:
1. Title of proposed presentation or panel.
2. Brief description of proposed presentation or panel.
3. Time needed for presentation (25 minutes or 55 minutes).
4. Technology needs for your presentation (please describe).
5. Contact information:
o Name(s) and title(s) of presenter(s)
o Institution(s)
o Email address(es)
o Mailing address(es)
o Telephone number(s)
We look forward to receiving your proposals. The conference webpage will be available soon, and registration will be open no later than February 21, 2011.
2011 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference Program Committee
Jennifer Sheppard, Co-Chair (Sheppard_jl [at] law.mercer.edu)
Karen J. Sneddon, Co-Chair (Sneddon_kj [at] law.mercer.edu)
