Professor Chestek's Presentations

Panel member, “Weird Science: The Empirical Study of Legal Writing” (presentation at the 18th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, July 14, 2018, in Milwaukee, WI)

“Of Metaphors and Magic Wands: Are Corporations Really People?” (presentation to the Sixth Applied Legal Storytelling Conference held at the American University College of Law, June 11, 2017). Also presented as a TEDx talk at TEDxCheyenne: Reckless, June 9, 2017 (Cheyenne, WY) (available at Youtube)

Panel member, “AALS Arc of Career Program: The Legal Writing Lateral” (presentation at 111th Annual Meeting, Association of American Law Schools, San Francisco, CA , Jan. 4, 2017)

“Fear and Loathing in Persuasive Writing: An Empirical Study of the Effects of the Negativity Bias” (presentation at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, Tucson, AZ, March 2016 and the Michigan Judicial Institute Symposium, Lansing, MI, April 2016)

“Negative Themes and Judicial Perceptions: An Empirical Study” (presentation to the Fifth Applied Legal Storytelling Conference held at Seattle University School of Law, July 2015) (repeated at the Psychology of Persuasion Conference at the University of Wyoming College of Law, Sept. 19, 2015 and at Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, University of Arizona College of Law, Tucson, AZ, March 19, 2016)

"Legal writing for Municipal Judges" (Presentation to Wyoming Conference of Municipal Courts, Buffalo, WY, May 2015)

"Of Reptiles and Velcro: The brain’s ‘negativity bias’ and persuasion” (presentation to the Fourth Applied Legal Storytelling Conference held at the City University College of Law, London, England July 22, 2013 and to the Conference on Psychology and Lawyering: Coalescing the Field, held at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, February 22, 2014)

"How the West Was Won: Manifest Destiny and the Myth of Divine Right" (presentation at 16th Biennial Conference of The Legal Writing Institute, July 1, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA)

“The Life of the Law Has Not Been Logic: It Has Been Story” (invited presentation at a symposium on the topic “Does Legal Writing have a doctrine?”, sponsored by the Savannah Law School, Savannah, GA, April 26, 2013)

“First Impressions: An Empirical Study into the Efficacy of Preliminary Statements” (presentation to the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, held March 23, 2013 in Boulder, CO)

“Beyond IRAC: Teaching and Assessing the Story Content of Persuasive Writing” (presentation at 15th Biennial Conference of The Legal Writing Institute, held in May 2012 in Palm Desert, CA)

"Just the Facts, Ma'am: Using Client Interviews and Role Play to Teach Fact Investigation" (with Profs. Grace Tonner and Rachel Croskery-Roberts, University of California - Irvine; presentation to Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference, Chicago, IL, September 2011)

"The National Health Care Reform Litigation: A Case Study of Story in Action" (presentation to the Third Applied Legal Storytelling Conference held at the University of Denver--Sturm College of Law, July 2011) 

"I Read Your Article . . . What Am I Supposed to Do with It?" Teaching from the Persuasion Scholarship (panel presentation at 14th Biennial Conference of The Legal Writing Institute, with Kathy Stanchi, Ruth Anne Robbins and Linda Berger, Marco Island, FL, June 2010)

“Not Just Another Brick in the Wall: Teaching Narrative Theory in Law School” (presentation to Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, Tucson, AZ, March 2010)

"Judging By the Numbers: An Empirical Study Of the Power of Story" (Plenary presentation to the Applied Legal Storytelling, Chapter 2 conference held in Portland, Oregon) July, 2009

"Geek 101: Using Technology Effectively (Without Having to Learn the Difference Between Star Wars and Star Trek)" (with Prof. Jan M. Levine, Duquesne and Prof. John Mollenkamp, Cornell), 13th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, Indianapolis, IN, July 2008.

"The Plot Thickens: The Legal Brief as Story" (presentation in July 2007 to the international conference on applied storytelling in London, England, co-sponsored by the Legal Writing Institute and the City University of London)

"Providing Context for Contract Drafting Problems" (with Prof. James D. Dimitri), 12th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, Atlanta GA, June 2006.

"Tell Me a Story: The Practical Applications of Storytelling in Persuasive Writing," Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference, Tucson AZ, March 2006.

"ECommenting Made Easy" (with Prof. Mimi Samuel), 11th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, Knoxville, TN, July 2004.

"The Theatrical Classroom: Tips on Using Drama Students in LRW Simulations" (with Prof. Melissa Marlow-Shafer), Central Region Legal Writing Conference, St. Louis, MO, September 2003

"The Moot Case Approach to LRW," 10th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute, Seattle, WA, May 2002

Professor Chestek has also presented seminar topics, CLE or papers for the following organizations:

  • Indiana State Bar Association
  • International Association of Assessing Officers (tax exemption policy)
  • National Association of Counties (tax exemption policy)
  • Virginia Association of Assessing Officers (tax exemption policy)
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association (governmental immunity)
  • Allegheny County Bar Association (Section 1983 liability)
  • Erie County, Pennsylvania Bar Association (reassessment law)
  • Pennsylvania Claims Association (uses of computers in law offices)
  • County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (various legal issues facing Counties)
  • Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs (governmental immunity)
Contact Us

College of Law
1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3035
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: 307-766-6416
Fax: 307-766-6417
Email: lawadmis@uwyo.edu

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