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Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "What's your biggest challenge as a writer?..." (more)
Key Phrases: genuine fact issue, appellate complaint, published legal writing, Advanced Find, New York, United States (more...)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful-unfortunately, these adjectives rarely describe legal writing, whether in the form of briefs, opinions, contracts, or statutes. In Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The book encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. In essence, it teaches straight thinking—a skill inseparable from good writing.

Replete with common sense and wit, the book draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through more than a decade of teaching in the field. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting. Meanwhile, Garner explores important aspects of document design. Basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section reinforce the book's principles. (An answer key to basic exercises is included in the book; answers to intermediate and advanced exercises are provided in a separate Instructor's Manual, free of charge to instructors.) Appendixes include a comprehensive punctuation guide with advice and examples, and four model documents.

Today more than ever before, legal professionals cannot afford to ignore the trend toward clear language shorn of jargon. Clients demand it, and courts reward it. Despite the age-old tradition of poor writing in law, Legal Writing in Plain English shows how legal writers can unshackle themselves.

Legal Writing in Plain English includes:

*Tips on generating thoughts, organizing them, and creating outlines.
*Sound advice on expressing your ideas clearly and powerfully.
*Dozens of real-life writing examples to illustrate writing problems and solutions.
*Exercises to reinforce principles of good writing (also available on the Internet).
*Helpful guidance on page layout.
*A punctuation guide that shows the correct uses of every punctuation mark.
*Model legal documents that demonstrate the power of plain English.

From the Inside Flap

In Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The book encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and sharpen editing skills. In essence, it teaches straight thinking—a skill inseparable from good writing.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (June 24, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0226284174
ISBN-13: 978-0226284170
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #845,950 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
What's your biggest challenge as a writer? Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
genuine fact issue, appellate complaint, published legal writing, paragraph opener, echo link, bankrupt partner, conspiracy claim, civil conspiracy, legal drafting, handicapped stalls, property closing, person having control, descending importance, paying quantities, alarm service, platform lift, average sentence length, shorthand names, writing group, legal writers

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Advanced Find, New York, United States, Intermediate Find, Exercises Basic Find, Additional Property Seller, Escrow Agent, First Amendment, Issuing Bank, Ohio App, Binary Coastal, Boston Fair Housing Commission, Editing Method, Maine Casualty, Spill Bill, Delivery Date, General Laws, Glenn Mill, Los Angeles, Mega Electronics, Rudolf Flesch, Silver Sidings, Anaptyxis Corporation, Charles Alan Wright, Dictionary of Modern American Usage

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 53 books:

A Dictionary of Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner on 5 pages
A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage (Oxford Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage) by Bryan A. Garner on 5 pages
The Careful Writer by Theodore M. Bernstein on page 72, page 141, and Back Matter
The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr. on page 110, page 140, and Back Matter
Modern American Usage: A Guide by Wilson Follett on page 84, page 141, and Back Matter

See all 53 books this book cites

1 book cites this book:

The Writing Coach by Lee Clark Johns on page 253

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Elements of Legal Style by Bryan A. Garner

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	83% buy the item featured on this page: Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) 4.5 out of 5 stars (22)
	6% buy The Elements of Legal Style 4.6 out of 5 stars (16) $19.80
	4% buy The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style (2d Ed.) 4.9 out of 5 stars (12) $32.76
	4% buy A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage (Oxford Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage) 5.0 out of 5 stars (11) $19.77

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Garner Strikes Another Blow for Good Prose, March 30, 2003

By	louienapoli "louieb" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises (Paperback)

Bryan A. Garner is leading what might be a Quixotic charge to make lawyers write clear, clean, unambiguous and even interesting prose. This book is a recent addition to the Garner arsenal, which includes the excellent The Winning Brief and A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage. The anonymous writer from New York who slams Garner is wrong. He claims that traditional legal drafting has stood the test of time and is readily understood by judges, who ultimately have to interpret it. If the writing were clear to begin with, the parties wouldn't get to a judge. They'd likely settle. And that writer ignores the fact that there are thousands, perhaps millions, of legal decisions over contract disputes, almost all arising from documents that were "traditionally drafted." And different judges can decide differently about the meaning of a clause. That writer askes rhetorically whether Garner would insist that mathematicians use prose to make their work clear to laypeople. The rhetoric ignores the fact that mathematics is its own language. Legal writing is written in English, the same English used to buy groceries, talk lovingly to your spouse, and complain to the doctor about what ails you. There is no valid reason a contract should be beyond the comprehension of a layperson, other than lawyers' need to feel like they're elevated professionals with a grip on arcana. And the writer's praise of "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary" as an incantatory phrase in contracts overlooks an obvious improvement: "DESPITE anything in this agreement to the contrary . . . ." Garner is a brilliant, insightful teacher who cares deeply about the language and its highest and best use. We know what happens with legalese: litigation and contention and noncomprehension. Give plain English a try, with Garner as your guide to Aquinas's trinity of wholeness, harmony, radiance, and of course clarity clarity clarity.

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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense for people who need it., December 3, 2002

By A Customer

The point of Garner's book is to write for the reader. This book would be helpful to any lawyer, if only because it forces us to think about how and why we are writing.

Too often, writers treat style manuals as if they were infallible--written on stone tablets by a divine author. Garner's book is not perfect and cannot be applied with a thoughtless rigor. As an appellate lawyer, I generally try to follow Garner's style, but sometimes it doesn't fit.

The corporate lawyer who complained about the book did not read it closely enough. Garner opposes thoughtless attachment to legalese, but he acknowledges that sometimes legal writers have to use terms of art. He also urges writers to be concise. I don't know where the corporate lawyer got the idea that Garner advocates "two pages of easily accessible prose over two sentences of conventional drafting," but it is not from this book.

Accept or reject Garner's advice as you wish, but thinking about clear writing will make you a better lawyer. Most of what Garner writes is common sense, but it's common sense legal writers often lack.

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Guide!, September 3, 2002

By A Customer

I strongly agree with five of the six amazon.com reviews, which are highly favorable and award five stars. This book is beautifully written, well organized, and eminently sound. Garner tackles the difficult job of convincing staid, inflexible lawyers to abandon the age-old practice of using incomprehensible legalese and thus ensuring that their contracts will have to be translated for those whose lives are affected by them and later interpreted in costly litigation.

Most prestigious lawyers, law firms, and judges strongly favor Garner's plain-language approach to drafting. For example, the late Charles Alan Wright, a brilliant Supreme Court lawyer and noted author, called Garner "the world's leading authority on the language of the law." And the Texas Supreme Court enlisted Garner's aid in redrafting the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. So it's hard to believe that judges would generally prefer "conventional drafting" over the clear, accessible language that Garner advocates.

The five five-star reviews of the book on this website came from a law professor, a practicing lawyer, a book reviewer, and two others who appear to be nonlawyers. I wondered if the anonymous New York corporate lawyer who gave the book a meager one star knew something that everyone else didn't. So I checked for reviews from highly respected sources. And I found that Harvard Law Review, the Law Library Journal, and Trial have all published very favorable reviews of this book.

The plain-language drafting recommended in this book is widely viewed as beneficial, not only by nonlawyers, but also by highly skilled lawyers who seek to avoid ambiguity and litigation and who strive to improve the tarnished image of lawyers generally. I believe that Garner's approach would be condemned only by a few rich corporate lawyers who thrive by making themselves indispensable in drafting, translating, and later litigating the long, dense form contracts that they produce.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is: a great resource and self-instructional device
In this book published by the University of Chicago Press, Bryan Garner has assembled an interesting collection of exercises and instructions. Read more

Published 3 months ago by J. Edvenson

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Simply put, this is a handy writing guide for lawyers. Just casually flipping through this book for a few minutes will make you a better writer. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Tax Lawyer

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for self-checking your work
This reference book is a great tool for prompting the editing of your own work. Often I will write something and after I have edited it then I will take a look at a few random... Read more

Published 20 months ago by M. O'Neill

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING
The book is excellent. It teaches you everything about legal writing: design, grammar, persuasive writing, organized ideas and punctuation. Don't forget the exercises. Read more

Published on May 10, 2007 by Diego F. Ocampo

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great look
The book was everything i wanted. Very helpful, intricate, detailed, and just what i needed for my legal writing class. Read more

Published on March 21, 2007 by Kychel Smith

1.0 out of 5 stars Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises
Garner's book helps to answer the many lawyer questions you get asked when trying to write legal documents or multiple-user documents in Plain Talk. Read more

Published on January 15, 2007 by Dr. B.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
This is an excellent book for law students, paralegals and lawyers. I have been learning so much with it. Read more

Published on January 9, 2007 by MBurke

5.0 out of 5 stars legal writing in plain english: a text with exercise
I am satified with the service

Published on July 2, 2006 by Nkemka Ossia

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected.
I am pleasantly surprised by the readability of this useful book. The book kept my attention, and it was very helpful and informative.

Published on October 24, 2005 by W. Thein

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy advice only exceeded by challenging exercises
Bryan Garner brings clarity and insight to the confounding world of legal writing. "Legal Writing in Plain English" contains dozens of comments and guidelines that should be... Read more

Published on September 19, 2005 by Scott Schiefelbein

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