Writing Sentences That Work: Essentials for Law Students

Lawyers do not have to be poets or novelists, but they must be able to construct prose that is clear, accurate, and concise. Law students (and some lawyers) often lack a sound understanding of how the English language operates in the functional way that is necessary to construct effective sentences. They also often lack understanding of key concepts of grammar and mechanics.

Writing Sentences that Work: Essentials for Law Students targets these common deficiencies. Based on the author's more than 15 years of teaching experience and 30 years of law practice, the book focuses on the most common problems legal writers have, explaining why they are problems―i.e., why these errors interfere with the reader's immediate comprehension, thus impeding the lawyer's mission. The book then explains how to correct the problems and provides related practice exercises. Key concepts of grammar are explained to provide the conceptual understanding and the vocabulary necessary to comprehend the solutions to the problems.

Instructors can use the book as an overall supplement to their legal writing texts, as a supplemental resource for particular students needing extra help, or as targeted help for specific problems manifested by most students in the class. It can also serve as a self-help resource for a student or lawyer seeking to improve.

David E. Boelzner currently teaches at the University of Tulsa College of Law and is a retired Clinical Associate Professor of Law at College of William & Mary.