How To Draft A Leave-Behind Task On The MPT
How To Draft A Leave-Behind Task On The MPT
Examinees were asked to draft a “leave-behind” document in the Franklin Resale Royalties Legislation MPT on the February 2012 exam. A leave-behind is a document which is given to legislators to persuade them to vote in favor of specific legislation.
How To Draft A Leave-Behind Task On The MPT
In that MPT task memo, examinees were told that the goal of a leave-behind is two-fold:
- it should make the case for the legislation and respond to the arguments against it, and
- it should also persuasively deal with the single legal issue involved.
Examinees were also given a template to follow in drafting the leave-behind document. Examinees were told to draft the following:
- Introduction: (Examinees are told to describe the proposed legislation)
- Why Legislation is Necessary and Appropriate: (Examinees were told to explain the arguments for and answer the arguments against the legislation in short paragraphs or bullet points.)
- Why Any Legal Objection is not Valid (Examinees are supposed to respond to objections.)
Importantly, examinees were reminded to “keep in mind that many of the legislators and their staffers are not attorneys.” This is a key point and it should cue you in to not use too much legalese in drafting your leave-behind task on the MPT. Concepts should be explained in layman’s terms. Points will be deducted from your score if you do not take this reminder seriously.
If you get a leave-behind task on the MPT, the most important thing you can do is pay close attention to the task memo and the instructions. The task memo states the goals generally—i.e., the goal is to persuade the legislators to adopt legislation and respond to arguments against it. The template tells you exactly how to structure your MPT (introduction, explain why the legislation should be passed, explained why legal objections aren’t valid).
If you want to see an example of leave-behind legislation, you can find the Franklin Resale Royalties Legislation MPT here. You can see a model answer and a sample student answer in our MPT books.
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