Rigorous Writing Exercise
FORGING EXCELLENCE IN WRITING
The Rigorous Writing Exercise (RWE) is an independent study course that is required for all NSL students. This requirement begins during the third year of law school and is intended to satisfy Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7, § 17.02(a)(1), which requires that students meet educational standards similar to those defined in the ABA Standards. To successfully complete RWE, students must produce a significant writing project that demonstrates substantial length and sophistication.
The project is completed in stages, and students are paired with a judge or attorney in Tennessee who serves as mentor and advisor throughout the process. RWE is graded on a pass/fail basis. Upon successful completion of their project, students earn two credit hours.
The following are some examples of potential project topics:
- A detailed analysis of a recent court decision that discusses the decision’s effect the state of the law in Tennessee
- An in-depth examination of a specific legal doctrine or principle that compares the doctrine and its application in Tennessee with the application of the doctrine in other jurisdictions
- A scholarly comparison of state and federal law on a particular subject
- An historical examination of a legal doctrine that traces the history and current state of the doctrine and its application in Tennessee
Recognition
Students who, in the opinion of the school, produce superior work will be recognized with the Robert Ballow Excellence in Writing Award. This recognition includes acknowledgment at graduation and in The Torch, publication of the work on the school’s website, and a monetary award endowed by the generosity of Nashville School of Law alumnus Robert Ballow.
Robert L. Ballow graduated from the School in 1963. He is the founding partner of King & Ballow, a national law firm whose clients include Fortune 500 companies, more than 300 daily newspapers, and 100 radio and televisions stations. Mr. Ballow has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1982 and one of the best 150 lawyers in Tennessee. He has served on the Media Law Reporter Advisory Board, the Labor Law Section of the American Bar Association, and the ABA Committee on Antitrust and Labor Relations.
2023 Winners
1st – Allison Wilson – Felony Voter Disenfranchisement: Putting an End to Second-Class Citizenship in Tennessee with the Implementation of Automatic Voter Restoration (Ms. Krisann Hodges, mentor)
2nd (Tie) – Daimon Duggar – Fiat Justia: The Development and Challenges of Prosecutorial Discretion in Tennessee (Mr. Eddie Herbert, mentor)
2nd (Tie) – Amber Schlatter – National Consensus and Proportionality: A cure for the Unconstitutional Relationship Between Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty (Ms. Candi Henry, mentor)
Thanks to Our Mentors
Nashville School of Law’s Rigorous Writing Exercise would not be possible without the generous support of these mentors. The School and its students are indebted to these professionals in the legal field who have graciously given their time and talent to assist others in their pursuit of a career in the law.
Cathryn Armistead
Melissa Baker
Charlie Baldwin
Douglas T. Bates, III
Christopher Beauchamp
Ben Bennett
Ellison Berryhill
Michael W. Binkley
Jeffrey S. Bivins
Michelle Blaylock-Howser
Diana Bradford
Amanda Bradley
Kevin Bragg
Thomas W. Brothers
Joe Brown
Rhea Bucy
James F. Butler
Jack Byrd
Jacques Cabell
Chuck Cagle
Colin Calhoun
Jeff Campbell
Donald Capparella
Connie Chadwick
Cornelia A. Clark
Richard L. Colbert
Darwin Colston
Aaron Conklin
Amanda Conklin
Dixie W. Cooper
Thom Corley
Patricia Cottrell
Larry Crain
Robert Allen Dalton
Terry Dicus
Richard H. Dinkins
Jacqueline B. Dixon
Tom DuBois
Nichole Dusche
Julie-Karel Elkin
Sam D. Elliott
Kimberly Faye
Henry D. Fincher
Patrick A. Flynn
Brooks Fox
Jennifer Free
Patrick Frogge
Patti B. Garner
Elizabeth Garrett
Amanda Gentry
Michael Giaimo
Brandon O. Gibson
C.J. Gideon
Grant C. Glassford
William R. Goodman, III
Divyesh Gopal
Jeremy Gourley
Sharon Tyler Guffee
Rachel Harmon
Donald P. Harris
Emily Harvey
Robert H. Hassell, II
Jeremiah Hassler
Jennifer Hedge
Kim R. Helper
Eddie Herbert
Jack Hinson
Krisann Hodges
Jamie Hollin
Tim Horne
Brad W. Hornsby
Derek Howard
Jill Hudson
Georgina K. Hughes
Thomas M. Hutto
Stephan Karr
Suzanne Keith
Clint Kelly
Lauren Kilgore
Randall L. Kinnard
Stephen Chapman Knight
David Kozlowski
Walter C. Kurtz
Edward K. Lancaster
Melanie Lane
Tom Lee
Eric Lehman
Billy Leslie
Suzanne M. Lockert-Mash
Dana Looper
Teresa Luna
Ellen Hobbs Lyle
Roger A. Maness
Rick Mansfield
Jennifer A. Marlow
James G. Martin, III
Sharon T. Massey
Neal McBrayer
Carol L. McCoy
Kevin McGee
Richard McGee
Laurence M. McMillan
Michael Richard Meise
James Melton
Robert Mendes
Craig Monsue
Robin C. Moore
Roger Eric Nell
Nathan Nichols
Venus Niner
Thomas B. Norris, Jr.
Len Ogden
Talley Olson
Roger A. Page
Laurie Parker
Tamika Parker
Jeff Peach
Doug Pierce
Scott Pilkinton
Erika Porter
Michelle Poss
Alison Prestwood
William T. Ramsey
Melinda Rigsby
Lisa Rippy-McGuffey
Helen Sifkas Rogers
Stephanie Roth
Dan Rudloff
Anne Russell
Maria M. Salas
Edward Schell
Carrie Searcy
Siew-Ling Shea
Jennifer Sheppard
Edward P. Silva
Gregory D. Smith
Jerry L. Smith
Brandy Spurgin
Brittany Stevens
Jeff Stewart
Virginia Lee Story
Wayne Sutter
Matthew J. Sweeney
Thomas Harwell Swink
Timothy L. Takacs
Russell Anne Swafford-Talley
Neil Thomas, III
Barry R. Tidwell
Woody Trondsen
Andy Tucker
William Underhill
Jake VanAusdall
Donnavon Vasek
Larry J. Wallace
DarKenya Waller
Ashley Waters
Monte D. Watkins
Robert C. Watson
James L. Weatherly
Eleanor K. Wetzel
Alysse White
Thomas V. White
Lacy Wilber
Marie Williams
Tad Wintermeyer
Thomas A. Wiseman, III
Tamera Womack
Thomas T. Woodall
Sharon Woodson
Luther Wright, Jr.
For Students
The Rigorous Writing Exercise is an independent study program that spans approximately eleven months. 3L students begin the course after successful completion of LSVII and complete the course at the beginning of their 4L year.
Students propose their own topics and are expected to complete a research project of approximately 25 pages, not including citations. The papers are to be law-related and, ideally, developed with the idea of serving as a practical resource for the bar. The students who submit the best projects of each RWE cycle are named recipients of the Robert Ballow Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, which includes a cash prize. You can read sample RWE projects here.
The Rigorous Writing Exercise has two primary goals. First, in keeping with Tennessee Supreme Court Rules, the course ensures that all NSL students are required to complete a substantial writing project during their studies. The second goal is to provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills of professionalism that they will need in their legal careers. Students accomplish this by being required to keep detailed research and time-keeping records and by demonstrating their competency in professionalism through their relationship with their school-assigned mentor.
The mentorship program is at the heart of the Rigorous Writing Exercise. Students are assigned a mentor with whom they meet to discuss their progress in research and writing. Mentors are a resource to provide feedback and guidance, but mentors are not intended to serve as editors. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule meetings with his/her mentor, to proactively seek advice, and to ensure that course requirements are met. Mentors evaluate students and make recommendations; the school determines whether a student passes RWE.
As with other NSL courses, a TWEN page is maintained, and students must enroll in the appropriate TWEN course. TWEN houses the course syllabus, other materials, and a FAQ page. Students also must remit all work through TWEN.
