Professor James Dimitri presented on the topic “Teaching Effective Document-Design Principles in the Legal Writing Classroom” on March 18 at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference. This conference took place at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson. In the presentation, Dimitri discussed how to teach law students good typography and document-design principles. These principles will enable the students to enhance the readability and persuasiveness of the documents they will draft as practicing attorneys.
His presentation was based on two articles he saw published in Res Gestae: "Best Practices in Document Design," 57 Res Gestae, May 2014, at 24; and "Writing for Screen Readers in the Wake of Indiana's E-Filing Initiative," 59 Res Gestae, Dec. 2015, at 25.
Professor Dimitri will speak on the same topic during Summer 2016 at the Indiana State Bar Association's Solo and Small Firm Conference. He will participate in a discussion panel featuring Judge Edward Najam of the Indiana Court of Appeals and Robert Rath, who is the director of technology for Indiana's appellate courts.
Professor Dimitri is a summa cum laude graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law, who practiced at the Indianapolis firm Frank & Kraft before serving as staff counsel for the Indiana Department of Correction. He later served as a deputy attorney general with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. He began teaching as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney in 1997, and was appointed as a full-time professor in 1998. Professor Dimitri is a co-author of the book The Moot Court Advisor’s Handbook: A Guide for Law Students, Faculty, and Practitioners. He serves as faculty advisor to the Moot Court Society, advising the board in its administration of the Honorable Robert H. Staton Intramural Moot Court Competition.
