Most law schools require upper-level students to satisfy a senior writing requirement before they graduate. Typically, this writing submission hovers around the 25- to the 30-page range, requires rigorous research and editing, and is completed under a faculty supervisor. It’s no surprise that for many 2L and 3L law students, the upper-level writing requirement seems daunting.
Much of the stress lies in having to determine what to write and how to fit the lengthy paper into your otherwise full semester. Below are some potential pros and cons regarding how to satisfy your upper-level writing requirement.
Comment or journal note
Pro:
If you’re a member of law review, or another law school journal, submitting a comment may be a requirement of your journal membership. If that’s the case, then you can essentially kill two birds with one stone by requesting that your comment or note serve as your upper-level writing requirement as well.
Con:
According to what journal you’re on, the range of acceptable topics for your comment or note may not align with your interests. In that case, if a comment is not required as part of your journal membership, you may want to consider whether you want to spend the time writing about an issue that is not of special interest to you. After all, your writing submission will be a lengthy and time-consuming endeavor.
Seminar courses
Pro:
If you’re selective when choosing your seminar course(s), you can likely find one that requires a lengthy paper in lieu of a final exam. Many of these term papers can be used to satisfy your upper-level writing requirement. Bonus: you don’t need to spend the time seeking out a faculty advisor since your course professor already fills that role.
Con:
Seminar courses often have fewer credit hours than doctrinal courses, meaning you may have to stack courses to fulfill the required minimum semester credit hours. As a result, your semester schedule might limit the time necessary to complete a quality submission.
Also, keep in mind that, unlike a journal comment which is not completed for credit, seminar term papers predict your course grade.
Writing on your own time
Pro:
Completing your upper-level writing requirement on your own provides you with a lot of flexibility in terms of selecting your faculty advisor, setting the completion timeline, choosing a topic and determining your research strategy.
Con:
Opting out of a more formal academic program does mean that you will miss out on the chance to get course credit or immediate publication in a journal.
Independent study
Independent studies are essentially self-directed courses in which students research and write papers on a narrow topic or work with a professor to craft a paper on a specialty area of law.
Pro:
As an independent study option allows you the freedom to find a faculty member interested in your topic. You can then request that they not only supervise your writing but also oversee an independent study on the topic. Independent studies look impressive on a transcript and give you the chance to work closely with a professor of interest to you while qualifying as credit hours.
Con:
Unlike the ‘on your own time’ option, professors will expect a lot more from you in terms of scheduling, research efforts and detail in editing.
Research assistant project
Pro:
If a professor you are working for, or interested in working for, has a project available (or a series of projects) you can request that your contribution to the project go towards satisfying your upper-level writing requirement. In many instances, you will receive some form of academic mention when the project publishes. Even if you don’t, research projects are still a great resume booster.
Con:
Research assistants generally get paid for their work. However, as a general practice, law schools require students to complete research projects without pay when seeking to satisfy their upper-level writing requirements.
It’s best to not overthink your upper-level writing requirement too much. Just remember to confirm with your university that particular avenue is acceptable before you begin. You’ve got this!
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