Effective Lawyering concisely describes useful, yet often neglected, writing techniques. The book has pithy discussions of: (1) ways to avoid recurring, yet frequently overlooked, writing problems; (2) sensible approaches to writing common legal documents; and (3) methods for preparing an oral argument. In addition, it provides the reader with a series of checklists to turn to when undertaking a writing project or preparing for oral argument. This book is for law students and practitioners who want to be refreshed on the fundamentals of effective lawyering: fundamentals that they likely learned the first year of law school, but perhaps have forgotten.
Austen Parrish is a Professor of Law and Vice Dean at Southwestern Law School. He is also the codirector of the school's Summer Law Program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Professor Parrish teaches courses in Civil Procedure, Civil Pretrial Practice, Federal Courts, International Environmental Law, and Public International Law. While his scholarship focuses primarily on transnational legal issues, he has also taught courses in legal writing and appellate advocacy, and has lectured in the school's academic support program.
Professor Parrish earned his B.A. from the University of Washington, in Seattle, and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. While at Columbia, he served as a Managing Editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and as a student editor of the Columbia Journal of European Law. Prior to entering academia, Professor Parrish was an attorney in the litigation department of O'Melveny & Myers. In addition to teaching at Southwestern, Professor Parrish has taught at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and has lectured for the commercial bar review preparation course Personal Bar Prep. He is a faculty advisor to the Southwestern Journal of International Law and has received awards for his work with Southwestern's Moot Court Honors Program. In 2007, Professor Parrish was honored with the school's excellence in teaching award, and the Irwin R. Buchalter Professorship.
