Legal Writing Institute (LWI)

06/23/2026

Thank you to those who have registered to attend the LWI Critiquing Workshop and to lead small groups. We have room for a few more new or new-ish professors, and we could use two or three additional small-group leaders to keep the groups truly small. See how to register below, and please do so by Friday, June 26, if you are interested!

The 2026 LWI Critiquing Workshop will take place at the Biennial Conference at Minnesota Law from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. A light breakfast will be served beginning at 8:45 am. The full schedule of regular Biennial Conference activities begins that afternoon.

06/08/2026

We are just over a month away from welcoming you to Minneapolis! Our planning committees are working very hard behind the scenes to put on an amazing conference for you! If you haven’t registered yet, click here https://www.lwionline.org/conferences/2026-legal-writing-institute-conference to “Assemble” with us next month!

06/05/2026

We are six weeks out from the Biennial Conference, and the Conference Site Committee is excited to welcome you to the Twin Cities! Early Bird registration ends TODAY, June 5. There are still rooms available at two of our conference hotels, Aloft Minneapolis and Moxy Minneapolis. Please use the link below to register and book your rooms!

When you are not enjoying the phenomenal conference programming, the Twin Cites metro has something for everyone.

Do you love the outdoors? The Twin Cities metro has 58 regional parks and park reserves, including Minnehaha Park. We have 487 miles of interconnected trails! The city of Minneapolis, itself, has 22 lakes, including the Chain of Lakes where you can canoe, kayak, or paddleboard.

Do you prefer art? Minneapolis is home to the renowned Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden, with an artist-designed Skyline Mini-Golf Course. Currently on exhibit: “Suzanne Jackson: What is Love” and “Christine Sum Kim: All Day All Night.” Minneapolis is also home to, among many others, the Twin Rivers Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota.

How about sports or the theater? While the conference is happening, the Minnesota Lynx (WNBA) are playing the Los Angeles Sparks and the Portland Fire, Wicked is playing at the Orpheum Theater, Come From Away is playing at the Guthrie, and Beethoven Triple Concerto is playing at the Minnesota Orchestra.

Still want more? Visit Paisley Park, Hmong Village, Mercado Central, the American Swedish Institute, or the Somali Museum.

We look forward to seeing you in the Twin Cities this summer

06/04/2026

We are so grateful for the incredible attendance at LWI’s Second Annual AI & Legal Skills Virtual Conference, held on Tuesday!

This year’s conference had 217 registrants, which is more than a 50% increase from last year’s inaugural event. That growth reflects the energy, curiosity, and commitment of the legal writing community as we continue to think deeply and creatively about AI and legal skills education.

A huge thank you to the organizers, presenters, moderators, and attendees who made this conference such a success. We are especially grateful to Margie Alsbrook of Mercer University School of Law, Rebekah Hanley of the University of Oregon School of Law, and Desmund Wu of the University of Wisconsin Law School, as well as the University of Wisconsin Law School team, who did the heavy lifting with the technology.

Thank you for helping make this event such a meaningful and engaging conversation. We are already looking forward to continuing the discussion!

06/02/2026

One function of LWI is to operate as an advocate for our community with the ABA Council on Legal Education. We are grateful for the work of Professors Mary Bowman and Bob Brain, who have largely led these efforts in the last several years. This week, Professors Bowman and Brain provided an update on the LWI listserv about their work. In that update, they shared that LWI has been granted “affiliate” status with the ABA, which means that starting with the May 2026 meeting, ALWD and LWI each now have a representative from our community at the ABA quarterly meetings. Professors Bowman and Brain also reported on the Council’s repeal of Standard 206, substantial revisions to Standards 205 and 207, and the upcoming discussion of Standard 405.

If you would like to know more about LWI's advocacy efforts regarding status, you can read about the work of the Professional Status Committee here: https://www.lwionline.org/resources/status-related-advocacy

We hope you will join us in Minneapolis at the LWI Biennial to continue conversations about these important developments that may be of interest to our community. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late! Here’s the link: https://www.lwionline.org/conferences/2026-legal-writing-institute-conference

See you in Minneapolis!

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06/01/2026

Hoping you’ll join us in Minneapolis next month! If you haven’t registered yet, here’s some reasons why you should!
Click here to register: https://www.lwionline.org/conferences/2026-legal-writing-institute-conference

05/06/2026

🚨2026 Biennial Registration update!🚨

Because we know how many things faculty must do at the end of the semester, LWI has decided to keep early-bird registration for the 2026 Conference open until June 5.

If you have not already, be sure to register now for the discounted rate. https://www.lwionline.org/conferences/2026-legal-writing-institute-conference

Here are additional conference updates:

➡️Updated Conference Schedule Now Live. The latest schedule is available and full of exciting programming. A quick note on breakfast:
July 16 & 17: Light breakfast offerings
July 18: A full, hot breakfast to close out the conference

➡️Featured Plenary (July 15, 4:00 p.m.) Join us for a timely and compelling plenary featuring Minneapolis attorneys discussing their on-the-ground efforts in their community. More details coming soon.

➡️Keynote Speaker (July 16, 10:15 a.m.) We’re excited to welcome Charles Soule, a former immigration attorney turned acclaimed Marvel Comics writer. Soule is known for Daredevil and She-Hulk—stories that bring the world of law and superheroes together. He also serves as a consultant on the Daredevil television series, which is based in part on his work. His perspective at the intersection of law and storytelling promises to be unforgettable.

➡️LWI Membership Meeting (July 16, 11:45 a.m.) Connect with colleagues and stay informed as we share updates on LWI initiatives, review our budget, and celebrate this year’s award winners.

➡️Conference Gala (July 17, 7 p.m.) Celebrate with us at the Science Museum of Minnesota for an evening of connection, conversation, and fun in a truly unique setting.

LWI looks forward to welcoming you to Minneapolis and to a conference aimed at strengthening our community.

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05/06/2026

Registration for 2026 LWI Critiquing Workshop is open!

Are you a new (or new-ish) legal writing professor who would like to enhance your skills in critiquing student work? Are you a veteran legal writing professor who would enjoy sharing your insights about critiquing student work with new colleagues? Then the 2026 LWI Critiquing Workshop is for you!

We are pleased to offer the Workshop as part of the 2026 LWI Biennial Conference at the University of Minnesota Law School in July. The Workshop will be held from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm on Wednesday, July 15 (the first day of the Conference), before the full slate of Conference activities begins. The Workshop will be led by Heather Baxter of Mercer, Camille Lamar of Nova Southeastern, and Laura Graham of Wake Forest.

The Critiquing Workshop has been offered at the last several LWI Biennials, and this is their sixth time working as a trio to facilitate it. Dan Barnett deserves credit for initiating the Workshop, and over the years, many people have been involved in its continuation. The purpose of the Workshop is to provide tips and strategies for effectively commenting on student work; we accomplish this through a combination of large-group sessions, individual work, and small-group sessions. The Workshop is designed with newer teachers in mind, and the small group sessions are led by experienced legal writing professors across the country.

Session 1: Large-group session led by Laura Graham, focused on the purpose and pedagogy of critiquing and the content of effective student feedback.

Session 2: Individual session, in which each participant reads and critiques a portion of a sample student memo.

Session 3: Small-group sessions led by experienced legal writing professors, in which participants discuss their critiquing methods, ask questions, and share suggestions.

Session 4: Large-group session led by Heather Baxter and Camille Lamar, focused on the mechanics of critiquing (including the pros and cons of various methods of delivering feedback) and tips on how to critique efficiently.

If you would like to participate in the Critiquing Workshop or volunteer as a small-group facilitator, please complete the registration form below by June 15, 2026. There is no additional cost for the Workshop, and a light breakfast will be provided.

Once the registration process is complete, we will send all participants and small-group leaders a detailed schedule and a packet of materials for the Workshop.

We look forward to seeing you at LWI in July!

The 2026 LWI Critiquing Workshop will take place at the Biennial Conference at Minnesota Law from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. A light breakfast will be served beginning at 8:45 am. The full schedule of regular Biennial Conference activities begins that afternoon.

04/10/2026

The Legal Writing Institute (LWI) is proud to announce the following members have been elected to the LWI Board of Directors:

• Heather Baxter (Mercer University School of Law)
• Adam Eckart (Suffolk University School of Law)
• Sherri Lee Keene (Georgetown Law)
• Sylvia Lett (University of Arizona College of Law)
• Susie Salmon (University of Arizona College of Law)
• Carolyn Williams (University of North Dakota School of Law)

These Board members will begin serving their four-year terms of office at the 2026 Biennial Conference.

They will join: President Brad Desnoyer (University of Missouri-Kansas City); Immediate Past President Abby Perdue (Wake Forest); Lori Johnson (UNLV); Robert Parrish (Emory); Nancy Soonpaa (Texas Tech); Jacob Carpenter (Marquette); Kristen Murray (Temple); Ellie Margolis (Temple); and Em Wright (Stetson).

Congratulations to these new (and returning) Board members!