Jacob Carpenter

Jacob Carpenter is a Professor at Marquette University Law School, where he has been teaching since 2012. He previously taught full-time at DePaul University College of Law from 2006 to 2012. His academic focus lies in legal writing, legal communication, and legal reasoning. He teaches core courses in legal analysis, writing, and research, as well as workshops in contract drafting and legal editing.

His educational background includes a law degree with honors from Mercer University School of Law, where he was a Woodruff Scholar, and an undergraduate degree with honors from DePauw University, where he was a Rector Scholar and Science Research Fellow. He was also an All-American track athlete during his undergraduate years.

Professor Carpenter's research interests center on improving legal writing pedagogy, legal citation, persuasive brief writing, and assessment in transactional drafting. His work emphasizes clarity, efficiency, and effectiveness in legal communication. He has explored the use of passive voice, analogical reasoning, and methods to overcome form-book dependency in drafting courses. His publications reflect a strong commitment to both student learning and professional legal writing standards.

The trends in his articles show a consistent focus on practical legal writing skills, legal education reform, and the cognitive aspects of legal drafting. He emphasizes actionable techniques for improving writing style, efficiency under time pressure, and assessment strategies in legal education.

His scientific awards include a $5,000 Scholarship Grant from the Legal Writing Institute and the Association of Legal Writing Directors for his 2012 article on assessing transactional drafting courses.

Professor Carpenter has advised and mentored numerous legal writing professionals through his leadership roles. He has chaired the Legal Writing Institute's New Member Outreach and Pro Bono Committees, co-chaired the 2022 Biennial Conference, and currently serves on the LWI Board of Directors. He has also contributed to curriculum development and teaching practices through presentations and panel discussions. While no specific grants are detailed beyond the scholarship award, his work has been supported by institutional and professional organizations. He has presented at numerous legal writing conferences and taught Continuing Legal Education courses for attorneys in Illinois and Wisconsin.

He is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the Legal Writing Institute (LWI), the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD), the Illinois Bar, and the American Bar Association. He has co-taught the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Writing Persuasive Briefs course for over a decade and served in leadership roles within national legal writing organizations.