Law Center News
Prof. James conducts training for area legal aid attorneys
Prof. Regina Ramsey James recently conducted training for a group of attorneys from Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS), a regional legal aid organization in Louisiana.
Prof. James’s presentation consisted of an interactive workshop on persuasive writing. During the hour-long session, she discussed strategies for “writing your best brief,” with specific focus on: 1) being professional and honest; 2) fully arguing your client’s position; 3) presenting every part of the brief–introduction, facts, issues, arguments–from your client’s point of view; and 4) crafting sentences and choosing words to persuade. In addition to the discussion, she led the participants in working problems that involved “good” and “bad” examples of brief writing.
SLLS is the largest provider of free civil legal aid in the state. It serves 22 parishes and has six offices across Louisiana. In 2015, the organization reported that it helped more than 26,000 people, with an economic impact of more than $17.5 million.
James is an associate professor of legal analysis and writing at the Southern University Law Center. She joined the Law Center as the director of career counseling and development in September 2000. Her research and scholarship focus on education and constitutional law. Her recent article titled “How to Fulfill a Broken Promise: Revisiting and Reaffirming the Importance of Desegregated Equal Educational Access and Opportunity” appeared in 68 Arkansas Law Review 159 (2015).
She is also a frequent CLE seminar speaker on issues of professionalism and ethics.
