The Grammar and Writing Handbook shows you precisely which rules need to be followed, how to choose the correct words, and the most effective way to structure every sentence to help you compose more persuasive, stronger material that's flawlessly written. The book includes a brief history of the English language, as well as comprehensive information on every thing from singular vs. plural, to composing a legal memorandum.

Offers a succinct and practical guide to effective legal writing and to precise legal reading, drawing on both the expertise of professional grammarians and the analytical skills of judges in interpreting legal writing in the courts. Meehan, Deakin University; Tulloch, Flinders University.

Just Writing: Grammar, Punctuation, and Style for the Legal Writer, Sixth Edition

In Point Made, Ross Guberman uses the work of great advocates as the basis of a valuable, step-by-step brief-writing and motion-writing strategy for practitioners. The author takes an empirical approach, drawing heavily on the writings of the nation's 50 most influential lawyers.

“This easy-to-follow guide is useful both as a general course of instruction and as a targeted aid in solving particular legal writing problems.” —Harvard Law Review Clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. For more than twenty years, Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process that will appeal to other professionals: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. Accessible and witty, Legal Writing in Plain English draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through decades of teaching. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting, and the book’s principles are reinforced by sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section. In this new edition, Garner preserves the successful structure of the original while adjusting the content to make it even more classroom-friendly. He includes case examples from the past decade and addresses the widespread use of legal documents in electronic formats. His book remains the standard guide for producing the jargon-free language that clients demand and courts reward. “Those who are willing to approach the book systematically and to complete the exercises will see dramatic improvements in their writing.” —Law Library Journal

Buy anew versionof this Connected Casebook and receiveaccessto theonline e-book,practice questionsfrom your favorite study aids, and anoutline toolon CasebookConnect, the all in one learning solution for law school students. CasebookConnect offers you what you need most to be successful in your law school classes – portability, meaningful feedback, and greater efficiency. The Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers, a brief and accessible reference on mechanics and style, is a useful companion to any legal writing text. Targetedat the needs of legal writers, the text initially focuses on the rules of grammar, style, and usage—with plenty of examples. A section on Legal Documentsoffers strategies to improve legal writing, with sample letters, memorandum, case brief, trial brief, and appellate brief. Numerous, helpful examples showcaseboth good and bad writing. This practical approach helps law students with common problems and dilemmas: substitutions for “legalese,” lists of commonly used legal idioms, spellingtips, advice on organization and the legal writing process, proofreading, and document design. Modeled after handbooks used at the undergraduate level,the Handbook features a small trim size, comb-binding, clear organization, two-color printing, and helpful design elements to highlight importantinformation. Distinctive features designed with the student in mind include Websites for each topic addressed, Tips and Strategies to highlight key topicssuch as breaking writers’ blocks, meeting deadlines, communicating by email and text messaging, ethics notes, and Challenge Exercises in each chapterto test mastery. A brief Table of Contents on the inside front cover and Style Sheet on the inside back cover offer quick reference. Key Features: For all writers, pragmatic and useful information is given on beginning the writing process, tips to meet deadlines, common legal conventions or traditions, common blunders made by legal writers, and proofreading and document design. The fundamental features of legal writing (accuracy, readability, clarity, and brevity) are covered in depth. Quiz or ‘Challenge’ questions test readers’ comprehension of the material and showcase methods to improve writing. Sample documents are provided for the most common types of legal writings, including: Sample demand letter Sample opinion letter Sample legal memorandum Sample trial court brief Sample appellate brief (which includes a table of authorities) Sample case brief Sample litigation document (a complaint for breach of contract) Sample transactional document (a joint venture agreement) Electronic communications are covered–twenty tips for using email in a professional setting are given, along with tips for web conferences, texting, and communicating through social media. The Handbook also includes an Appendix on English as a Second Language, which should be helpful to students and new attorneys whose language of origin is not English. CasebookConnectfeatures: ONLINE E-BOOK Law school comes with a lot of reading, so access your enhanced e-book anytime, anywhere to keep up with your coursework. Highlight, take notes in the margins, and search the full text to quickly find coverage of legal topics. PRACTICE QUESTIONS Quiz yourself before class and prep for your exam in the Study Center. Practice questions fromExamples & Explanations,Emanuel Law Outlines,Emanuel Law in a Flashflashcards, and other best-selling study aid series help you study for exams while tracking your strengths and weaknesses to help optimize your study time. OUTLINE TOOL Most professors will tell you that starting your outline early is key to being successful in your law school classes. The Outline Tool automatically populates your notes and highlights from the e-book into an editable format to accelerate your outline creation and increase study time later in the semester.