Boyd Professor Teaches at Persuasion Institute at Cornell Law

Linda H. Edwards, Professor of Law at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and a founding member of the faculty for the Persuasion Institute: Advanced Training Workshop in Narrative Construction for Postconviction Litigators, was selected once again to serve in the faculty at its fourth annual meeting held September 11-13 at the Cornell Law School, Ithaca, NY.

Linda H. Edwards

Organized by New York University Law Professor Anthony Amsterdam and sponsored by Cornell University, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and the Habeas Assistance and Training Counsel, the highly-regarded institute provides instruction for federal defenders, Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys, attorneys interested in representing a death-sentenced inmate in federal collateral review, and state court practitioners who are currently appointed or seeking appointment in a federal capital habeas corpus proceeding.

Bringing together exceptional professors, novelists, and journalists to discuss strategies lawyers can use to craft more persuasive pleadings for death sentenced inmates, the institute teaches participants how to use narrative techniques (such as plot, character, and scene) in order to enhance their legal writing. They discuss novels, newspaper articles, and legal briefs about death penalty appeals in order to learn how to tell a more compelling story for their clients.

Said Edwards, "The training is intense. Participants study exceptional briefs in Supreme Court cases, short stories and journalistic reporting. It's a delight to watch participants begin to see how key narrative techniques transcend genres."

She added, "On the last day, faculty members meet with participants individually to critique and re-think a draft of a brief the participant has brought. The best part of the training is seeing the ways participants will use the concepts in their future work."