Petitioning a legal writing grade Forum

[klipsch3212]

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[Pleasye]

Two things: your class is graded on a curve and it is blind graded. Your grade means your memo was good (or even exceptional) but your classmates were better. The feedback your professor gave you during your conferences isn't graded - the finished product that you turned in is what's graded (and it's graded against your classmates). Also, you got C's on half of the graded assignments in the class so your grade seems to add up to me.

Where the professor graduated from isn't really relevant here.

[klipsch3212]

You're right, it is not and I'm sorry + deleted it.

I'm just angry that it seems like he deliberately misled me through complimenting my writing instead of being critical.

Also, nothing was blind graded except the open memo.. and I came to lots and lots of office hours so he was very familiar with my paper.
I also received the LOWEST GRADE in the entire section on the outline/case synthesis chart worth 10%.

A person who received an A-'s thought my memo was better than his too.. (I thought they were about equal)

Please note I had a 4.0 on my examinations. (Probably #1 or #2 in my section) - aka. not a complete idiot

[soj]

Hello everyone, I would like your advice on something. My school has a graded legal writing course for which I received a B for (I received an A on all my exams).. I had an A- for the closed memo (30%), a C+/C for the research assignment (20%), and a B-/C+ for the open memo. No grading rubrick was given.

The teacher spent a good portion of the time at all three conferences saying such good things about my writing (that I should write for the flagship law review, that I was "ready to work right now" but she'll make me better and etc). I edited everything she said and gave a 100% effort and still fell in the bottom 25% and 35% of the class for the latter two assignments worth 70% of my grade). Some of my other friends said she was nice at their conferences but she criticized them heavily - they all received much better grades than me).

I read several papers that got much higher grades than me.. and I just don't understand my grade at all.

My current gpa (including this B) puts me at the top 3% of the class and I was just wondering how this could happen? Could I petition this grade? To whom? Would they listen to me given my class rank?

More importantly.. why would she tell me that I need to be on law review when my memo fell into the bottom 30% of the class?!!
During the conference I said "I'm sorry Professor, I know there is a lot of passive voice in my draft - I will be sure to edit it"
Professor: "No, I didn't notice much passive voice in your memo.. a little passive voice is good.. etc"
Grade comes back: massive points deducted for "way too much passive voice in your memo"

"Keep this in your memo, I like it and I want to give you points in the final"
Graded memo comes back: "This isn't really relevant to the issue assigned.."


Thank you for any input!

You're right, it is not and I'm sorry + deleted it.

I'm just angry that it seems like he deliberately misled me through complimenting my writing instead of being critical.

Also, nothing was blind graded except the open memo.. and I came to lots and lots of office hours so he was very familiar with my paper.
I also received the LOWEST GRADE in the entire section on the outline/case synthesis chart worth 10%.

A person who received an A-'s thought my memo was better than his too.. (I thought they were about equal)

Please note I had a 4.0 on my examinations. (Probably #1 or #2 in my section) - aka. not a complete idiot

It is a truth universally acknowledged that in law school all your good grades were earned and your poor grades were arbitrary.

Don't petition. Learn from the class what you can, count your lucky stars that you did well in other classes, and move on.

Also, completely drop this "I was robbed!" attitude before you interview for jobs.

[Pleasye]

Also, completely drop this "I was robbed!" attitude before you interview for jobs.

This, jesus.

You keep admitting that you did terribly in certain aspects of the class and then insisting you deserved a better grade because you did well on your exams. Exams and papers are totally different beasts. Just let it go.

[klipsch3212]

Okay. I think you're right. Thank you. Just really wanted that 4.0