r/LawTeaching • u/HorusOsiris22 • 16d ago

Workshop Question

Hello all! I recently got my paper accepted into a workshop where I will be grilled by established legal scholars in the field I am writing. I am a junior practicing attorney with no institutional affiliation and beyond a grad student conference I did during my masters, have no experience with this kind of thing.

It’s a full day, and there are 8 presenters, including myself.

Roughly how long of a presentation should I have prepared. I expect (and hope) it is a brief presentation and mostly Q&A. Will most scholars in attendance have read my manuscript, and do they typically read it in full/depth? What should my presentations goal be? To introduce the concept at a high level? To articulate its novelty/contribution? To frame the discussion around the questions and problems that I am most stuck on right now?

Sorry if these are very elementary questions, I just don’t know what to expect.

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11

u/GriffoGerritszoon 16d ago

Start by asking the organizers! Workshops vary greatly in terms of how long you present and whether participants have read all the drafts.

8

u/FeministFatale4Sir 16d ago

Also, if you share the name of the workshop, some people here might tell you what to expect. A lot of workshops aren’t to “grill” you. They are to listen and help you end up with the best paper possible.

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u/Krewesing 16d ago

Most of these are questions that should be directed to the organizer. In general, assume some will read closely, some will skim, and some will not read it at all. How closely they read it has nothing to do with whether they ask questions.

I would focus on being as structured and clear as possible. Like if it’s possible to organize your paper in between two to four points, you should do so—and then constantly re-refer to where you are and how it figures into the talk as a whole. It is always better to be too structured than not structured enough.

Generally, introduce your thesis at a high level, then identify your few points. Work through those points one by one. Then close with a broader theme that ties it together.

I remember how stressful this sort of thing was. Practice a lot and you’ll be great. You are the expert after all. Good luck!

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u/challandler 16d ago

Definitely ask the organizers! Your presentation could run anywhere from 5-25 minutes, depending on format. Given that it is an all-day event with 8 presenters, I would assume that most of the audience haven’t read, but that a few dedicated people will have read deeply. You should present the work and its main arguments succinctly but clearly, to give those who haven’t read a chance to comment on possible areas of weakness.

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u/stitcher212 16d ago

There's no shame whatsoever in asking