Clear and effective legal writing / 4th ed.

Table Of Contents:
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction xxiii
The Importance of Legal Writing xxiii
Some Comments on the Way This Book Is Organized and Written xxiii

Part I Learning to Read Legal Materials 1(88)

A Short History of Legal Language 3(12)

Characteristics of Traditional Legal Writing 3(1)

Poor Writing 3(1)

Archaic Constructions 4(1)

Why Legal Writing Is the Way It Is 4(1)

Foundations of Legal Writing 5(8)

Historical Factors 5(2)

Sociological Factors 7(2)

Political Factors 9(2)

Jurisprudential Factors 11(2)

Attitudes Toward Traditional Legal Writing 13(2)

Conservative Audiences 13(1)

Forms and Model Documents 13(1)

Memos and Briefs 14(1)

Categories of Legal Writing 15(4)

Sources of Law and Our System of Courts 19(8)

The Litigation Process 27(16)

Preparing and Serving the Complaint 27(4)

Pretrial Proceedings and Procedures 31(6)

Responsive Pleadings: Responding to the Complaint 31(1)

The Answer 31(3)

Motion to Dismiss 34(1)

Motion for Summary Judgment 34(1)

Discovery: Discovering What Happened 35(1)

Interrogatories 36(1)

Document Production 36(1)

Depositions 37(1)

The Trial Brief 37(1)

The Trial 38(5)

Selecting the Jury 39(1)

Opening Statements 39(1)

The Cases-in-Chief 40(1)

Motions after the Cases-in-Chief 40(1)

Rebuttal 40(1)

Closing the Trial 40(1)

Motions Following the Verdict 41(1)

Motion for a Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict 41(1)

Motion for a New Trial 41(2)

Reading, Analyzing, and Briefing a Case 43(12)

How to Approach a Case: A Primer 43(2)

Case Briefs 45(10)

What Is a Case Brief? 45(1)

Why Brief a Case? 45(1)

Sample Case and Case Brief 45(4)

Discussion of Sample Brief 49(1)

The Names of the Parties and the Court 49(1)

The Procedural Posture of the Case 50(1)

Statement of Facts 50(1)

Statement of the Issue 51(1)

Holding of the Case 52(1)

Rationale 52(1)

Comments and Criticisms 53(2)

Synthesizing the Law from a Series of Cases 55(34)

Dillon v. Legg 56(5)

Krouse v. Graham 61(5)

Thing v. La Chusa 66(5)

Fife v. Astenius 71(2)

Wilks v. Hom 73(6)

Bird v. Saenz 79(6)

Sample Memorandum 85(4)

Part II Learning to Write Legal Documents 89(154)

A Systematic Approach to Legal Writing 91(4)

Pre-writing Stage 91(2)

Writing Stage 93(1)

Post-writing Stage 93(2)

Understanding Your Context 95(46)

Determining the Purpose 95(12)

Specifying Your Purposes 96(1)

Ranking Your Purposes 97(1)

Accomplishing Your Purposes 98(1)

Dealing with Conflicting Purposes 99(1)

Writing for Multiple Purposes: An Example 100(3)

Exercises 103(4)

Identifying the Audience 107(22)

Lawyers' Audiences 107(2)

Writing for Multiple Audiences 109(1)

Writing for Conflicting Audiences 110(1)

Classifying the Audience 110(1)

Identifying Your Audience 110(1)

Analyzing Your Audience 111(2)

The Unfamiliar Audience 113(1)

Writing for a Specific Audience: Some Examples 114(7)

Writing for Multiple Audiences: An Example 121(6)

Exercises 127(2)

Identifying Your Constraints 129(12)

Constraints of Time and Space 129(1)

Format Requirements 130(2)

Citation Constraints 132(1)

Constraints on Content 133(2)

Exercises 135(6)

Getting Organized 141(22)

Why Organize? 141(1)

How to Organize an Expository Document 142(5)

Providing a Context 142(2)

Presenting the Substance of the Document 144(1)

Writing the Conclusion 145(1)

Organizing an Expository Document: An Example 145(2)

How to Organize a Complex Legal Document 147(7)

Identifying and Presenting Issues 148(1)

Presenting the Rule 149(1)

Application: Analyzing Facts and Law 149(1)

Anticipating Counterarguments 150(1)

Providing a Conclusion 150(1)

Organizing a Complex Legal Document: An Example 151(3)

The Importance of Headings 154(9)

Exercises 157(6)

Writing Clearly 163(40)

Guideline 1: Write Short Sentences 163(3)

Exercises 165(1)

Guideline 2: Put the Parts of Each Sentence in a Logical Order 166(2)

Exercises 167(1)

Guideline 3: Avoid Intrusive Phrases and Clauses 168(2)

Exercises 170(1)

Guideline 4: Untangle Complex Conditionals 170(3)

Exercises 172(1)

Guideline 5: Use the Active Voice Whenever Possible 173(3)

Exercises 176(1)

Guideline 6: Use Verb Clauses and Adjectives Instead of Nominalizations 176(2)

Exercises 178(1)

Guideline 7: Use the Positive Unless You Want to Emphasize the Negative 178(3)

Exercises 180(1)

Guideline 8: Use Parallel Structure 181(2)

Exercises 182(1)

Guideline 9: Avoid Ambiguity in Words and Sentences 183(5)

Ambiguity at the Word Level 183(1)

Ambiguity at the Sentence Level 184(3)

Intentional Ambiguity 187(1)

Exercises 188(1)

Guideline 10: Choose Vocabulary with Care 188(4)

Eliminate or Change Archaic or Unnecessary Words 188(1)

Replace Difficult Words or Legal Jargon with Words Your Readers Will Know 189(1)

Define or Explain Technical Terms 190(1)

Exercises 191(1)

Guideline 11: Avoid Noun Strings 192(2)

Exercises 193(1)

Guideline 12: Eliminate Redundancy and Extraneous Words; Avoid Overspecificity 194(2)

Exercises 196(1)

Guideline 13: Use an Appropriate Style 196(7)

Use the Correct Point of View, Labels, and Pronouns 196(2)

Use the Correct Tense 198(1)

Use a Formal but Not Pompous Style 199(1)

Use an Appropriate Approach 200(1)

Review Exercises 201(2)

Writing Effectively 203(22)

Step One: Developing a Logical Argument 203(11)

Deductive Reasoning in Law 204(1)

Expanding the Syllogism into a Legal Argument 205(1)

The Major Premise 206(3)

The Minor Premise 209(2)

The Conclusion 211(2)

Faulty Logic 213(1)

Exercises 213(1)

Step Two: Using Effective Writing Techniques 214(11)

Assessing Your Audience 214(1)

Emphasizing Effective and Appropriate Information 215(1)

Using Appropriate Writing Techniques 216(1)

Emphasizing Positive Information 217(3)

De-emphasizing Negative Information 220(3)

Exercises 223(2)

Reviewing and Editing 225(18)

Writing as a Process 225(1)

Reviewing, Revising, and Editing 225(18)

Checking for Appropriateness 227(3)

Exercises 230(1)

Checking for Effectiveness 231(2)

Exercises 233(2)

Checking for Correctness 235(5)

Exercises 240(3)

Part III Creating Specific Legal Documents 243(142)

Writing an Intraoffice Memorandum 245(22)

What Is a Memorandum? 245(1)

The Structure of a Memo 246(3)

Outline 246(1)

Explanation of the Parts of a Memo 246(1)

Heading 246(1)

Background and Purpose 247(1)

Statement of the Issues 247(1)

Short Answer 248(1)

Statement of the Facts 248(1)

Applicable Statutes 249(1)

Discussion 249(1)

Conclusion 249(1)

Writing a Memo: Two Examples 249(18)

Writing a Memorandum of Points and Authorities 267(14)

What Is a Memorandum of Points and Authorities? 267(1)

Sample Memorandum of Points and Authorities 267(14)

Writing an Appellate Brief 281(104)

What Is an Appellate Brief on the Merits? 281(65)

The Structure of a Brief 282(1)

Outline 282(1)

Explanation of the Parts of a Brief 283(32)

Writing an Appellate Brief: An Example 315(31)

What Is a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari? 346(12)

What Is an Amicus Curiae Brief? 358(27)

Appendix A: An Overview of English Sentence Structure 385(64)

Common Sentence Patterns 385(19)

The Active Voice 385(1)

Subject → Verb (S → V) 385(2)

Subject → Verb → Object (S → V → O) 387(1)

Exercises 388(1)

The Linking Verb 389(1)

Subject = Linking Verb = Complement (S = LV = C) 389(2)

Exercises 391(1)

There = Linking Verb = Subject (Th = LV = S) 392(2)

Exercises 394(1)

The Passive Voice 395(1)

Subject ← Verb (S ← V) 395(2)

Exercises 397(1)

Subject ← Passive Verb → Object (S ← V →) 398(1)

Exercises 399(1)

More Complex Constructions 400(1)

Active Sentences with Direct and Indirect Objects 400(1)

Active Sentences with Object and Complement 401(1)

Exercises 402(1)

Summary 403(1)

Review Exercises 403(1)

Word Groups That Function as Units 404(17)

Compound Sentence Elements 405(1)

Groups of Words Can Function as Units 405(1)

Compound Structures Serving as Necessary Elements 405(2)

Exercises 407(1)

Entire Phrases as Subjects, Objects, or Complements 408(2)

Exercises 410(1)

Clauses 411(1)

Independent Clauses 411(1)

Dependent Clauses 412(1)

Relative Clauses 413(2)

Dependent Clauses as Part of an Independent Clause 415(1)

Exercises 416(1)

Clauses Serving as Modifiers 417(1)

Exercises 418(2)

Summary 420(1)

Review Exercises 420(1)

Correcting Serious Errors 421(28)

Subject-Verb Agreement 421(2)

Problems Created When the Subject and Verb Are Separated 423(1)

Exercises 423(1)

Problems Created When the Number of the Subject Is Unclear 424(5)

Exercises 429(1)

More Complex Problems with Separated Subjects and Verbs 429(2)

Exercises 431(1)

Incomplete Sentences 432(1)

Leaving Out Necessary Parts of the Clause 432(2)

Exercises 434(1)

Letting a Dependent Clause Stand Alone 434(2)

Exercises 436(1)

Putting Only Part of a Verb in the Main Clause 437(1)

Exercises 438(1)

Garbled Sentences 439(1)

Problems with Tangled Lists and Misplaced Modifiers 439(3)

Exercises 442(1)

Problems with Mismatched Beginnings and Endings 443(4)

Exercises 447(1)

Summary 448(1)

Appendix B: Formatting Legal Documents 449(12)

The Importance of Format in Legal Documents 449(1)

The Components of Graphic Design 450(1)

Meeting Length Requirements 451(1)

Structure 452(6)

Headings 452(2)

Capitals 454(1)

Spacing 455(1)

Position 456(1)

Type Styles 457(1)

Type Size 458(1)

White Space 458(1)

Special Treatments 459(2)

Quotations 459(1)

Key Point 460(1)

Lists 460(1)
Index 461