Get off to a good start:
When you submit homework assignments, the proper format for your document's
name is: StudentName - ClassName - Week # (e.g., Jane Doe - Privacy Law - Week 3.doc)
It is amazing how many points students lose each semester just because they fail to follow directions. In law school and especially when you enter practice, you must learn what the person you are working with demands and what they are willing to accept. My father, a federal judge for over 30 years, was fond of saying "there are certain minimal standards." This was his way of saying "you didn't come close to getting this right. Now suffer the consequences." It was also his way of saying even though he loved his children, he wouldn't encourage their mistakes. He took the same view of the attorneys who argued before him, once admonishing an attorney for being late to trial by reminding him about what the big hand and the little hand on the clock were for. Why do I tell you this? Because he isn't alone. My mentor, Justice Moore of the Delaware Supreme Court, if anything, was more exacting with the people who worked for him and around him. Both of these men are extraordinary people and do their best to encourage the best performances from others. I encourage you to do your best as well. Follow directions, use Spell Check and Grammar Check, use proper citations and you will be better for it.
Samples of what I consider good student writing:
These papers, while obviously not perfect, represent much of what I personally like in well-written papers. There is great disparity in writing preferences from person-to-person, professor-to-professor and judge-to-judge, whether any of us admits it or not. Become acquainted with the style, language and reasoning used by the person you are writing for and you will be much more successful.