J.D. Written Work Requirement FAQ (for students matriculating at HLS from Fall 2023 onward)

To satisfy the WWR, students must complete two pieces of writing: (1) an analytical paper and (2) select professional writing.

The analytical paper requirement is a research paper of no fewer than 20-25 pages under the supervision of an HLS faculty member or an HLS instructor holding a Law School teaching appointment. This required paper may be satisfied, with the approval of the supervising faculty member, through an independent paper or a course or seminar paper. For an analytical paper to meet the requirement, a substantially complete draft must be reviewed by the instructor and a peer (prior to final submission of the paper).

The professional writing requirement is met by written work that would typically be created in the course of ordinary legal practice by an attorney. The requirement will be satisfied with written work(s) of at least 5 pages, created as part of a clinic or an experiential learning course in which the assignments have been determined to meet the requirement, upon approval of the supervising faculty member. Written work supervised by an HLS faculty member in other courses may satisfy the requirement upon approval by the faculty member and Assistant Dean of Clinical and Experiential Education. For professional writing to meet the requirement a substantially complete draft must be reviewed by a supervising instructor and a peer (prior to final completion of the work).

The presumption is that assignments in a single academic offering, including a clinic, cannot satisfy both parts of the writing requirement. Exceptions may be made after consultation with the Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Assistant Dean for Clinical and Experiential Education and Pro Bono Programs.

Students must earn an LP or higher in the course or on their independent writing to satisfactorily complete either part of the writing requirement.

Writing Groups allow students to complete a writing project in a workshop environment with the support of a supervising instructor and small group of peers (typically around 8 students.). All Writing Groups permit students to complete the Analytical Paper requirement, as they also include instructor and peer review.

Students can count up to 12 writing credits toward their JD degree.

Analytical papers must be individually-authored. Students may use jointly-authored work to satisfy the professional writing requirement pending the permission of the supervising HLS faculty member.

All writers benefit from being able to deliver, receive, and respond constructively to feedback; the ability to revise thoughtfully in response to written peer review, in particular, is a critical skill in the law. To satisfy this component, students must both provide peer review to a fellow upper-level J.D. student as well as receive and act on it with regard to their own writing. (Exceptions may be made for the professional writing requirement completed through clinical work.)

Feedback for this purpose should include substantive comments as well as suggestions for editing on a substantially complete draft (prior to submission of the final product). Writer and reviewer may also discuss revisions but neither oral discussion alone nor workshopping (structured discussion in or out of class) satisfy the requirement in the absence of written feedback. Students have many options to arrange peer review, including partnering with fellow students in a given course or writing group. The HLS Writing Center also offers resources in relation to coordinating and conducting peer review.

The analytical paper is a research paper of no fewer than 20-25 pages under the supervision of an HLS faculty member or an HLS instructor holding a Law School teaching appointment. This required paper may be satisfied, with the approval of the supervising faculty member, through an independent paper of 1, 2, or 3 credits or a course or seminar paper.

Yes. The analytical paper cannot be completed through a collection of work.

You must submit a completed registration form to the Registrar’s Office. Prior to submitting the form, you must identify a faculty supervisor and obtain his or her approval of your proposed project.

Yes, as long as the work otherwise meets the requirement, namely a draft is reviewed by the faculty instructor as well as a peer.

Students can ask any HLS instructor to supervise written work, although faculty members on certain types of leave may not be available in a given term. You may contact faculty members directly, and we encourage you to do so earlier rather than later. Please note, the faculty member must have an appointment for the term in which the paper is being registered.

Writing Groups provide another opportunity for students to find a faculty supervisor. Writing Groups allow students to complete a writing project within a workshop environment with an instructor and small group of peers (typically around 8 students).

Visiting professors and lecturers on law can ordinarily supervise paper credits only in the term of their appointment.

To satisfy the requirement an analytical paper needs to be at least 20-25 pages for one-credit, 50 or more pages for a two credits, and 75 or more pages for three credits. Certain types of research, e.g., an empirical project that involves a survey or assembling and analyzing a data set, may result in shorter papers and, with faculty approval, be used to satisfy the analytical paper requirement. Students should consult with their faculty supervisors to determine how many credits their project will receive.

Students are responsible for the ethical implications of their research. If a student’s project involves interviews, surveys, or obtaining information about individuals by other means, it may require review by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research. Students should contact the Committee at cuhs@fas.harvard.edu to determine whether their project requires review. Additional guidance is provided on the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects webpage.

No. The Analytical Paper cannot be completed in the 1L year as it serves to meet the ABA’s requirement that a student have a faculty-supervised “writing experience after the first year.”

In accordance with ABA standards, students may not use any course to satisfy more than one of the professional responsibility requirement, the experiential learning requirement, and the analytical paper component of the written work requirement. Thus, for instance, while students may complete their analytical paper in an experiential course that offers this opportunity, they may not then also count that course toward their required experiential learning credits or professional responsibility requirement. This rule does not apply to the professional writing requirement.

Students may complete the analytical paper requirement in a course that also meets other HLS-specific (non-ABA) requirements, such as the international and comparative law requirement or negotiation/leadership requirement, so long as that course isn’t also counted toward the student’s experiential learning requirement.

No, the Analytical Paper requirement cannot be satisfied with a reflection paper.

Ames competition briefs will not satisfy either the analytical paper or the professional writing requirement, both of which need to be faculty supervised.

Yes. The Winter Writing Program is a great time to focus exclusively on an Analytical Paper. Winter papers must be a minimum of two credits.

Nontraditional writing supervised by a faculty member cannot satisfy the Analytical Paper requirement, although it could be used to earn writing credit(s). Please note, nontraditional writing must still have a minimum of 20-25 pages per credit awarded for the work.

A student note can satisfy the Analytical Paper requirement provided it meets the requirements for written work credit and the writing is faculty supervised. A draft of the Analytical Paper must receive review by the supervising instructor and a peer.

No. The Analytical Paper must be done for an HLS course, seminar or workshop, or if an independent project, with an HLS faculty supervisor.

No. The Analytical Paper must be done for an HLS course, seminar or workshop, or if an independent project, with an HLS faculty supervisor.

The requirement must be satisfied with written work(s) of at least 5 pages, created as part of a clinic or a course that satisfies the experiential learning requirement, upon approval from the supervising faculty member. Written work supervised by an HLS faculty member in other courses may satisfy the requirement upon approval by the faculty member and the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Experiential Education. For a professional writing work to meet the requirement a draft will need to be reviewed by the instructor and a peer.

Yes, so long as it totals at least 5 pages and otherwise meets the intent of the requirement.

Students enrolled in a course or clinic that has assignments satisfying the Professional Writing requirement do not need to complete additional paperwork; all students who complete a written work in the course or clinic with a grade of LP or above will be noted as having completed the professional writing requirement.

Yes. Professional Writing can be completed in an offering that also meets another requirement, such as the Professional Responsibility or Experiential Learning requirement. However, the presumption is that assignments in a single academic offering, including a clinic, cannot satisfy both the Analytical Paper and Professional Writing Requirement.

The work(s) considered for the Professional Writing Requirement must be at least five (5) pages.
Additionally, faculty members may consider the following factors in evaluating whether the professional writing produced in clinics, externships, and/or experiential learning classes satisfies the requirement:

• Amount of time spent on the written work product(s)
• Length of written work product(s)
• Original contribution of student to written work product(s)
• Degree of legal analysis, complexity of issues addressed
• Quality of written work product(s), including clarity, persuasiveness, efficacy for desired goal
• Extent of peer and supervisor feedback on written work product(s)
• Audience for the written work product(s), i.e., client, partner, advocacy target

Individual contributions to a team written work product may satisfy the professional writing requirement when evaluated in the context of the above listed factors.

Clinical writing that does not qualify for Professional Writing includes memos, briefs or other documents that rely on boilerplate or standard texts commonly used in that practice where only the facts of the case have changed; clinical journals or reflection pieces; and compilations or summaries of data without analysis.

No. You may not use any type of exam to satisfy the Professional Writing Requirement.

No, you may not. All professional writing must be completed in the context of an academic course or clinic.

Blog writing that is substantive (not reflective) and completed within a course or clinic offering can satisfy the Professional Writing requirement as long as it is more than 5 pages and otherwise meets the Professional Writing requirements.

Professional Writing done for an externship placement that aligns with the above criteria will count towards the Professional Writing Requirement. Professional writing done in an independent clinical placement will not count towards the Professional Writing Requirement.

No. The writing must be done for an HLS clinic or course.

No. The writing must be done for an HLS clinic or course.