This page contains just a few examples of the books the Research Center has to help you develop a voice for writing scholarly legal papers.
Most of the books can be found either on the 3rd floor with a call number of KF250 or on the 2nd floor Reserves also with a call number of KF250.
A Form and Style Manual for Lawyers by
All lawyers write, and the documents they write must be clear, technically perfect, and effective. This concise manual guides lawyers, law students, and paralegals through all phases of the writing process, from preparing to write to polishing a finished draft. Written in accessible, easy-to-understand language, it offers practical suggestions on outlining and establishing deadlines as well as comprehensive, jargon-free advice on grammar, punctuation, usage, document formatting, editing and proofreading. The manual is written by an experienced teacher and practitioner and is intended as a reference for lawyers at all levels of experience who know what they want to write but who might have forgotten the details of the more mechanical aspects of writing. Uncluttered by lengthy examples or exercises, this short reference work provides brief illustrations to clarify the text and focuses on helping writers produce legal documents of all types that are easily read, technically accurate, and effective.
The Modern Rules of Style by
This instant classic will take its place next to Strunk and White's Elements of Style on every lawyer's shelf. It's a concise guide on how to write sentences that captivate and communicate. In ten chapters, readers will learn proper use of punctuation, tricks for spicing up prose, and also what not to do, via numerous examples. It's a book that will be referred to again and again, and is suitable for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills.
Guide to Legal Writing Style by
This highly regarded paperback, specifically directed at legal writers, offers - crisp, pointed advice written in a personal and humorous style - lucid organization that helps students find the information they need most, including organization, sentence structure, word choice, punctuation, and formatting - helpful examples of both good and bad writing that demonstrate the practical application of the author's advice - an emphasis on legal ethics throughout, with most of the examples and exercises focusing on ethical issues - a chapter on organization that compares and contrasts undergraduate terms and goals with those of a legal audience - a guide that helps students guard against plagiarism - short, end-of-chapter exercises, with the answers at the back of the book, that strengthen skills and provide opportunities for self-testing Special features in the Fourth Edition include: - an updated interactive CD-ROM with multiple exercises to reinforce the materials in the book, which includes updated and expanded tests of basic skills and click-on answers and explanations - a new section explaining common errors in professional writing and how to avoid making them - new checklists that reinforce essential advice of each chapter When you examine your complimentary copy of this popular paperback, you will agree that Guide to Legal Writing Style, Fourth Edition -- concise, to the point, focused on the nuances of legal writing -- is the perfect ancillary text for any legal writing course.
Legal Writing by
Designed as a desktop reference for legal writers, the fifth edition of this book adds new entries and updates current entries, provides reference material and guidance on improving one's legal writing, includes a large index with cross-references under each entry, and addresses common questions legal writers have. Covering issues small and large, it offers quick, reliable answers.
Plain English for Lawyers, Fifth Edition by
The National Jurist featured Plain English for Lawyers in its August 2021 list of "Three Books to Read During Law School," saying, "This one speaks for itself. The book is a quick punch of information: it provides helpful tips to improve your legal writing while familiarizing you with many of the terms of art you are likely to see down the road as a legal professional." Wydick's Plain English for Lawyers--now in its fifth edition--has been a favorite of law students, legal writing teachers, lawyers, and judges for almost 40 years. In January 2005, the Legal Writing Institute gave Wydick its Golden Pen Award for having written Plain English for Lawyers. The Legal Writing Institute is a non-profit organization that provides a forum for discussion and scholarship about legal writing, analysis, and research. The Institute has over 1,300 members representing all of the ABA-accredited law schools in the United States. Its membership also includes law teachers from other nations, English teachers, and practicing lawyers. The LWI award states: "Plain English for Lawyers ... has become a classic. Perhaps no single work has done more to improve the writing of lawyers and law students and to promote the modern trend toward a clear, plain style of legal writing." The National Jurist recently featured Plain English for Lawyers on its list of "Three Books to Read During Law School," saying, "This one speaks for itself. The book is a quick punch of information: it provides helpful tips to improve your legal writing while familiarizing you with many of the terms of art you are likely to see down the road as a legal professional." How does the fifth edition of Plain English for Lawyers differ from its predecessors? It remains (in size only!) a little book, small enough and palatable enough not to intimidate over-loaded law students. "Most of the text remains the same," Wydick says, "but in the past seven years I've learned some new things about writing in English, and I want to share that with the readers." In addition, the exercises at the end of the chapters are different (a welcome change for long-time teachers who are tired of the old ones). Finally, the teacher's manual includes additional exercises that teachers can give to students who want or need extra practice.
The Lawyer's Guide to Writing Well by
This eminently practical volume demystifies legal writing, outlines the causes and consequences of bad writing, and prescribes straightforward, easy-to-apply remedies that will make your writing readable. Complete with usage notes that address lawyers' most common errors, this well-organized book is both an invaluable tool for practicing lawyers and a sensible grounding for law students. This much-revised second edition contains a set of editing exercises (and a suggested revision key with explanations) to test your skill. This book is a definitive guide to becoming a better writer--and a better lawyer.
The Legal Imagination by
White extends his theory of law as constitutive rhetoric, asking how one may criticize the legal culture and the texts within it. "A fascinating study of the language of the law. . . . This book is to be highly recommended: certainly, for those who find the time to read it, it will broaden the mind, and give lawyers a new insight into their role."--New Law Journal
Hereof, Thereof, and Everywhereof by
Written by a business lawyer for business lawyers, this book describes the basic of legal drafting as well as specific types of documents, such as agreements, securities prospectuses, and promissory notes.
The Tao of Legal Writing by
The Tao of Legal Writing is designed for upper-level law students, paralegals, and practitioners. The book's goal is to help teach "the way" of legal writing in the Taoist style: legal writing becomes easier when you work with--rather than resist--what already exists in terms of expectations, structures, and resources. It is an advanced legal writing book, but one that focuses as much on concepts as on mechanics. Existing advanced legal writing books provide more detail than basic legal writing texts and could not be described as a "quick read" for someone wanting a refresher after several years of practice or for someone anticipating a summer clerkship during law school. The Tao of Legal Writing is that quick read; it includes concrete examples and descriptions, but the goal is to get the reader to think differently about writing. Rather than provide greater detail to drill in the same skills that are covered in first-year legal writing programs, the book attempts to give a reader who already has a basic understanding a new framework for viewing legal writing.
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |