Happy New Year!

I hope you had an enjoyable and restful holiday season. Welcome back.

Please get a jumpstart on the reading, viewing, and assignments for Module 1:

Required Reading:

1. Mary Beth Beazley, A Practical Guide to Appellate Advocacy (6th ed. 2023): Chapter 1—Introduction

2. Ruth Anne Robbins, Steve Johansen & Ken Chestek, Your Client’s Story: Effective Legal Writing (3d Ed. 2024). The link for this ebook can be found on the Module 01: Overview page, which will be made available in the next few days. Only one person may use this ebook at a time. You may download up to 50 pages, so please download the required sections and exit the resource to free it up for another user.

a. Chapter 3—Effective Tools for Communicating with or on Behalf of Clients (Section 3.3: Cognitive Psychology through the end of the chapter only)

b. Chapter 6—Types of Legal Reasoning (Section 6.3: Charting the Types of Legal Reasoning only)

3. Deena Jo Schneider, The Complete Appellate Advocate: Beyond Brief Writing, ABA Appellate Issues (Sept. 6, 2019). The link for this article can be found on the Module 01: Overview page, which will be made available in the next few days. You can also Google the article.

4. CALI, Appellate Briefs: Ethical and Professional Considerations (2020). The link for this lesson can be found on the Module 01: Overview page, which will be made available in the next few days.

Required Viewing:

1. The Princess Bride (20th Century Fox 1987).

This film can be rented for a nominal fee through Amazon.com or free through Disney Plus.
We will use the film as the basis for our fun arguments during our first synchronous session on Day 3 of Week 1. Therefore, make sure to watch the film prior to Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 5:50 p.m. EST.

2. Course Expectations Video located in Module 00 - Lesson 0.3: Navigating Your Course, which will be made available in the next few days. This is a mostly asynchronous course, which means you must navigate this course on your own. Notwithstanding, I have provided a cornucopia of resources, examples, and exercises to ensure you retain and understand the material presented so that you are fully capable of drafting a well-written appellate brief and are prepared to give an oral argument in support of that brief at the end of this course. This video explains my teaching method and how to successfully complete Advance Brief Writing 501.

Assignment:

1. Review the following prior to Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 5:50 p.m. EST (will be made available in the next few days):
a. Activity 1.1: Synchronous Session Prep Work
b. Activity 1.2: Synchronous Session

I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Prof. Kravchenko