Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2008

Breaking Professional Boundaries: What the MacCrate Report on Lawyering Skills and Values Means for TPC Programs

Jeff Todd

Abstract

In 1992, the American Bar Association released the MacCrate Report, which listed the ten skills and four professional values that all attorneys need and critiqued law schools and state bars for not doing enough to teach and encourage the development of these skills and values. In response, law schools have significantly increased the skills-based components in their curricula, and most state bar exams now include a performance test. Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) programs already provide substantial instruction in all of the skills and values described in the MacCrate Report; further, an education in TPC prepares graduates to excel in law school and on the bar exam. This knowledge offers opportunities for growth if educators, administrators, and scholars take steps to encourage students to consider not only writing for but also joining in the legal profession.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2008-07-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.38.3.d
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Todd (2014)
    Avoiding Litigation for Product Instructions and Warnings
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Todd (2014)
    Avoiding Litigation for Product Instructions and Warnings
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  3. Towner (2013)
    Documenting Genocide: The “Record of Confession, Guilty Plea, Repentance and Ap…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Andrus (2010)
    A Legal Discourse of Transparency: Discursive Agency and Domestic Violence in t…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Harlow (2010)
    The Province of Sophists: An Argument for Academic Homelessness
    Technical Communication Quarterly

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CrossRef global citation count: 5 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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