Customer Reviews

Effective Lawyering: A Checklist Approach to Legal Writing and Oral Argument

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Effective Lawyering is a very helpful book - it replaced several other legal writing/argument books I used before. The checklists were particularly convenient and useful. I also really liked the examples at the end with the comments explaining why they were good samples. I have never seen that before in a book, and it was great to be able to turn to a sample and immediately understand what to pull from it. Also, it was very easy to read.

I am not a lawyer - but my clients and prospects are. Thus I receive many pleadings and briefs and not infrequently prepare background papers on various aspects of technology that will be incorporated in one way or another into briefs and memoranda. I also write for an audience of lawyers.

So, from time to time, I will read books on legal writing in order to understand what my clients face and to be better able to communicate with them.

Many books on legal writing are boring and, frankly, don't do a good job at explaining the mechanism of communicating.

"Effective Lawyering", on the other hand, is a little gem. It bills itself as "A checklist approach to legal writing and oral argument". And that is precisely what it is.

In seven chapters (six of them devoted to writing and one to preparing for oral argument), the authors crisply distill the essence of legal writing and argumentation. The authors claim their book is intended for those who have "learned or are learning the basics of legal writing, and at most needs only reminding of what they [the basics] are".

The first part of each chapter is a discussion of various does-and-don'ts, such as (in the first chapte), grammar, warning not to use cliches and so on. Then there is the checklist. Commonsense things, but often forgotten in the midst of deadlines - and that is the beauty of this little book. It's like a coach going over the play with you one last time.

While definitely geared toward lawyers, the book will serve well in a number of other roles, such as determining the skills of your own lawyer. If a lawyer can't write so that you understand their output, you may have a problem. Many of the checklist items are appropriate to any form of persuasive writing.

Overall, this is an excellent little reference on legal writing or any form of writing that is intended to persuade and convince the logical reader of the rightness of your views.

Jerry

I spent fall 2005 researching and drafting this book for Professor Parrish. My assignment was simple: (1) collect all the legal writing books in Southwestern Law School's library, and (2) boil entire chapters on oral argument, lanugage composition, or trial court briefs into a single page. This book is the most concise synthesis on legal writing that I have ever seen. I frequently use it as a judicial clerk at the Nevada Supreme Court and have lent it to other clerks. I am hopeful that you will enjoy it and find it equally useful.

Effective Lawyering is the perfect book to help both students and practicing attorneys write clearly and concisely, whether for objective memos or for trial and appellate briefs. The book also has an excellent chapter on oral argument. The authors offer outstanding advice on everything from formatting (how many other writing books discuss widowed and orphaned text?) to academic writing. The checklists are invaluable. This book is a jewel.

I highly recommend this book not only for your legal writing class but for any law course, seminar, and the work field. The authors have presented their approach to legal writing that is concise, practical and easy to follow. Definitely a MUST-HAVE for law school and the legal profession.

As a student, it is difficult to get straightforward advice on how to write like a lawyer. Effective Lawyering is a useful reference guide to writing clearly and concisely, broken down into workable topics which can be used by anyone. I highly recommend this book and will always keep a copy close by.

The book is extremely useful, both for attorneys and law students. I used the book as a student and I still use it as a newly admitted attorney. This book covers all aspects of legal writing, from basic formatting and common grammatical mistakes to drafting law review articles and appellate briefs. It is an excellent and to the point review of what I learned in my first-year legal writing course and more. Also I find the checklists that followed each chapter very practical.

This book is predominantly meant for the American reader as it is based on American legal forms of practice. But after going through it severally, I must recommend it for all lawyers especially of the common law practice domain. The emphasis on simplicity in legal expression and the useful examples on how to draft the usual memoranda, correspondence, briefs, opinions will be very useful not just to the younger lawyers hoping to avoid the common and frequent mistakes, but also to senior lawyers. It adds to the finer strokes of the practice.

Of all of the books that I purchased during law school, this is the only one that I kept and was able to reuse for my other classes. Not only did I use it in my legal writing class, but was able to utilize it in my writing seminar classes. The checklists and samples were extremely helpful. Great book!

Excellent source for review of legal writing maxims for the new or seasoned attorney. I purchased this book as a resource for the paralegal legal writing class I teach at a community college. I found it well organized in clear and concise language. I highly recommend it as a staple in anyone's library.