Rigorous Writing Requirement 

The following new academic rule was adopted by a vote of the Northeastern University School of Law Faculty, effective April 15, 2003. 

Each candidate for the degree of Juris Doctor shall, in her or his second or third year of study, submit to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs a hard copy of a piece of writing completed by the student and certified, as described below, as satisfying the “rigorous writing experience” requirement of A.B.A. Standard 302 (a)(2).

A. Standards

To be certified as a piece of rigorous writing, a student work product will ordinarily be: (1) a well written, carefully edited and polished piece, which has been revised at least once; (2) reflecting relevant legal research, drafting and/or analytic engagement with legal and/or scholarly texts; (3) thoroughly and accurately documented; and (4) a minimum of 15 pages (3,750 words) in length. Students may satisfy this requirement with a portfolio of pieces (two to three) from a single course or co-op.

B. Certification

In order to satisfy this requirement, the piece of writing must be certified in one of the two following ways:

1. Course or Clinic Certification

a.   A student who produces a piece of writing as part of a course, seminar, clinic, independent study, moot court, or similar experience may ask the professor teaching the course or clinic, or supervising the independent study or moot court, to complete a form certifying that the student’s writing is a competent legal work product that would prove useful to an attorney working in this field and on this topic, or that it makes a meaningful contribution to legal scholarship.

b.   Certification forms may be obtained from the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.  The student must submit a hard copy of the writing with the completed certification attached to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

2. Certification through Co-op

a.   A student who produces a piece of writing on co-op may ask his or her co-op supervisor or the attorney for whom the writing was produced to complete a form certifying that the writing may be submitted to the school in fulfillment of the rigorous writing requirement without breaching any rules of confidentiality or inappropriately divulging attorney work product; that the writing was prepared by the student at the supervisor’s request; and that the writing is a competent product that is responsive to the assignment given. 

b.   Certification forms may be obtained from the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.  The student must submit a hard copy of the writing with the completed certification attached to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

c.   All writings originating from co-op and submitted in satisfaction of this requirement shall be forwarded to the Chairperson of the Faculty Review Committee by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.  After reviewing the writing submitted, the Committee, through its Chair, will communicate its decision both to the student and to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.  That decision may be as follows:

1. the writing and co-op certification are accepted as complying with A.B.A. Standard 302;

2. the writing or the co-op certification is not accepted, and the student is required to submit another writing or an amended certification in order to achieve compliance with Standard 302; or,

3. the certification is accepted, but the writing requires amendment and improvement in ways that will be specified by the Committee as it returns the paper to the student for revision.  In this case, the student will be given the name of a faculty member with whom the student can consult as he or she revises the paper, prior to resubmission to the Committee.

C. Appeals

A student who is informed by the Faculty Review Committee that his or her co-op produced writing does not satisfy the requirements set forth herein may appeal such decision to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This appeal shall be on a form prepared by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs and shall be delivered to the Associate Dean no later than sixty calendar days prior to the student’s intended graduation date.  The decision of the Associate Dean either affirming or reversing the decision of the Committee shall be final.

D. Co-Authored Work

Co-authored work will be accepted in satisfaction of this requirement if the student submitting the work can identify a portion of the writing as solely or primarily her or his work, and if this portion standing alone would qualify as a piece of rigorous writing under the standards in Section A, above.

E. Time Frame

The submission of a certified piece of rigorous writing is a requirement for graduation.  All students intending to graduate in May of a given year should submit their writing and the accompanying certification to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs no later than March 1 of the year of their intended graduation.  Submissions for September and December graduates must be no later than July 1 and October 1, respectively.

F. Applicability

All students in the Class of 2005, and all students in subsequent classes, will be required to have a certified piece of rigorous writing on file with the Office of Academic and Student Affairs before they can be awarded a Juris Doctor degree.