Final Day: Dean’s Writing Fellow for the Legal Methods’ Writing Center – Call for Applications for 2024-2025
By Dr. Dunham Smith, January 30, 2024
The Writing Center is seeking applications from rising second-year students for one or more Dean’s Writing Fellow positions for the 2024–2025 academic year. The application deadline is Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. To be eligible, candidates must also apply for a Law School Service Scholarship by February 16; Dean McClellan has provided this link: here.
Dean’s Writing Fellow: Position Description
The Writing Center is a resource center open exclusively to students enrolled in Legal Methods. The primary responsibility of a Writing Fellow is to support the work of students enrolled in Legal Methods in accordance with instruction from the members of the Legal Methods faculty and as directed by Dr. Dunham Smith, Director of the Writing Center. The primary duty of a Writing Fellow is to hold writing conferences with first-year students who are working on research and writing assignments for Legal Methods. As set by the Legal Methods faculty, some writing conferences are mandatory for students enrolled in Legal Methods. During a writing conference, a Writing Fellow will listen to the writer’s questions; critically read the writer’s text or examine the writer’s drafting plans; discuss the effectiveness of the text’s structure and language; instruct the writer on correct citation form; identify errors in the text’s grammar, punctuation, and mechanics; help the writer create a revision strategy; and address any remaining concerns the writer may convey. Writing conferences are held during the school week and on select weekends prior to the due date of a Legal Methods writing assignment.
Additional responsibilities of a Writing Fellow include attending Writing Center training; attending meetings with the Legal Methods faculty throughout the year to learn about Legal Methods assignments and the faculty members’ guidelines for assisting their students; participating in Orientation Week activities if available; writing a sample closed memorandum; updating materials for writing workshops; participating in the preparation and presentation of writing workshops; posting messages about Writing Center offerings; maintaining Writing Center records; completing Writing Center projects; and representing the Writing Center and Legal Methods program at select school functions.
The successful candidate will be a strong writer who excels in Legal Methods and who demonstrated strong academic performance in completed academic courses during the first semester of law school; will have used mandatory and nonmandatory services provided by the Writing Center staff during the first year of law school; will possess a solid understanding of English grammar, punctuation, and mechanics; will know how to correctly create citations for the different types of documents created in response to Legal Methods assignments; will be able to critically read student-written text and identify areas needing revision based on understanding of the English language and on specifications provided by the Legal Methods faculty; will demonstrate confidence and competence in written and oral communication; will be interested in improving personal writing abilities; and will be able to encourage and support student writers with kindly delivered recommendations. Additionally, the successful candidate will consistently respond promptly to communications from members of the law school community; will write professional e-mail messages; and will practice effective organization skills necessary to maintain a personal schedule and meet all commitments in a timely manner.
Finally, the successful candidate will always respect others, holding the highest standards of conduct expected of students entering the profession of law and set for law students at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Dean’s Writing Fellow: Application Procedure
A Writing Fellow will be expected to work a total of 240 hours over the fall and spring semesters combined, usually working more of those hours during the fall semester than during the spring semester. For 2024-2025, a Writing Fellow’s compensation will be $5,000. For a student who is receiving a Herff or Faculty Emeritus scholarship, working as a Writing Fellow will fulfill the service requirement for the scholarship; the student will not receive the $5,000 compensation.
Each applicant should submit electronically the following materials on or before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 2024:
(i) a formal cover letter addressed to Dr. Dunham Smith, Writing Center Director, expressing interest in the position;
(ii) a formal résumé;
(iii) a transcript (unofficial is sufficient); and
(iv) a writing sample, such as an office memorandum written for Legal Methods.
All application material should be attached to a brief e-mail message sent to Dr. Dunham Smith and copied to Professor Kerley.
Dr. Dunham Smith mdsmith2@memphis.edu
Professor Kerley C.Kerley@memphis.edu
All applicants will receive an e-mail message from Dr. Dunham Smith upon receipt of application materials. Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in a formal interview. Qualified applicants will be interviewed by Dr. Dunham Smith; 2023-2024 Writing Fellows Colby McAnally, Alex Nabity, and Peter Bouck; and available members of the Legal Methods faculty. The 2024-2025 Writing Fellow Interviews are tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10. If an applicant’s schedule or the schedules of the interviewers require it, alternative interview times may be arranged.
Qualified applicants must also apply through the school’s service application process, a process explained to the 1L class by Dean McClellan and that will be discussed again during an applicant’s formal Writing Fellow interview. The school’s service application is due on February 16, 2024.
Writing Fellow applicants with questions should contact Dr. Dunham Smith.
