The David J. Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy

Invariably, it is this for which I write: the joy . . . of an argument firmly made, like a nail straightly driven, its head flush to the plank.   

— George Will

The Beck Center provides all students at Texas Law with a foundation for excellence in legal research, oral presentation, oral argument, and most importantly, legal writing. The center is the organizational focal point for the required first-year courses in legal research and legal writing as well as advanced courses available to upper-class students.

Beck Center faculty teach the first-year legal research and writing courses. Each year the Beck Center faculty choose the recipients of the Beck Award for Legal Research and Writing Excellence, awarded to one or more students at the conclusion of the first year.

TQ awards given at the annual Beck Awards celebration
Awards given at the annual Beck Awards celebration

At Texas Law we place a high priority on producing great writers, and we have one of the top programs for that purpose in the country: the David J. Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing, and Appellate Advocacy. Beck Center faculty aren’t part-timers or teaching assistants; we have nine full-time instructors whose only job is to help our students make their writing compelling and effective. Throughout your first year, you’ll meet in a class of 20 to learn how to craft powerful legal arguments in written form. You’ll also be introduced to oral advocacy through our first-year moot-court program, which can provide a basis for further work in our advocacy program during the second and third years of law school.

2024-25 Teaching Quizmasters

March 21, 12:00 p.m.Information meeting in 2.123. The meeting is optional and open to anyone interested in hearing more about the TQ or LLM TQ program or the application process.
March 26, 12:00 p.m.Deadline for prospective TQs and current TQs to email application to BeckCenter@law.utexas.edu
March 27 – April 17Interviews by writing faculty
April 18TQs selected
TQ Selection Timetable