Skills of a Legislative Lawyer

As conceived by Professor Feldblum and further developed by Professor Rudesill, the Clinic trains students to be effective legislative lawyers in Art. I and II practice.  A legislative lawyer must be able to:

• Assess legislative and regulatory issues in their legal, process, policy, political, and personality (LP4) aspects;

• Research and analyze legislative or regulatory issues in an accurate and comprehensive manner;

• Apply the research in a manner that takes into account LP4 factors and advances the agenda of a client;

• Produce a broad range of written analytical and advocacy materials;

• Present research, analysis, options, and recommendations orally in a concise and precise fashion to the client or to third parties on behalf of the client;

• Advise the client on their options; and,

• Implement client decisions, including where appropriate advocating for and negotiating on behalf of the client.

For each of these skills a legislative lawyer must be proficient in understanding in their separate and integrated aspects their LP4 implications:

•  Law – What does the bill or regulatory text say?  How has it been interpreted?

• Process – What are the relevant formal and informal legislative and/or administrative procedures, and how will they channel decision making and shape the client's options?

• Policy – What does the client want the law to be?

• Politics – What is feasible for the client to achieve in the legislative or regulatory arena, based on the partisan, electoral, or bureaucratic forces at play?

• Personality – How will the particular individuals involved shape our advocacy approach and potential outcomes?

A legislative lawyer works as part of a team.  Ideally, this team includes individuals with five other distinct skill sets: a strategist, a lobbyist, a grassroots organizer, a media coordinator, and a policy analyst.