Professor Sirico joined the Villanova faculty in 1981, and is the Director of the Legal Writing Program. Professor Sirico has written and taught in several fields of law. His books include: Judging: A Book for Student Clerks (2002); Legal Research (2d ed.2001)(w/Schultz); Persuasive Legal Writing for Lawyers and the Legal Profession (2d ed. 2001) (w/Schultz); and Legal Writing and other Lawyering Skills (3d ed. 1998)w/Schultz). Professor Sirico is the author of numerous articles on legal research and writing, property, and constitutional law, which have been published in journals such as the New York University Law Review, Iowa Law Review, Indiana law Journal, Fordham Law Review, Connecticut Law Review and Constitutional Commentary. Professor Sirico was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Criminal Law and an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. Before joining the faculty, he was an attorney with several public interest organizations, including the National Public Interest Research Group in Washington, D.C., Fairfield County (CT) Legal Services and the Connecticut Citizens Action Group in Hartford. Professor Sirico is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and Connecticut Bar. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute and serves on the Editorial Board of Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing, a quarterly journal published by The West Group,, the Editorial Board of Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, the Editorial Board of the Legal Intelligencer (the Philadelphia region’s legal newspaper), the Advisory Board of the Villanova University Paralegal Program, and the Plain English Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on legal research and writing.
Articles
How the Separation of Powers Doctrine Shaped the Executive, University of Toledo Law Review (2009)
The Federalist and the Lessons of Rome, Villanova University Legal Working Paper Series (2007)
Since the time of the Constitution’s framing, our intellectual canon has shifted so that the...
Readability Studies: How Technocentrism Can Compromise Research and Legal Determinations, Quinnipiac Law Review (2007)
Original Intent in the First Congress, Villanova University Legal Working Paper Series (2006)
Most of the literature on this country’s Founding Era concludes that at least in the...
Teachable Moments for Teachers... Beyond Offering Examples of Good Writing: Let the Students Grade the Models, Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (2006)
Books
Contributions to Books