Please help as the LANDLORD

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

you will interview your client and a witness. The objective of the assignment is for you to demonstrate your knowledge and execution of the various components of interviewing skills. The assignment focuses on the structure and implementation of a proper client and witness interview. The first part of the assignment engages you in an oral exercise of conducting a client or witness interview. The second part is a written exercise of completing a memo to file regarding your interview.

PART A - THE INTERVIEW

Revisit the facts of the case in the Landlord and Tenant course dispute. The facts are:

Case Scenario

The tenant, Chad Stick, and the landlord, Giovanni Ritorno, entered into a residential lease on the terms contained in the attached lease.

Today is [use due date of the assignment].

The landlord and tenant have had a great relationship since the tenancy began. Recently, however, there have been some problems. The tenant has not paid rent for the last eight months. Mr. Stick says that he refuses to pay rent because he wants to get the attention of the landlord, who he says has been ignoring him for months. Mr. Stick says there have been a lot of problems with the place for the last 12 months. Some of the problems he says need fixing is a leaky faucet in the bathroom, a broken window crank in one of the three bedrooms, the glass stovetop is cracked, and the refrigerator is not working at all. The tenant says some of the repairs have recently been done, but not all. According to the tenant, the stovetop and the refrigerator still need repairing. The tenant says that because of the maintenance issues he has not been able to supply himself with food and meals in the unit. The landlord says that all repairs have been done. The landlord says the stovetop was broken by the tenant and that he has repaired the refrigerator four times. The landlord is angry that the tenant has not paid any rent for the last eight months and wants to evict the tenant immediately.

Your instructor will pair you with another student to conduct the interview. Each of you will play the role of interviewer. One will act as the interviewer in the mock client interview, while the partner plays the client, and the other will act as the interviewer in the mock witness interview, while the partner plays the role of the witness. Each mock interview will last 10 minutes (20 minutes per group) at your instructors' discretion. You and your partner will need to decide what type of witness is the most appropriate to interview. Once the roles have been decided, review the facts, and rely on your basic understanding of the law to assist you with creating appropriate interview questions. In preparation for your mock interview, you should prepare approximately 20-30 questions to guide you through the interview. Refer to the supplementary handout to assist you in preparing for the mock interviews.

PART B - MEMO TO FILE

Using the information you gained in the interview, add a memo to file. The memo to file should summarize the salient points of the interview and all pertinent information. It is a good habit to write notes immediately after your interview.

Note: Although you will work in interview groups for the role-play, the grade is an individual grade.

ASSIGNMENT STEPS

Familiarize yourself with the objectives of the assignment.

Part A

1. Review the facts. Not all facts are provided, facts will not be in perfect order, and some facts may not be relevant.
2. Draw on the lessons learned throughout the course and refer to any supplementary information provided.
3. Formulate appropriate interview questions. Use your list of questions as a guide and NOT a script. Spontaneity and responsiveness should prevail as much as possible.

Part B

Provide your written response (memo/note to file) in memo format-typed

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Textbook: ADR for Legal Professionals, 1st ed. Zubick, Callow; Emond (TB1) Interviewing Skills for Legal Professionals, 3ed. Cochran; Emond (TB2)

Software: Microsoft Office

Websites: Student Discretion

Videos: Student Discretion