Writing groups provide an opportunity for students to complete a writing project within a workshop environment with an instructor and a small group of peers (typically 6-8 students). Groups are expected to meet for twelve hours of instructional time. Successful writing is an iterative process, and writing groups facilitate this by:
Building a small community of student writers who offer feedback on each other’s projects.
Helping students structure their research and writing and keep to a schedule.
Providing students opportunities to workshop outlines, drafts, etc.
Teaching students the art of peer review, including how to deliver and respond to criticism.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, writing groups are open to upper-level J.D. and LL.M. students enrolled in independent written work supervised by the writing group instructor; writing group instructors specify whether their groups are open to students working on two-credit papers only or a mix of one- and two-credit papers.
How to Enroll
Students should contact the writing group instructor(s) with whom they would like to work with to discuss a possible paper topic. To join a group, students would then complete a Writing Group Registration Form and obtain the instructor’s signature. The Office of the Registrar will accept these Writing Group Registration forms beginning on Monday, August 17, 2026, and forms must be submitted by the following deadlines:
Fall & Fall/Spring Groups: Friday, September 18, 2026 Spring Groups: Friday, January 8, 2027
Please also note the following:
All students enrolled in a writing group will receive one classroom credit and will be graded Credit/Fail. The additional one or two credits of written work, per student, will be graded under the regular HLS scale in the manner ordinary for written work.
Writing credits may be placed in the fall, winter, or spring terms, the baseline writing group classroom credit will be placed in the fall term for fall-only groups and in the spring term for fall-spring and spring-only groups.
Students should ensure that there is space in their schedule for these credits, bearing in mind that the fall and spring term credit maximum for J.D. students is sixteen credits each term; the fall and spring credit maximum for LL.M. students is thirteen and twelve credits, respectively; and all students are limited to a single enrollment of two or three credits in the winter term.