Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
Chapter 1 · Audience
Chapter 2 · Writing to the Prospective Employer
1. Aim for perfect prose.
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Strong, direct words instead of intensifiers
The right word
2. Be concrete.
3. Be accurate and honest.
Chapter 3 · Writing to the Supervisor
1. Answer questions directly.
Avoid delay.
Avoid unnecessary hedging.
2. Be succinct.
3. Be thorough.
Never turn in a “draft.”
Have a trusted colleague read your memo.
Pay attention to what you were asked.
Chapter 4 · Writing to the E-mail Recipient
1. Be considerate and professional.
2. Think, pause, think again. Send.
Think about whether you should use e-mail at all.
Pause long enough to review the message and correct writing errors.
Send a clear message in every part of the e-mail.
3. Frontload your content.
Put questions up front.
Put answers and conclusions up front.
Chapter 5 · Writing to the Client
1. Avoid legalisms.
Examples of legalisms
2. Limit citations.
Option A: Omit citation to legal authority altogether.
Option B: Put the citations in footnotes.
Option C: Use a shorthand form to refer to the authority.
3. Be conversational.
Chapter 6 · Writing to Opposing Counsel
1. Don’t antagonize.
Plaintiff’s counsel’s perspective.
Defense counsel’s perspective.
2. Be specific.
Plaintiff’s counsel’s perspective.
Defense counsel’s perspective.
3. Think ahead.
Chapter 7 · Writing to the Mediator
1. Write to learn.
2. Be brief but not brief-like.
3. Make information accessible.
Put a summary up front.
Summarize facts into a narrative.
Design documents with white space and accessible formatting.
Chapter 8 · Writing to the Trial Judge
For Motions
1. Use a bold synopsis.
Before—a typical first page
After—with a bold synopsis
Before—a typical opener
After—with a bold synopsis
2. Organize overtly.
Section headings
Inline headings
Enumeration and tabulation
3. Be honest.
Be honest about the facts.
Be honest about the law.
For Affidavits
1. Use the bold synopsis.
2. Use headings to ease the reader’s way.
3. Create a neat, clean look by eliminating formulaic clutter.
Chapter 9 · Writing to the Appellate Judge
1. State a well-framed issue up front.
2. Use transitions and connectors.
3. Stay away from personal attacks.
Attacking judges is a bad idea.
Attacking opposing counsel is bad idea.
Chapter 10 · Writing to the Consumer
1. Translate jargon.
2. Target readability.
Typographic readability
Word and sentence readability
Using “you” for readability
3. Test the text on the audience.
A possible revision
Chapter 11 · Drafting for the Transactional Lawyer
1. Drop the worst archaisms.
2. Avoid known ambiguities.
3. Impose obligations consistently, actively, and directly.
Chapter 12 · Writing for the Citizen
1. Format for easy reading.
Use a readable typeface.
Break up long blocks of text.
2. Avoid legalisms and formality.
3. Use short sentences.
The revision.
Chapter 13 · Writing for the Screen Reader
1. Summarize.
2. Enable skimming.
3. Be brief.
Chapter 14 · A Word about Citation
1. I’ve used the ALWD Citation Manual .
2. I’ve written so you won’t need to check the footnotes.
Index
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →