Synthesis: Legal Reading, Reasoning, and Writing

by Deborah A. Schmedemann, Christina L. Kunz

Help your students explore the integral roles of legal reading, reasoning, and writing with Synthesis, Second Edition.The authors prepare students for practice- teaching them how to think like a lawyer; first, the authors discuss how to read the law, then how to reason about a client's situation, and how to write about it in different legal forms- taking a step-by-step approach to effective legal reasoning and writing--for each skill, the authors set out steps to follow, identify factors to consider, detail criteria for effective Legal Writing, and explore pertinent ethical principles- using one case file, the HomeElderCare case, for all the examples in the book; this case, involving the unauthorized practice of law, demonstrates how to carefully analyze a case from the initial client interview through the appellate argument- providing pedagogy designed to reach those who learn in different ways, such as incorporating numerous charts and diagrams for visual learners- using exercises based on a tort law issue that will resonate with first-year students to provide opportunities for active development of skillsWhat's new in the Second Edition?- edited text throughout the book for greater clarity and accessibility- a new section on contract drafting- the citation appendix and citation style examples now incorporate the Alwd Citation Manual, as well as the Bluebook- a new CD-Rom to accompany the Teacher's Manual, with more examples of key documents, explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of the examples, "how-to" citation grids for students, and additional student exercises

Genres: Legal, Law

600 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1999