A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage - Hardcover

Garner, Bryan A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195043774 ISBN 13: 9780195043778

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1987

Synopsis

The ideal companion to standard legal references

In recent years, the need for clarity and precision in legal writing has been the subject of increasing attention. Until now, however, the unwieldy body of legal usage has remained uncollected and unscrutinized in any systematic way. The first comprehensive guide to style and usage for the legal writer, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage provides accessible, authoritative, and up-to-date information that will enable lawyers, judges, students, scholars, and those who work in other fields concerned with legal language--such as journalism, medicine, business, and finance--to make their legal writing as clear and precise as possible by resolving questions of phraseology, diction, grammar, and style. The entries, arranged alphabetically, discuss distinctions among variant forms of legal terms, expose common pitfalls in legal writing, and include brief essays on such special topics as metaphors, sexism, clichés, initialese, misspellings, preferred spellings, Latinisms, grammar, and distinctions of meaning. In addition, the entries are highlighted with illustrations from such sources as judicial opinions, statutes, briefs, and law review articles. While the focus of the dictionary is on American usage, this is augmented by numerous examples of British usage where appropriate; moreover, Garner discusses legal words not to be found in other dictionaries.
Modern Legal Usage is the ideal companion to standard law dictionaries and fills an important gap in the existing legal reference literature.

FEATURES of A DICTIONARY OF MODERN LEGAL USAGE
* offers comprehensive coverage and alphabetically arranged entries
* contains over 6,000 headwords
* provides a guide to pronunciation
* gives clear, concise definitions
* distinguishes between legal words that are closely related
* discusses topics of interest to legal writers
* lists preferred spellings
* includes brief essays on points of grammar
* uses numerous examples from legal documents
* incorporates abundant cross-references

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BRYAN A. GARNER is currently Visiting Associate Professor of Law at the University of Texas, Austin. Educated at the University of Texas at Austin and at Oxford University, he was an associate editor of Texas Law Review and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Southwestern Legal Foundation, and the American Judicature Society.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Author:
Bryan A. Garner, a visiting professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law, is editor-in-chief of both the Oxford Law Dictionary and the Scribes Journal of Legal Writing. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Elements of Legal Style.

Review:

"Even law libraries that already own the first edition should benefit from Garner's new edition."--Law Library Journal

"Assiduous use of the newly revised Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage will improve mediocre legal writing and enhance good documents. Libraries that serve the legal community and people who read what lawyers write should add this work to their reference collections."--RQ

"The first edition of this book has been praised around the world as both the most reliable guide to legal usage and the most fascinating to read. The second edition outdoes even its predecessor, with more depth, more illustrative quotations, and more proof of Garner's lively literary style. He has surely established himself as the world's leading authority on the language of the law."--Charles Alan Wright

"The well-received Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage has been updated in this superior second edition....Even libraries that have the first edition should consider this new one, which is highly recommended for any law collection in public or academic libraries."--RBB/Booklist

"This dictionary sets the standard for legal usage. It is absolutely indispensable for law libraries, lawyers, and judges, and a wonderful addition to all academic and public library reference collections."--Library Journal

"An impressive enhancement of the original edition....Garner's approach to legal language makes this resource essential to law and social science collections and to all levels of readers, including lawyers."--Choice

"Keep a copy of this book where you write briefs. You will use A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, Second Edition, again and again with confidence and delight. This is one of the best books ever written for lawyers."--The Appellate Practice Journal and Update

"This dictionary is not only useful, it is actually fun to browse in. Its entries are admirably clear and direct, and often clever. If used regularly by enough lawyers, it could put an end to legalese."--The Federal Lawyer

"The first edition was highly regarded; this new edition is even better."--Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing

"Every administrative law judge should have the 9000 entries in this 948-page A-Z law dictionary/style guide handy as they write and edit decisions. This desk reference will assist greatly in clear thinking and writing."--National Association of Administrative Law Judges Newsletter

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0195043774
• ISBN 13: 9780195043778
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 616