Legal Communication and Research Skills

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The University of Miami School of Law is committed to providing students with the skills necessary to become legal professionals. In Legal Communication and Research Skills (LComm), first-year students create efficient research designs, conduct sophisticated legal analysis, draft legal documents geared to the reality of practice, and become effective communicators. Students develop these skills throughout LComm I in the Fall and LComm II in the Spring.

Faculty

With over 75 years of combined experience practicing law, the full-time professors teaching LComm have a keen understanding of the demands of contemporary legal practice. This rich and varied practice experience enables them to incorporate real-world experiences into the curriculum.

Highlights

Students develop and master advocacy skills in the context of a client's simulated problem, evolving through initial case assessment, pretrial motion practice, oral argument, and appeal. By employing diverse written and oral communication strategies, students practice and hone important professional skills.

The course offers continuous opportunities for individualized feedback through low student-to-faculty classroom ratios and frequent one-on-one conferences. Small classes facilitate collaborative and respectful learning. Time-sensitive assignments expose students to the fast pace of legal practice.

Faculty members use technology to enhance their teaching and prepare students for the widespread use of technology in practice. LComm also offers students constant opportunities to develop and hone interpersonal skills that are critical to effective lawyering.

The primary goal of LComm I and II is to pave the way for student integration into the legal profession.

Beyond the First Year

After the first year, students can learn new writing strategies and further hone their advocacy skills. Miami Law offers upper-level courses that emphasize advanced research, writing, and advocacy techniques while offering the chance to delve into intensive projects comparable to those encountered in practice. For a list of these upper-level courses, click here.