How to Do Well in Legal Writing
It may seem obvious, but I`ll say it anyway: resist the urge to name your opponents or be unnecessarily emotional in your writing. Instead, explain why your opponent`s arguments are useless by appealing to reason and fairness. The book Indigo was compiled by a team of students from New York University School of Law led by Professor Christopher Jon Sprigman. The book includes legal citations for U.S. legal documents, as well as books, journals, and electronic resources. According to Sprigman, “anyone using the Indigo book will create memos, memos, legal review articles, and other legal documents with citations consistent with the uniform citation system.” The most common advice that writers give to those who want to improve their writing skills is to read – this applies to any type of writing. To specifically improve your legal writing skills, find good legal and business writers and read their article. These can be legal documents, but also books, blogs and articles. Allow enough time first, even if it will be difficult. Legal writing expert Bryan Garner acknowledged that “modern legal practice does not tolerate the kind of review process required to make a polished product.” Garner`s Dictionary of Legal Usage 533 (3rd edition 2011). That may be true, but you should still try to give yourself more time to edit.
How long? A professional recommends half the time for a writing project. Debra Hart May, Proofreading Plain and Simple 46 (1997). Can you afford that? Can your customers? It`s up to you, but more editing means better writing. Early drafts should never be considered a finished document. They only work for what they are: a plan. It`s important to learn how to edit your writing. In addition, you must not only read your draft, but also edit it several times before you can call it a final document. In fact, sometimes you have to completely rewrite it to get it to the version it should be. “Reading aloud is something authors often don`t do.
After all, readers probably won`t. But those who don`t bother to read their texts aloud lack an easy way to find and solve problems. – Robert Wood, Why Reading Aloud Will Dramatically Improve Your Writing Here are some tools and services to help you draft your legal documents: Adverbs are words that modify an adjective, verb or adverb. When drafting a law, ask yourself if the adverbs you use are useless. Eliminating adverbs is one way to make legal drafting more concise. Clear communication (or lack thereof) can decide or undo your client`s case, so it`s no surprise that our clients regularly ask us to find candidates with superior legal writing skills. If you need a refresher or just want to kick some bad habits, read on for information, tools, and resources that can help you take your legal writing to the next level. “The principle of leading from above is the most effective tool for strong writing. If you open your paper and tell your reader what`s important, they`ll look for that information while they`re reading. And the principle of leadership from above is like a fractal, because it applies on a large and small scale.
Present a document with your conclusion. Include a section with a substantial title. Introduce a paragraph with a summary sentence. Keep an email with a strong subject line. Introduce the message yourself with a summary sentence. Leading from above is the key to tight and logical writing. – Marie Buckley, The Three Essential Rules for Writing The legal writing process doesn`t just stop when the play is finished. One of the most common mistakes writers make is not budgeting for the editing phase – a thorough editing and editing process takes time. Last but not least, practice makes perfect. You may know all the grammar rules and you may have read all the books on legal writing, but you won`t be able to improve your legal writing skills without practice.
“Here at Best Essay Education, we believe that a good topic sentence is half the job, while only the second half remains. Yes, it`s really that important,” says a representative of the online writing service. Learning from yourself and others can be the smartest way to demystify the writing process. Be aware of what you are good at and the difficulties you often encounter. That trust can mean the difference between feeling like writing your next plea is a burden or just another item on your to-do list. In turn, you`ll be more efficient and productive, giving you more time for the things that will best develop your practice. Use the Fool, Architect, Carpenter, Judge process to plan your writing. No matter what medium or document you write, all good writers should always use at least the spell checker. Advances in copywriting technology have also made legal drafting much easier. For example, writing apps like Grammarly and Ginger can help you spot grammar, spelling, and other language mistakes. If necessary, make an effort to use plain language in your legal writing while showing that you understand the jargon and can easily present it to the reader.
LawProse BlogBryan Gardner`s LawProsa has a wealth of posts and lessons aimed at improving your legal writing. Many of the resources it offers are free. Professors are a great resource for those enrolled in legal writing courses. You may be able to recommend reference books, hands-on activities, and other helpful resources. Reading the best books teaches you how to write and exposes you to good writing.
