Book Review:
Peter W. Gross, Law School Training in Applied Legal Reasoning: New Approaches to an Old Problem (reviewing William P. Statsky & R. John Wernet, Jr.’s Case Analysis and Fundamentals of Legal Writing), 55 TEXAS L. REV. 1129 (1977).
 

Abstract:
Professor Gross asserts that while the casebook continues to dominate American legal education, it is not an effective method for teaching applied legal reasoning. Instead, teachers of legal writing must achieve a clear understanding of the processes to be taught and develop instructional methods and materials predicated on that clearer understanding. According to Gross, Statsky and Wernet’s casebook is a welcome step in this direction. The bulk of the book is devoted to instruction in reading and applying a single judicial opinion, which contributes to conceptualization of the process underlying case analysis. In addition, by tying application of case authority to the writing of a law office memorandum, the text helps narrow the gap between legal writing and legal method. Finally, the authors use a self-teaching “programmed learning” device that seems to hold much promise.