ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation

by Association of Legal Writing Directors, Darby Dickerson

Part One covers general terms and procedures, including information on local citation formats and on how word processors can affect citations.

Part Two, Citation Basics, addresses those key concepts used when citing most types of legal sources. The author encourages students should read Part Two before attempting to cite any particular source.

Part Three provides citation formats for print versions of various primary and secondary sources. These rules are used to determine how to cite a specific source, such as a case or legal periodical.

Part Four describes the citation of electronic materials, including sources available on LEXIS, Westlaw, and the Internet. This part also contains information about the relatively new concept of neutral citation formats.

Part Five, Incorporating Citations into Documents, explains how to insert citations into various kinds of documents such as memos, or law-review articles. It also addresses other important concepts used when writing documents that contains legal citations, such as when and how to use introductory signals and how to use parenthetical explanations.

Part Six discusses how to quote material and how to properly reflect alterations to and omissions from quoted material.

Part Seven consists of various appendices, including one on court-specific formats and another that lists commonly used abbreviations. In addition, a full-text sample of a legal memorandum demonstrates how to insert citations.

Genres: Law, Reference

661 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[John J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

New edition! Now with fiber!

A perusal of the preface's list of the most notable changes or additions to this Third Edition of the ALWD Manual reveals that, despite rapid technological and social evolution in the field of legal citation, few things have actually changed in the three year era since the last edition. But I can tell that you are starving to know what new and scrumptious citation morsels await, so here goes:

"Rule 2.3 now permits abbreviation of "U.S." in case citations that appear in textual sentences."

"Sidebar 3.1 provides a list of prepositions commonly used in titles. New Rule 3.4 addresses capitalization rules for titles in French, German, and Spanish."

"[Rule 11:] has been clarified to explain when the term "at" is used in short citation formats."

"New sections have been added [to Rule 23:] about how to cite letters to the editor, cartoons and comic strips, and advertisements."

"New Rule 40.3 explains how to cite weblogs."

"New Rule 48.3 addresses the relatively rare situation when an author needs to insert a footnote into the middle of a block quotation."

Mmmm... that really whets your appetite, doesn't it? In all seriousness, the ALWD Manual is still superior to the Bluebook... except for the minor detail that no one actually uses it in practice. It is better organized, has more useful and easier to find examples, and where the citation format differs from the Bluebook, ALWD tends to be more logical and elegant.

I give ALWD two stars because no one in the general public should ever want to pick it up. If you are a lawyer (or law student), consider this a four-star* review.

Bon appetit!

(* minus four stars if your school/office/court requires Bluebook citation)

[John J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

ALWD is the neglected step-child of the legal reference family, which is a shame because it's a nicely presented, clearly arranged set of logical citation rules and guidelines. If you had to choose a legal citation product, which source would you trust: 1) a diverse group of legal writing scholars known as the Association of Legal Writing Directors working with a leading authority on American legal citation, or 2) a bunch of stressed elitist law students seeking to pad their resumes with work on the law review and that godawful blue-thing?

Well, it doesn't matter because no one in the real world of legal practice uses ALWD. So grab your Bluebook and "keep it greasy so it'll go down easy."

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

How sad is it, that not only does the law have it's own dictionary, but it needs it's own citation manual too.

[Kersten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fast Formats, Snapshots, and appendices were very useful. The publisher also conveniently included reusable flags so you can mark sections you need/use a lot.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Onto the Blue Book.