Interview with Professor Kishbaugh

This week the Legal Beagle is doing some serious journalism and interviewed Professor Kishbaugh. Below is a transcript of our conversation:

1. What is your number 1 tip for students who are new to legal writing?
 
“You are not your audience.” And by that I mean most students come into law school with the experience of writing papers in an effort to figure out what they, as individual students, think about a topic. They are also in the habit of writing to fill space or meet a minimum page requirement. Legal writing, on the other hand, is as much a form of professional writing as it is educational writing, and, because of that, the ability to convey concise, accurate, and useful information to an audience is highly prized. As such, those new to legal writing should understand that writing is a process, and they should first learn to write so they, themselves, understand their topic and then, second, revise, edit, and rewrite so their audience understands that information as well and does not have to waste its time trying to doing so. Thus, time management also plays a large role in being a strong legal writer because each step of the writing process takes time and its own brand of attention; the days of writing an acceptable paper in a single sitting are but an increasingly distant memory. 

2. What is the most rewarding part of working with students?

The most rewarding part of working with students is not just watching them succeed and achieve their goals using the skills and techniques I taught them but, even more, watching those same students take those skills and then teach them to or use them to help others. I mean, that’s the great part of teaching in general: introducing students to the skills you learned over a lifetime so those students can, in turn, utilize, develop, and pass them on as well.

3. What is your favorite non-fiction book?

The Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry by Ernest Fenollosa and edited by Ezra Pound. More of a pamphlet or a treatise than a book, Fenollosa’s text with Pound’s edits is the foundation for my understanding of written language and how one can use it to make and convey meaning. 

4. Who makes the best pizza in Rhode Island?

I’m not a Rhode Island native and have only been living here for about three years, so my opinion on this topic is limited. Yet, while the clam pizza at Providence Coal Fired Pizza is amazing, I think The Big Cheese & Pub is the most consistent in price, portion, and quality ratios.

What I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty, though, is The Sandwich Hut in Providence has, by far, the best sandwich in the state (I recommend the Alitalia).  

5. Oxford comma: yes or no?

Yes, yes, and yes again.

6. As a fellow Phillies Phan, who is your favorite member of the 1993 team?

At the time, I was a big Dykstra fan. In fact, I would often chew an entire pack of gum in an effort to emulate the massive amounts of chewing tobacco Lenny was famous for constantly having in his cheek. With the benefit of time, however, my choice would now be John Kruk; his at-bat against Randy Johnson in that year’s All-Star Game is a classic.