At Boston College Law School, Legal Reasoning, Research & Writing (LRR&W) is a core part of the first-year curriculum.  The two-semester, five-credit graded course, teaches students a sophisticated methodology for legal problem-solving by integrating the skills of legal analysis, research, and communication.  This contextual approach mirrors the approach of a lawyer in practice.

"LRR&W was one of the most useful classes I took in law school.  While many other law schools courses, not to mention jobs, require you to analyze the law and apply it to a current situation or case, LRR&W actually teaches you how to do this.  LRR&W provides students with specific, detailed critiques which truly improve students' reasoning and writing skills

-- Excerpt from alumnae/i feedback

Students are taught in sections of approximately 45 students.  Every student receives extensive, individualized written and oral feedback on several major writing assignments, including drafts.  While each professor retains autonomy in developing curriculum and choosing teaching methodologies, the Program is characterized by a high degree of collaboration among its full-time faculty.  Professors share the goal of continuously improving and refining the course through interactive exploration and revision, which in recent years has included incorporating technology into the classroom and developing various forms of feedback on written work.  These accomplishments and the shared commitment to ongoing innovation are the result of the stability and continuity of the LRR&W Program, and of the consistent support of the LRR&W program by the law school administration, which includes grants to LRR&W faculty for summer research.

Legal employers consistently report that Boston College Law School is highly regarded for graduating students with sophisticated analytical skills and the ability to present complex issues clearly and cogently.

"This was a wonderfully challenging course that was incredibly enjoyable.  Overall, it is the course in which I learned the most.  LRR&W provides students with a solid foundation for ongoing improvement of their writing skills."
-- Excerpt from course evaluation after 1L year

"Success in the legal profession requires the ability to communicate clearly, logically, and persuasively. This became clear to me as a judicial clerk on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Nothing prepared me to meet this challenge more then my LRR&W class."
-- Excerpt from alumnae/i feedback

Upper-Level Curriculum