Elegant Legal Writing

1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-0-520-39579-4
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, Trade Paperback, Format (B × H): 149 mm x 227 mm, Gewicht: 338 g

Elegant Legal Writing helps attorneys elevate their writing from passable to polished. Drawing on ideas from cognitive science, stylistics, and litigation strategy, the book teaches practical techniques by example using fast-paced chapters. Readers will learn the essentials of effective legal composition:

  - Writing clear, efficient prose
- Crafting strong arguments
- Telling a client's story through a compelling narrative
- Overcoming procrastination and drafting more productively

Readability, aesthetics, and argumentation are intertwined. Ryan McCarl shows how litigation documents that are easier and more pleasant to read are more likely to persuade judges and other busy readers. The book also discusses parts of legal writing that many guides overlook, including sentence mechanics, writing technology, and typography.

Autoren/Hrsg.

McCarl, Ryan

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Schreiben und Publizieren, Kreatives Schreiben
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents

Acknowledgments 

Introduction 

PART I STYLE 
1. Core Principles of Legal Writing 
2. Concision 
3. Plain Language 
4. Strong Sentences 
5. Organization and Cohesion 
6. Tone and Professionalism 

PART II SUBSTANCE 
7. Briefs and Motions 
8. Using Legal Authority 
9. Legal Storytelling 

PART III PROCESS 
10. The Mental Game of Writing 
11. Writing with Technology 
12. Document Design 

Notes 
Other Resources 
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Ryan McCarl is a founding partner at Rushing McCarl LLP and an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School. Previously, he was a research fellow in AI law and policy at UCLA School of Law, where he designed and taught a course on advanced legal writing. He has given talks about litigation writing, motion strategy, and appellate advocacy to audiences that include the American Bar Association Litigation Section and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.