Laura Graham

Laura Graham

Professor of Legal Writing
Director of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

Winner of the first Graham Award for Excellence in Teaching Legal Research and Writing, Laura Graham has been teaching Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research and Appellate Advocacy at Wake Forest since 1999. Since 2017, she has served as the Director of Wake Forest Law School's nationally ranked Legal Analysis Writing and Research program. Her research and speaking interests center on how to maximize beginning law students' early success in legal writing. She is a regular contributor to various state and national bar journals, where she provides writing refreshers for practicing attorneys.

Professor Graham is a nationally recognized leader in the field of … Read more »

Winner of the first Graham Award for Excellence in Teaching Legal Research and Writing, Laura Graham has been teaching Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research and Appellate Advocacy at Wake Forest since 1999. Since 2017, she has served as the Director of Wake Forest Law School's nationally ranked Legal Analysis Writing and Research program. Her research and speaking interests center on how to maximize beginning law students' early success in legal writing. She is a regular contributor to various state and national bar journals, where she provides writing refreshers for practicing attorneys.

Professor Graham is a nationally recognized leader in the field of legal writing. She served as President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors in 2021, and in 2022, she received the American Association of Law Schools' Legal Research, Reasoning, and Writing (LRRW) Section Award.

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Graham served as judicial clerk for Judge Ralph Walker of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and was in private practice in Jacksonville, North Carolina, specializing in domestic law and appellate practice. She is a graduate of the Wake Forest Law School, where she received the 1994 Outstanding Woman Law Graduate Award.

Education

  • JD, Wake Forest University School of Law, 1994
  • BA, summa cum laude, Wake Forest University, 1986

Publications

Books

Articles

  • Safe Spaces" and "Brave Spaces": The Case for Creating Law School Classrooms That Are Both, Miami L. Rev. (2021).
  • Welcoming Generation Z to the Legal Workplace, Wyoming Lawyer (2019).
  • A Letter to My (Younger) Teaching Self, AALS, Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning & Research Newsletter (2018).
  • Interval Training for Legal Writing Scholars, J. Legal Writing Inst. (2019) forthcoming.
  • Generation Z Goes to Law School: Teaching and Reaching Law Students in the Post-Millennial Generation, U. Ark. Little Rock Law Rev. (2019) forthcoming.
  • Avoiding the "Benchslap": Meeting the Court's Expectations, (2014).
  • Why-RAC? Revisiting The Traditional Paradigm For Writing About Legal Analysis, (2014).
  • EET? HERIM? HISERT? A Bridge Too Far In Search Of Gender-Inclusive Language?, (2014).
  • To Footnote or Not to Footnote Citations: The Debate Rages On, (2014).
  • Citation Refresher, Part II, Writing that Works: North Carolina Lawyer Magazine (2014).
  • Citation: Back to the Basics, 24 NC Lawyer Magazine 30 (2013).
  • Dashes and Hyphens: Rules for the Discriminating Writer, 23 NC Lawyer Magazine 32 (2013).
  • Three Writing Rules that Are "More What You'd Call Guidelines", 23 NC Lawyer Magazine 30 (2013).
  • Ten Tips for Creating a Great Writing Sample, (2012).
  • Before You Click "Send": E-mail Best Practices for Lawyers, The Young Lawyer (2011).
  • A Better Beginning: Why and How to Help Novice Legal Writers Build a Solid Foundation by Shifting Their Focus from Product to Process, 24 83 ff (2011).
  • "Writing that Works" quarterly column, North Carolina Lawyer (publication of the North Carolina Bar Association) (2010).
  • Beginning Legal Writers In Their Own Words: Why the First Weeks of Legal Writing Are So Tough and What We Can Do About It., 16 225-311 (2010).
  • Comment, The Uniform Premarital Agreement Act and Modern Social Policy: The Enforceability of Premarital Agreements Regulating the Ongoing Marriage, 28 Wake Forest Law Review 1037 (1993).

Other

Presentations

  • Writing Tips for Young Lawyers
    Young Lawyers Division, Wake County Bar Association, October 1, 2024
  • Discussion, Advice, and Resources for Addressing the Elimination of 405(d) (co-presented with Mary Bowman, Robert Brain, and Craig Smith)
    Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop, July 1, 2024
  • Critiquing Workshop, (Lead Planner and Co-Facilitator)
    Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop, July 1, 2024
  • Collaborations between LW Professors and the Bench/Bar" (co-presented with Robin Boyle, Melissa Henke, and Nantiya Ruan)
    Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop, July 1, 2024
  • Improving ABA Standard 405: Ideas, Advice and Support (co-presented with Mary Bowman)
    Association of Legal Writing Directors Biennial Conference, July 1, 2023
  • Triaging Feedback: Tools To Help Our Colleagues (And Ourselves) Become Better Writers
    National Conference of Appellate State Attorneys, June 1, 2023
  • Critiquing Workshop, (Lead Planner and Co-Facilitator)
    Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop, Georgetown Law School, July 1, 2022
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Media

Laura Graham
Contact Information
 336.758.1995

Worrell 3129
Expertise
  • Appellate Law & Practice
  • Law Teaching
  • Legal Writing & Research