The Red Velvet Lawyer

The Week of Chester, the Parrot Students are still enrolling in the course. So, we continue to provide background information as everyone continues to settle in.  This week we covered some important topics, but mostly through lecture (my least favorite way to teach).   We cover: Primary versus secondary sources of law.  Binding versus persuasive precedent in the common law system. The Qatari legal system and the role of case law. The Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center . Case briefing. The professional value of competence as a lawyer. What a partner or a judge expects from a lawyer's writing. Bracket use in quotations. Ellipses dot use in quotations. And, how to read and brief a case carefully. It's ambitious coverage, and I often wonder how much of it they really understand. Luckily, we cover it several times throughout this course and the required Legal Writing II course. We use Conti vs. ASPCA as the first case students w

My Facebook feed keeps showing me photos from a year ago: My first day in Qatar on August 15, 2015, jet lag clearly present. My shopping trips with friends as I began housekeeping in my Porto Arabia Tower apartment. Delicious meals at the restaurants featuring a wide variety of international foods. The onboarding process at Qatar University for new faculty. Steamy nights exploring the souk. Some sight-seeing trips in the blistering evening heat. Exploring fancy spas. Morning walks on the harbor with West Bay skyscrapers visible in the distance. Dressing up for the law school's reception at the Ritz Carlton. I am happy and curious in all these photos.  I look at those photos and feel grateful that I am through that demanding transition process.  Doha is now thoroughly my home.  I have a new apartment in Qanat Quatier, an apartment complex desig

Committed to  High-Quality Legal Education So, I am re-posting these teaching tips here for easy retrieval as I need them.  Two law professors that I admire for their commitment to high quality legal education offer them for our use. Students? What do you think of these suggestions?