“Our goal is to bridge the gap between academic writing and its practical applications in the professional world.”
November 2026 – Drew University’s English program has added a course in legal writing taught by legal professionals and alums Cara Anan C’17 and Alessandro Amato C’17.
Anan is the founder, owner, and managing attorney of Cornerstone Legal, LLC, a law firm offering concierge legal services in New Jersey. Amato serves as the firm’s COO and mediator.
After Drew, Anan attended New York Law School, completed a judicial clerkship in the New Jersey Superior Court, and began to practice law before establishing Cornerstone Legal. Amato came to the legal profession along a different path, with an undergraduate background in biology and public health, and a professional career that began in emergency medical services and healthcare.
“Although our professional journeys have been different, we ultimately found ourselves working together, combining our respective experiences to serve clients and grow our firm,” said Anan. “We believe this reflects one of Drew’s greatest strengths: preparing students not simply for a particular profession, but for a lifetime of learning, adaptability, and professional growth.”
Last year, Drew’s Associate Professor of English and Director of First-Year Writing Jens Lloyd brought Anan back to Drew to teach several writing courses. The two discussed how Anan’s legal background informed her approach to teaching writing. Anan brought Amato into the conversation, and, suddenly with two writing instructors with legal backgrounds in the mix, Lloyd had an idea of using that expertise to reach students.
“Students are always interested in courses that stretch their abilities in new and different professional and creative directions,” said Lloyd. “We’ve had students like Cara who’ve majored in English and then pursued legal careers, so this course will help current students get exposure to this professional area.”
“Our goal is to bridge the gap between academic writing and its practical applications in the professional world,” added Anan. “We want students to recognize that strong writing is not simply an academic requirement; it is a powerful tool for advocacy, problem-solving, professional advancement, and meaningful communication.”
Anan and Amato look to bring their professional experience directly into the classroom by introducing students to the types of analytical and writing challenges that legal professionals encounter regularly. Specific applications include teaching students to learn to read and analyze judicial opinions, identify legal issues, apply legal principles to factual scenarios, construct persuasive arguments, and communicate complex information clearly and effectively.
“Our complementary backgrounds will allow us to expose students to different perspectives within the legal profession,” said Anan. “I will bring my experience in litigation, legal advocacy, legal research, and legal education, while Alessandro will contribute his expertise in mediation, negotiation, legal operations, and professional communication. Together, we hope to create an engaging and practical learning environment that encourages students to think critically, collaborate, and develop confidence in their writing.”
For Amato and Anan, teaching at Drew has been a way of paying their Drew experiences forward.
“Drew played an instrumental role in shaping both of our professional paths,” said Anan, who noted the critical thinking, analytical reasoning, research, and effective communication skills she learned at Drew as being essential to her career.
“Beyond academics, Drew encouraged me to think independently, challenge myself, and approach problems from multiple perspectives, qualities that have been invaluable throughout my career.”
In addition to legal writing, Lloyd hopes to capitalize on the trend of specialized writing in the workforce, and create opportunities for Drew students to get a head start.
“Professional writing, broadly defined, is a growing area of writing studies,” said Lloyd. “It’s not that we want to simply train students how to write for a particular profession; rather, it’s that we want to help students explore a range of professional contexts and figure out how their skills as readers, writers, and critical thinkers can apply to and be augmented by these contexts.”
This effort aligns with Drew’s overarching goals in educating students and preparing them for their post-college lives.
“Drew is a liberal arts institution, which means we’re all about helping our students develop across a broad spectrum of habits and skills rather than into a narrow professional lane. This course, in the hands of Cara and Alesandro, will be a great demonstration of that.”
