Legal Writing: Form and Function - Hardcover

Richmond, Jane N.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1556816960 ISBN 13: 9781556816963

Publisher: Natl Inst for Trial Advocacy, 2002

Synopsis

Every lawyer can be a good writer. According to Jane N. Richmond in her eagerly awaited new book, Legal Writing: Form and Function, legal writing does not have to be wordy, awkward, or convoluted. Instead, it can be direct, concise, clear, engaging, and persuasive. Even the most complicated concepts can be expressed clearly if the lawyer applies the principles of good writing style.

Legal Writing: Form and Function is designed for lawyers at all levels of practice as well as for law students. More comprehensive than Richard Wydick's popular book, Plain English for Lawyers, Legal Writing: Form and Function contains detailed chapters on seven major topics: Style, Persuasion, Writing with Flair, Grammar, Punctuation, The Writing Process, and Paragraph Structure.

In the Style and Punctuation chapters, Richmond includes 45 more topics than Wydick's book. Advance readers of Legal Writing: Form and Function claim that it is one of the most concise and easy-to-use guides available on the subject.

Legal Writing: Form and Function contains more than 90 sets of exercises on topics ranging from the basics, such as choosing correct pronouns in a series, to the subtleties of gauging the tone of a brief. All examples in the book are drafted by practicing attorneys, and the materials come from writings related to practice such as memoranda, briefs, and letters. Throughout the book, Richmond helps students and attorneys identify gaps in their writing background, develop the skills to fill them, and write effectively with confidence.

About this title

About the Author

Jane N. Richmond, Ph.D., is the Director of the Writing Program at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, where she has taught writing to hundreds of lawyers since 1982. With a Ph.D. in English and 30 years' teaching experience, Richmond has a broad-based background that enables her to understand lawyers' writing weaknesses firsthand. To address these problems, she developed time-tested techniques for success, which are collected for the first time in Legal Writing: Form and Function.

Review

"For those who care about the craft of legal writing, this book is indispensable." -- Stephen Armstrong, Director of Career Development, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering

"This book is a gem. It is lucid, concrete, and comprehensive." -- Robert P. Lawry, Professor of Law, Director, Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

"This is a solid book... it is sound, informative, and accessible." -- Trial Magazine, September 2002

Edition details

• Publisher: Natl Inst for Trial Advocacy
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1556816960
• ISBN 13: 9781556816963
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 277