2.14 Bigelow Program

The Bigelow Program (named after the Dean of the Law School, Harry A. Bigelow, who founded the program in the 1930s) consists of two classes taught by full-time Bigelow Teaching Fellows. The Legal Research and Writing class familiarizes students with the standard research and writing tools of the legal profession and requires students to prepare two legal memoranda over the autumn and winter quarters. The Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy experiential class introduces students to the art of lawyering, advocacy, contract-drafting, and negotiation. The Bigelow Program is a central part of the first-year curriculum and constitutes ten percent of first year course credits. The topics and assignments are subject to change but generally follow the structure below:

• Autumn quarter (Legal Research and Writing, 1 credit): short assignment(s) and closed memorandum; library and legal resource training
• Winter quarter (Legal Research and Writing, 1 credit): open memorandum; library and Lexis/Westlaw (legal research) training
• Spring quarter (Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy, 2 credits): brief; Moot Court oral arguments; contract drafting; and negotiation strategy

For additional information on the Bigelow Program, see: https://www.law.uchicago.edu/bigelow.