HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

(FOR HLU INTERNAL USE ONLY)

HÀ NỘI - 2024
 Program: Bachelor of Laws (fulltime)
Course title: Presentation skills for lawyer in adversarial
context
Credit points: 2
Type of the course: Optional
1. INFORMATION OF LECTURERS
- Tô Văn Hoà (Assoc. Prof., PhD.), [email protected]
- Hoàng Xuân Châu (PhD.), [email protected]
- Lê Nguyễn Duy Hậu
- Mai Thị Mai
- Nguyễn Thu Trang
- Đậu Công Hiệp
- Phạm Minh Trang
Office: Room 502, Building A, Hanoi Law University
No. 87, Nguyễn Chí Thanh Str., Hanoi.
Telephone: 04 38352357
Open hours: 8h00 - 16h00 week-days.
2. PREREQUISITES
- English advanced
3. SUMMARY OF THE COURSE
“Presentation skills in adversarial context” is a legal methodological
training course rather than a substantive law course. The course provides
the students with the ablity to present legal reasoning in adversarial
context, including writing legal memos and presenting oral arguments in
trial context. The students will get to work with real cases and in the
context which is intimate to lawyers.
The course is composed of five issues, which focus on two main topics:

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- Writing legal memos to argue on a case.
- Presenting oral arguments to the benefit of a client in a contested case.

4. CONTENT OF THE COURSE

Issue 1. Introduction to legal presentation in adversarial context
Issue 2. Writing legal memos
Issue 3. Writing legal advice letter
Issue 4. Oral argument in a court room
5. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
4.1. As to substantive knowledge:
K1. Eventhough it is not its prime purpose, after this course, the students
will be able to gain in depth knowledge on a certain issues of substantive
law, which are touch upon by the cases used during the course.
4.2. As for professional skills and methods:
After this course, the student is expected to:
S2. Be able to write legal memos and advice letter on a case.
S3. Be able to present effective oral argument in court room context.
4.3. As for professional attitude:
T4. After this course, the student will be more aware of some ethical rules
of the legal professions, particularly the rule of loyalty to the client, critical
thinking etc.

6. DETAILIZED KNOWLEDGE GAINING OBJECTIVES

6.1. Detailized knowledge gaining objectives
Obj.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Iss.
Issue 1. 1A1. Understand the 1B1. Recognize
Introduct differences between the styles the different
ion to of legal writing. components of a
legal 1A2. Understand the writing process.

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presentati connection between legal
on in writings and oral presentation.
adversari 1A3. Understand the
al differences between the types
context of legal argument in resolving
questions of law.
2A1. Understand the
Issue 2. 2B1. Be able to 2C1. Be able
definition of legal memos
Writing recognize the to write a
(office memos).
office differences proper office
2A2. Understand the role of
memos between the memos on an
office memos in legal different types of actual case.
correspondence. office memos.
2.A.2. Understand the role of
office memos in the daily
business of a legal office.
3A1. Understand the
Issue No. 3B1. Be able to 3C1. Be able
definition of legal advice
3. Writing recognize the to write a
letter.
legal components of a proper legal
3A2. Understand the role of
advice legal advice letter. advice letter
legal advice letter in legal
letter on an actual
correspondence. case.
3A2. Understand the role of
legal advice letter in the
daily business of a legal
office.
Issue 4. 4A1. Understand the context 4C1. Be able
Oral of a court-room trial. to present
argumen 4A2. Understand the role of oral argument
t in a orgal argument in a court- on an actual
court room context. case
room 4A2. Understand the role of effectively.
oral argument vis-à-vis legal
profession.
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6.2. Accumulation of objectives

Obj.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Iss. Total
Issue No. 1 3 1 0 4
Issue No. 2 3 1 1 5
Issue No. 3 3 1 1 5
Issue No. 4 3 0 1 4
Tổng 12 3 3 18

7. LEARNING OBJECTIVE – LEARNING OUTCOME CROSS

MATRIX
Knowledge Skills and methods Attitude
Object
K1 S2 S3 T4
1A1
1A2
1A3
1B1
2A1
2A2
2A3
2B1
2C1
3A1
3A2
3A3
3B1
3C1
4A1
4A2
4A3
4B1
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8. READING MATERIALS
A. BOOKS
1. Helene Sapo, Marilyn Walter, Elizabeth Fajans, Writing and analysis in
the law, 6th edition, Foundation press, 2013.
2. Cathy Glaser, Jethro Lieberman et al., The lawyer’s craft – An
introduction of legal analysis, writing, research, and advocacy, LexisNexis,
2002.
3. Robin Slocum, Legal resoning, writing, and other lawyering skills, 3rd
edition, LexisNexis, 2011.
4. Linda Edwards, Legal writing and analysis, 3rd edition, Aspen
Coursebook Series, Wolters Kluwer, 2011.

9. FORMS OF CLASES
9.1. Oversal schedule
Forms of teaching and learning
Wee Issu
k e Lectu Semina Team Self Learning assessment
re r work study
1 1 4 0 3 Participation in seminar
2 2 2 4 2 3 Participation in seminar
Course paper
3 3 2 4 2 3
Partificpation in seminar
4 4 2 4 4 3 Participation in seminar
Team assignment
5 5 2 4 2 3
Participation in seminar
12 16 10 15
Total = 12 =8 = 10 = 5
credit credit credit credit
hours hours hours hours
Notes: - Mid-term exam will be taken during a seminar class.
- Team assignment will be presented in a seminar class.

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9.2. Detailed schedule
Week 1: Issue 1
Forms of
Credit
teaching hours Student’s
and Main issues to be covered preparation
learning
Lecture 4 Introduction to legal presentation - Selected pages
credit from Sapo (2013),
Introduction to advesarial context.
hours Glaser (2002).
The process of legal writing.
Persuassive and predictive writing in
different context of legal profession.
Seminar
Self 3 Reading
study hours materials

Tutoring - Content: Answering student’s questions off the class,

introducing new reference materials etc
- Time: 8.30 to 11.00 every Tuesday
- Venue: Room 502, A Building or via email.

Week 2: Issue 2
Forms of
Credit
teaching hours
and Main issues to be covered Student’s preparation
learning
Office memos.
Lecture 2 - Selected pages from Sapo
credit Types of office memos and (2013), Slocum (2011).
hours roles.
- Practicing writing office - Assigned cases,
Seminar 2
memos. excercise.
- Doing excercise.
Self 3 - Practicing writing office
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 study hours memos.
Tutoring - Content: Answering student’s questions off the class,
introducing new reference materials etc
- Time: 8.30 to 11.00 every Tuesday
- Venue: Room 502, A Building or via email.

Week 3: Issue 3
Forms of
Credit
teaching hours
and Main issues to be covered Student’s preparation
learning
- Writing legal advice letter.
Lecture2 - Selected pages from
- Components of a legal
credit Claser (2002), Slocum
advice letter
hours (2011).
- Practicing writing legal - Assigned cases.
Seminar 2
credit advice on an actual case.
hours
- Assigned cases.
Team 2 - Practicing writing legal
work advice on an actual case.
- Assigned cases.
Self 3 - Practicing writing legal
study hours advice on an actual case.
Tutoring - Content: Answering student’s questions off the class,
introducing new reference materials etc
- Time: 8.30 to 11.00 every Tuesday
- Venue: Room 502, A Building or via email.

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Week 4+5: Issue 4
Forms of
Credit
teaching
hours Main issues to be covered Student’s preparation
and
learning
- Oral argument in a court
Lecture 2 - Selected pages from
room
credit Claser (2002)
hours - Rules on effective orgal
argument.
- Preparing and presenting oral Actual cases asigned in
Seminar 2
argument on an actual case. the class.
credit
hours
- Preparing and presenting oral Actual cases asigned
Team 4
argument on an actual case. in the class.
work

- Preparing and presenting oral Actual cases asigned

Self 3
argument on an actual case. in the class.
study hours

10. COURSE POLICY

- In accordance with the applicable regulations of the Hanoi Law
University.
11. LEARNING ASSESSMENT
11.1. Regular assessment
- Class attendance check: 75% or more
- Participation in seminars and team assignment.
11.2. Periodical assessment

Forms Ratio
Assessing knowledge and attitudes to participate in seminar 10%
Individual exam 30%
Final exam 60%

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11.3. Assessment Criteria
 Assessing knowledge and attitudes to participate in seminar
- Assessing knowledge: Self-study and understand the lesson (1-7 mark)
- Attitudes to participate in seminar: negative/ positive (1-3 mark)
- Total: 10 mark

 Individual exam:
- The student will be a topic or questions to do at home in form of a paper.
It could be to write a simple legal advice letter or to spot flaws in a
given legal advice letter
- Alternatively, the student may be asked to conduct a 1-hour written exam
in the class. For this alternative, the student will be given a simple case
and asked to apply a legal regulation to resolve the case.

 Final exam
- Condition to participate in the final exam: Class attendance: 75% or more
and the mark (Team assignment and Assessing knowledge and attitudes to
participate in seminar) must be greater than 0.
- The final exam is also taken in the from of a writen exam, which the
student have to complete in 2 hours. The student will be assigned a case
to write office memos on.
- Criteria to assess the final exam:
+ Showing good understanding of the knowlege learned during the
course;
+ Understandable argumentation;
+ Clearness in the language used.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trang

1. INFORMATION OF LECTURERS.........................................2

2. SUMMARY OF THE COURSE...............................................2

3. CONTENT OF THE COURSE................................................2

4. LEARNING OBJECTIVES.....................................................3

5. DETAILIZED KNOWLEDGE GAINING OBJECTIVES..........3

6. ACCUMULATION OF OBJECTIVES....................................5

7. COURSE MATERIALS...........................................................5

8. FORMS OF CLASES...............................................................6

9. COURSE POLICY................................................................10

10. ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING........................10

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