Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers

Book excerpt: Buy anew versionof this Connected Casebook and receiveaccessto theonline e-book,practice questionsfrom your favorite study aids, and anoutline toolon CasebookConnect, the all in one learning solution for law school students. CasebookConnect offers you what you need most to be successful in your law school classes – portability, meaningful feedback, and greater efficiency. The Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers, a brief and accessible reference on mechanics and style, is a useful companion to any legal writing text. Targetedat the needs of legal writers, the text initially focuses on the rules of grammar, style, and usage—with plenty of examples. A section on Legal Documentsoffers strategies to improve legal writing, with sample letters, memorandum, case brief, trial brief, and appellate brief. Numerous, helpful examples showcaseboth good and bad writing. This practical approach helps law students with common problems and dilemmas: substitutions for “legalese,” lists of commonly used legal idioms, spellingtips, advice on organization and the legal writing process, proofreading, and document design. Modeled after handbooks used at the undergraduate level,the Handbook features a small trim size, comb-binding, clear organization, two-color printing, and helpful design elements to highlight importantinformation. Distinctive features designed with the student in mind include Websites for each topic addressed, Tips and Strategies to highlight key topicssuch as breaking writers’ blocks, meeting deadlines, communicating by email and text messaging, ethics notes, and Challenge Exercises in each chapterto test mastery. A brief Table of Contents on the inside front cover and Style Sheet on the inside back cover offer quick reference. Key Features: For all writers, pragmatic and useful information is given on beginning the writing process, tips to meet deadlines, common legal conventions or traditions, common blunders made by legal writers, and proofreading and document design. The fundamental features of legal writing (accuracy, readability, clarity, and brevity) are covered in depth. Quiz or ‘Challenge’ questions test readers’ comprehension of the material and showcase methods to improve writing. Sample documents are provided for the most common types of legal writings, including: Sample demand letter Sample opinion letter Sample legal memorandum Sample trial court brief Sample appellate brief (which includes a table of authorities) Sample case brief Sample litigation document (a complaint for breach of contract) Sample transactional document (a joint venture agreement) Electronic communications are covered–twenty tips for using email in a professional setting are given, along with tips for web conferences, texting, and communicating through social media. The Handbook also includes an Appendix on English as a Second Language, which should be helpful to students and new attorneys whose language of origin is not English. CasebookConnectfeatures: ONLINE E-BOOK Law school comes with a lot of reading, so access your enhanced e-book anytime, anywhere to keep up with your coursework. Highlight, take notes in the margins, and search the full text to quickly find coverage of legal topics. PRACTICE QUESTIONS Quiz yourself before class and prep for your exam in the Study Center. Practice questions fromExamples & Explanations,Emanuel Law Outlines,Emanuel Law in a Flashflashcards, and other best-selling study aid series help you study for exams while tracking your strengths and weaknesses to help optimize your study time. OUTLINE TOOL Most professors will tell you that starting your outline early is key to being successful in your law school classes. The Outline Tool automatically populates your notes and highlights from the e-book into an editable format to accelerate your outline creation and increase study time later in the semester.