Legal Interviewing

Long before the courtroom, deposition table, or settlement meeting, legal cases are won or lost on the strength of the information lawyers glean from clients and witnesses. Unfortunately, gleaning that information is a skill too often overlooked in the rush to form legal theories and determine goals. In this new experiential learning workbook, Professor Cristina Tilley provides practical advice for improving those skills. Marrying the interviewing techniques she developed as a journalist with her litigation experience and doctrinal skills, Professor Tilley has developed Loyola School of Law's Interviewing Skills curriculum, spending several years honing her techniques. Legal Interviewing draws on the insights Prof. Tilley has gained over years of interviewing subjects from all walks of life and shapes the resulting information in a clear and persuasive narrative form. The students then take the lessons taught into lively, interactive exercises that allow the students to practice the multiple steps of successfully interviewing clients, witnesses (both friendly and hostile), and administrators. The unique design of this program provides participants with hands-on experience by presenting materials for two hypothetical legal matters: Dashwood, a civil case involving an elderly woman's independence; and Moore, a criminal case involving a young African-American woman accused of shoplifting. To create the interactive experience, participants receive one of two versions: Materials for A's or Materials for B's. Both versions include Part One: Interviewing Theory. Part Two of the A's version contains the attorney materials for Dashwood and the interviewee materials for Moore; the B's version contains the attorney materials for Moore and the interviewee materials for Dashwood. The participants experience hands-on learning as Group A interviews Group B, and Group B in turn interviews Group A. These interview exercises coordinate with the book chapters, guiding participants through each the stage of the interviewing process.