UW Law Showcases National Leadership at 2026 Legal Writing Institute Conference
The University of Washington School of Law was well represented at the 2026 Legal Writing Institute Conference (LWI), the organization's flagship biennial gathering of legal writing educators, which was held from July 15 to 18. Hosted by the University of Minnesota, the conference brought together more than 500 participants from across the United States and around the world to exchange ideas, share scholarship and explore innovations in legal writing education.
Following the conference, LARW Co-Director and Teaching Professor Lauren Sancken shared highlights of UW Law faculty contributions:
Teaching Professor David Ziff, as co-chair of the LWI Program Committee, worked tirelessly throughout the year to create a lineup of more than 80 presentations on innovative and enduring concepts in legal writing. He helped design a five-day program of events for hundreds of legal writing faculty who attended from across the country and beyond. He also brought positive attention to UW Law through a poster presentation featuring the program's Write to Counsel columns.
"We heard from many people that this was one of the most successful, enjoyable LWI conferences yet, and this was in no small part because of David’s efforts," said Sancken.
Assistant Teaching Professor Amanda Stephen, LARW Co-Director and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development Mireille Butler and Mental Health Therapist Phil Lentz presented Executive Function for All: How to Prepare First-Year Law Students for Practice. Assistant Teaching Professor Jaclyn Celebrezze and Sancken presented The Art and Science of Effective Feedback, and Sancken additionally moderated a discussion group on The Future of Legal Writing Pedagogy.
The accomplishments of UW Law participants at the conference reflect the program's national leadership in legal writing education, teaching innovation and service to the profession.
Learn more about the UW Law Legal Analysis, Research and Writing program (LARW).