Angelica Smith
I had the pleasure of taking Professor Rusco’s legal writing class during my first year in law school. His legal writing class was one of my favorite classes because it equipped me for legal writing and legal analysis throughout law school, for the bar examination, and in legal practice. Professor Rusco utilized instructional time efficiently and effectively, which allowed me to get the most out of his class. He structured each class as a building block to culminate in a framework for writing legal documents that are concise, analysis-driven, and grounded in law. I am grateful for Professor Rusco’s dedication to legal writing and the impact of his class on my career. Several years later, I use skills developed in Professor Rusco’s class in my personal injury law practice to compose letters opposing counsel, briefs, and memoranda.
Bettina Ballet
Legal writing is arguably one of the most important skills in the legal profession. I set-out to make my writing more thorough and concise--two areas I struggled with. I am happy to say Professor Rusco’s legal writing courses delivered on both of these goals. His courses highlighted the fundamental principles of legal writing. I learned how to write a well formulated and succinct analysis using CREAC and other methods. I applied these principles to all of my law school courses and graduated top of my class. As a lawyer, I am still using these principles today.
JAYDE daniel
I met Professor Rusco at a very critical time in my legal career. Before Professor Rusco's class, I struggled with figuring out how to perform legal writing and research tasks in a concise way. He was able to bring legal writing and legal analysis down to a formula that is fool proof—a formula that I still use to this day. I do a lot of contract legal work that requires document drafting and filing for attorneys, and I am always complimented on my analysis. When you work with Professor Rusco, you don't just get a professor; you get a mentor, a friend, and eventually a colleague, and a constant wealth of information and skill. I am the writer and lawyer that I am today thanks to Professor Rusco.
D. Michell Flores
Professor Rusco helped establish the foundation of my legal writing skills, which became pivotal in my strength as a legal writer in law school and in my day to day as an attorney. I was an English major in college, so the type of writing I was used to was completely different from what was expected in the legal profession. Professor Rusco was patient and would spend the additional time to answer the endless questions I had while I was making the transition in my writing skills. Currently, as a family law practitioner, the level of importance the time Professor Rusco invested in assisting me with my legal writing and analysis skills is monumental. I am constantly writing memorandums of points and authorities, declarations in support of my clients’ positions, and trial briefs; every time I draft these documents, I incorporate the foundational skills I learned from Professor Rusco.
JONATHAN CARTER
Professor Rusco is the reason I know how to write or draft anything law related. He has been a significant foundation of my legal education. He is well versed in many aspects of legal writing, including contract drafting, judgements, memorandums, and various forms of objective and persuasive writings. Law firms really appreciate candidates they don’t have to teach how to write legal documents. He’s a big reason why I landed my current contracted position at my law firm due to a writing sample I submitted.
Tuck Freyer
I had the privilege of taking multiple classes lead by Professor Rusco. I always appreciated Prof. Rusco’s ability to engage the class and facilitate instruction. He made us feel confident that if we took the course seriously, we would develop strong analytical and communication skills. The knowledge he shared and experience I gained because of his instruction has proven to be invaluable during my career.
ARTRICE PRAY
Prof. Rusco was instrumental in helping me establish a strong foundation in my legal writing and analysis. He was patient and gave some great feedback. I’m now a law clerk for a criminal court judge, and use many of the skills I learned while Prof. Rusco was my instructor. Thanks to a strong foundation, I excel at what I do. Thanks, Prof.!
Sophia Ottinger
How do you even start a testimonial for someone who was pivotal to your understanding of how important legal writing is? The classes I took with Prof. Rusco were invaluable in understanding how to construct compelling writing, acknowledge the weaknesses in your argument, overcome them and do so without an overreliance on passive voice. His mentorship guided me while working for the courts as a Staff Attorney, and every day now that I do a lot of research in my role in legal technology. The abilities I was trained on allow me to read and write with authority, and be ready to cite my sources. I would not be where I am without his guidance so early in my career.