Jennifer Brendel

Clinical Professor, Director of Legal Writing Program

Jennifer Brendel is a Clinical Professor of Law, with extensive experience in legal writing education. During her academic career at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Professor Brendel has served as Writing Center Specialist, Director of Academic Support Programs, and Legal Writing Program Director. In addition to presenting at legal writing conferences nationally, Professor Brendel regularly leads and serves on committees for the Legal Writing Institute (LWI), the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD), and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Professor Brendel received a BA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Education

BA, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Publications/Research Listings

Guided Study Groups, The Learning Curve (newsletter of AALS Section on Academic Support) (January 2011)

Enhance Your Enhancement Program: Using Academic Tutors, The Learning Curve (newsletter of AALS Section on Academic Support) (Fall 2004)

Tools for Teaching the Rewriting Process, 12 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing 123 (2004) [article]

Building a Strong First-Year Foundation in a Three-Semester Curriculum, Second Draft (Legal Writing Institute) (July 2003) (with Alice Perlin)

Recent Presentations

Power of Peers – Legal Writing Tutors, Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, Minneapolis, July 2025 (selected panelist)

Bridging the Gap: A Discussion of How We Can Best Integrate the Bench and Bar in Our Legal Writing Classrooms, Association of Legal Writing Directors Biennial Conference, Tucson, July 2025 (selected panelist)

AI and Plagiarism in Legal Writing, Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, Indianapolis, July 2024 (selected panelist)

Appellate Brief Writing in the Legal Writing Curriculum, Association of Legal Writing Directors Biennial Conference, Irvine, July 2023

Incorporating Peer Learning in an Academic Support Program, Midwest Academic Support Conference, Chicago, September 2011

Of Rubrics and Margin Notes: Assessing Students Over Time (A Roundtable Discussion of Uses and Expectations), Legal Writing Institute Rocky Mountain Regional Conference, Tucson, March 2010

Selecting, Training and Supervising Student Tutors, Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, Indianapolis, July 2008

Uniformity in Commenting and Evaluating Among Legal Writing Professors in a First-Year Writing Program, Legal Writing Institute Regional Conference, Kansas City, October 2007

Seeing the Forest: An Introductory Memo-Writing Exercise, Central States Regional Legal Writing Conference, Indianapolis, September 2005

Hiring and Training Teachers and Student Assistants for an Effective Adjunct Program, Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, Seattle, July 2004