Technology Law Summer Webinar Series: Teaching Visualized Legal Writing: Time to Take Off the Stylistic Straitjacket of Convention

Date: Wednesday, June 7th, 2 – 2:45 pm EST

 

Discussion Description:

In her influential 2014 Columbia Law Review article “Taking Images Seriously,” Prof Elizabeth Porter outlined the unchanging black and white world of legal writing, describing it as a “stylistic straitjacket,” seemingly impervious to “modern, image saturated communication norms.” Taking a cue from Professor Porter, for the last decade, the presenter has devised an entirely new image-driven way of teaching legal writing, which he has found to be popular with students, practitioners and judges alike, and this approach will be discussed during this webinar.

Watch Recording Here

Speakers

William S. Bailey, Professor from Practice, University of Washington School of Law

BILL BAILEY has combined a career as a criminal and civil trial practitioner with legal scholarship and teaching. Long interested in research on behavioral psychology, communication strategy and brain function, his research and writing have focused on the use of images, words and stories to influence thought and decisions.

His innovative communication book, Show the Story: The Power of Visual Advocacy, co-authored with Robert W. Bailey (Trial Guides, 2011) has been widely praised as “the Bible for using visuals in trial” and “a breakthrough into the 21st Century, with exceptional depth on the psychology of learning and remembering.”

He also is co-author of Cross-Examination Handbook with Prof. Ron Clark and Prof. Bob Dekle (Aspen, 2010), top-rated by both law school clinical faculty and practitioners around the United States since its release: “The best instructional text on cross-examination that I have seen in thirty years of teaching trial skills, clear, concise and unerringly ‘dead on…The best book on cross-examination-Ever!”.

Prof Bailey completed a book in 2014 co-authored with national crime laboratory figure  Terence J. McAdam entitled Law, Science and Experts: Civil and Criminal Forensics,  published by the Carolina Academic Press. It has been widely praised by law professors, practitioners and students as:

“Unlike any other” …, “explaining creative and strategic concepts for presenting forensic experts to convey complicated scientific principles” and “explores so much deeper into the expert’s world with pop culture understanding … perceptions of jurors, judges and testifying experts on top of the role of the expert … and sources of possible bias or even corruption.”

In August, 2018, Prof Bailey completed the second volume of his forensic evidence set as sole author, entitled Law, Science and Experts: Case Problems and Strategies, also published by the Carolina Academic Press.

Professor George Fisher of Stanford Law School has called it “a pathbreaking and hugely useful teaching tool.”

Professor Philip T. Hoffman of California Institute of Technology has praised it as “a model of effective teaching … that shows how … [to use] scientific and statistical evidence … from DNA samples at crime scenes to estimates of economic losses.

Professor Steven Lubet of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law calls it “the best preparation I have seen for a twenty-first century law practice focusing on forensic and scientific evidence.”

In addition to his books, Prof Bailey has three case files in print with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, two of which are co-authored with Prof Emeritus Frederick C. Moss of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Prior to joining the UW faculty fulltime, Prof Bailey has been an active trial practitioner for many years. He is in The Best Lawyers in America and was named “Litigator of the Month” in October, 2002 by the National Law Journal. He was honored as “Trial Lawyer of the Year” in 1991 by the Washington Association for Justice and was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 1993.

Bailey has been named one of “Seattle’s Top Lawyers” by both Seattle Magazine and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, as well as a “Superlawyer” by Washington Law and Politics. Prof. Bailey was the recipient of the Philip A. Trautman Small Sections Professor of the Year Award for 2017-2018.