The Legal Writing Handbook: Analysis, Research, and Writing

by Laurel Currie Oates

Its effective process approach is the secret to The Legal Writing Handbook's enduring popularity. By teaching students to progress through necessary stages -- pre-writing, drafting, editing, to final draft -- the authors lead them, step by step, to mastery of skills they will use throughout their careers. Shortened and tightened, but just as effective ... Responding to user feedback, the authors have shortened and streamlined their material to make the book more accessible and easier to teach. It retains its basic structure and helps students become effective researchers and writers. The first part of the book covers the basics of the legal system -- analyzing statutes and cases, and supplies chapters on writing the objective memorandum and trial and appellate briefs. The second part of the book offers resources to help students become effective researchers and writers. The authors explain that legal writing is both simple and complex. Although students must learn to organize information into well-established formats, they also need to exercise creativity, insight, and judgment.

The Legal Writing Handbook brings together the three major components of effective legal writing-research, analysis, and writing -- and discusses each from the most basic level to more sophisticated techniques. The book imparts the vital skills legal writers need to know:

What matters most and what matters least What is effective What is persuasive What is extraneous What is just plain irrelevant.

Changes in the Second Edition:

A new section on style and grammar guidelines to aid students for whom English is a second language Completely updated research section with more and better information on CALR More flexible coverage of persuasive writing treatment of the objective memorandum, divided into two chapters, with a new example that is easier to follow The Practice Book to accompany The Legal Writing Handbook provides numerous exercises for students to utilize the skills they have learned The invaluable Teacher's Manual helps instructors use the text for maximum effectiveness for a variety of course lengths Together, these supplements provide additional material to assist in the efforts of both students and teachers.

Genres: Law

897 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Miranda Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coursebook when read with supporting material. Chapters got repetitive as you moved through the book, but overall very informative.

[Alison Whiteman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not rocket science to learn to write legal briefs. What is difficult is formatting pleading papers.