Legal writing and analysis / Linda H. Edwards, E.L. Cord Foundation Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
2015
KF250 .E378 2015 (Map It)
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Title
Legal writing and analysis / Linda H. Edwards, E.L. Cord Foundation Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Published
New York : Wolters Kluwer, [2015]
Call Number
KF250 .E378 2015
Edition
Fourth edition.
ISBN
9781454857983 (pbk.)
1454857986 (pbk.)
1454857986 (pbk.)
Description
xix, 362 pages : illustrations, forms ; 26 cm.
System Control No.
(OCoLC)894128384
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Series
Record Appears in
Table of Contents
Preface
xvii
Acknowledgments
xix
Part One: Lawyers and the Legal Landscape
1
1.
Overview of the Lawyer's Role
3
I.
Writing and a Lawyer's Roles
3
II.
Overview of a Civil Case
5
III.
Ethical Duties
8
IV.
Legal Citation
9
A.
Plagiarism
9
B.
When to Cite
11
2.
The Legal System, the Common Law Process, and Kinds of Authority
13
I.
The Structure of Court Systems
13
A.
The Federal Court System
13
B.
State Court Systems
14
II.
The Functions of Trial and Appellate Courts
15
A.
The Functions of Trial Courts
15
B.
The Functions of Appellate Courts
16
III.
The Common Law Process
17
A.
Stare Decisis
17
B.
Holdings
18
C.
The Breadth of Holdings
19
D.
Holdings Versus Dicta
21
IV.
The Weight of Authority
23
A.
Primary Authority Versus Secondary Authority
23
B.
Mandatory Authority Versus Persuasive Authority
25
C.
Other Characteristics Affecting the Persuasive Value of Cases
26
Part Two: Reading and Analyzing the Law
29
3.
Briefing and Synthesizing Cases
31
I.
Introduction to Case Briefing
31
II.
A Format for Case Briefing
32
III.
Synthesizing Cases
36
A.
Using Consistent Cases A. Sample Case Brief
37
B.
Reconciling Seemingly Inconsistent Cases
37
4.
Interpreting Statutes
45
I.
Reading Statutes
45
II.
Identifying Issues
49
III.
Interpreting the Statute's Language
51
IV.
Canons of Construction
52
5.
Forms of Legal Reasoning
55
I.
Rule--Based Reasoning
55
II.
Analogical Reasoning (Analogizing and Distinguishing Cases)
56
III.
Policy-Based Reasoning
58
IV.
Principle-Based Reasoning
59
V.
Custom-Based Reasoning
59
VI.
Inferential Reasoning
60
VII.
Narrative
62
Part Three: Writing the Discussion of a Legal Question
65
6.
The Writing Process and Law-Trained Readers
67
I.
The Writing Process
67
II.
Law-Trained Readers
71
A.
Focus on the Reader
71
B.
Attention Levels
72
C.
Road Maps
73
D.
Readers as Commentators
74
E.
Judges as Readers
74
F.
Law Professors as Readers
77
7.
Large-Scale Organization: Creating an Annotated Outline
79
I.
Rule Structures
79
II.
Creating an Annotated Outline
85
A.
The First Level: The Legal Questions You Have Been Asked to Address
85
B.
The Second Level: Governing Rules
85
C.
The Third Level and Beyond: The Rule's Structure
86
D.
Omitting Issues Not in Dispute
87
E.
Uncertainty About Which Rule Your Jurisdiction Will Adopt
87
F.
Annotating Your Outline
88
8.
Small-Scale Organization: Explaining the Law
91
I.
An Overview of the Paradigm for Legal Analysis
91
II.
Stating the Conclusion
92
III.
Stating the Governing Rule
93
IV.
Explaining the Rule: Five Components
94
V.
Guidelines for Rule Explanation
95
VI.
Organizing a Pure Question of Law
97
9.
Small-Scale Organization: Applying the Law
103
I.
Two Approaches to Writing the Application Section
103
II.
Content of Rule Application
104
III.
Common Trouble Spots in Rule Application Sections
106
IV.
Evaluating Your Draft
109
10.
Discussing Multiple Issues: Putting It All Together
113
I.
Ordering for Your Reader
113
A.
Accounting for Elements Not at Issue
113
B.
Selecting an Order for the Remaining Issues
114
II.
Umbrella Sections
115
III.
The Conclusion
118
IV.
Editing Subsection Lengths
118
V.
Variations of the Multi-Issue Paradigm
119
11.
Deepening Your Analysis
121
I.
Using Policies and Principles in Rule Explanation
121
II.
Using Analogical Reasoning in Rule Application
124
A.
Deciding Which Similarities and Differences Are Significant
124
B.
Choosing a Format for Your Case Comparison
125
III.
Using Factual Inferences in Rule Application
128
Part Four: Predictive Writing
131
12.
Writing an Office Memo
133
I.
The Function of an Office Memo
133
II.
An Overview of the Memo Format
133
III.
Drafting the Heading
135
IV.
Drafting the Question Presented
135
V.
Drafting the Brief Answer
139
VI.
Drafting the Fact Statement
141
A.
Fact Selection
141
B.
Organization of Fact Statement
142
VII.
Drafting the Conclusion
145
VIII.
Writing an Email Memo
147
13.
Writing Professional Letters and Emails
149
I.
General Characteristics of Professional Letter Writing
149
II.
Letters to Clients
152
A.
General Considerations
152
B.
Advice Letters
152
C.
Status Letter
154
III.
Letters to Other Lawyers
154
A.
General Considerations
154
B.
Demand Letters and Responses
156
C.
Confirming Letters
156
IV.
Transmittal Letters
157
V.
Emails
159
Part Five: The Shift to Advocacy
165
14.
Introduction to Brief-Writing
167
I.
Ethics and the Advocate's Craft
167
II.
Judges, Briefs, and Persuasion
170
III.
The Components of a Trial-Level Brief
172
IV.
The Components of an Appellate Brief
175
15.
Questions Presented and Point Headings
179
I.
Writing the Question Presented
179
II.
Point Headings
184
A.
Identifying Point Headings
184
B.
Drafting Point Headings
187
C.
Editing Point Headings for Readability and Persuasion
189
D.
Identifying Subheadings
193
16.
Writing the Argument Section
195
I.
Arguments for Different Kinds of Legal Issues
195
A.
A Pure Question of Law
195
B.
An Issue of Statutory Interpretation
196
C.
An Issue of Common Law Case Synthesis
196
D.
A Case of First Impression on Your Jurisdiction
197
E.
Seeking a Change in the Law
198
F.
An Issue Applying Law to Fact
198
II.
Honing Your Argument for the Court's Rule
199
A.
The Trial Judge
199
B.
Appellate Judges and the Appellate Process
199
III.
Reminders About Organization
200
IV.
Using Case Comparisons to Support Your Argument
203
V.
Rebutting Your Opponent's Arguments
205
17.
Standards of Review
207
I.
Categories of Trial Court Decisions
207
II.
Advocating a More Favorable Standard of Review
211
III.
Conforming Headings to the Standard of Review
213
18.
Writing a Fact Statement
217
I.
Fact Ethics, Readers, and the Conventions of Fact Statements
218
A.
Fact Ethics
218
B.
The Conventions of a Statement of Facts
218
II.
Developing a Theory of the Case and Selecting Facts
220
A.
Developing a Theory of the Case
220
B.
Selecting and Citing to Facts
221
III.
Organization
222
A.
Formats
222
B.
Procedural History
223
IV.
Techniques for Persuasion
223
A.
General Principles
223
B.
Large-Scale Organization
224
C.
Paragraph Organization
225
D.
Techniques with Sentences
226
E.
Other Small-Scale Techniques
227
Statement of Facts on Behalf of Carrolton
230
Statement of Facts on Behalf of Watson
231
19.
Using Legal Theory to Sharpen Your Arguments
235
I.
Natural Law
236
II.
Formalism
237
III.
Legal Realism
240
IV.
Legal Process
243
V.
Fundamental Rights
244
VI.
Law and Economics
246
VII.
Critical Legal Theory
248
VIII.
The Jurisprudence of Legal Writing
249
Part Six: Style and Formalities
251
20.
Citations and Quotations
253
I.
Citation in Legal Writing
253
II.
Citation Form
255
A.
Using the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation
255
B.
Using the Bluebook
256
C.
Several Key Concepts
257
D.
Introduction to Citation Form
259
E.
Matching the Citation to the Text
261
F.
Citing with Style and Grace
262
G.
Editing Citation Form
264
III.
Quotations
271
A.
When Quotation Marks Are Required
271
B.
Choosing to Use Quotation Marks
273
C.
Overquoting
273
D.
The Mechanics of Quoting
274
E.
Editing Quotations
276
21.
Paragraphs, Sentences, and Style
279
I.
Paragraphing
279
II.
Choose Strong Subjects and Verbs
282
A.
Active Voice
282
B.
Nominalizations
284
C.
Throat-Clearing
285
D.
Sentences Beginning with Forms of "It Is" or "There Is"
286
III.
Avoiding Wordiness
287
A.
Revise Phrases That Can Be Replaced by a Single Word
287
B.
Avoid Legalese
288
C.
Avoid Redundancies
289
D.
Avoid Intensifiers
289
IV.
Other Characteristics of Good Style
289
A.
Keeping the Subject and Verb Close Together
289
B.
Avoiding Long Sentences
290
C.
Unnecessary Variations
291
D.
Parallelism
291
V.
Gender-Neutral Writing
292
A.
Techniques for Nouns: Elimination or Substitution
293
B.
Techniques for Pronouns
293
C.
Techniques for Proper Names and Titles
294
Part Seven: Oral Advocacy
297
22.
Oral Argument
299
I.
The Purpose of Oral Argument
299
II.
Formalities and Organization of Oral Argument
300
A.
Preliminary Formalities
300
B.
The Appellant's Argument
300
C.
Argument of Co-Counsel for the Appellant
301
D.
The Appellee's Argument
301
E.
Argument of Co-Counsel for the Appellee
302
F.
Concluding the Argument
302
G.
Rebuttal
303
III.
The Content of Argument
303
A.
The Standard of Review
303
B.
The Burden of Proof
303
C.
The Trial-Level Procedural Posture
304
D.
Themes
304
IV.
Preparation
305
A.
The Record
305
B.
Outline Your Argument
305
C.
Prepare Your Folder
305
D.
Script the Entire Opening, the Conclusion, and Your Prepared Rebuttal
306
E.
Practice
306
F.
Visit the Courtroom
306
V.
Handling Questions from the Bench
306
A.
Anticipate Questions
307
B.
Attitude
307
C.
Recognize Types of Questions
307
D.
Listen Carefully to the Question
308
E.
Clarify the Question
308
F.
Begin with a Clear, Direct Answer
308
G.
Returning to Your Prepared Presentation
308
H.
Handling Questions on Your Co-Counsel's Issue
308
I.
Handling a Question for Which You Do Not Have an Answer
309
J.
Agreeing When You Can
309
K.
Referring to Earlier Questions or Comments from the Bench
309
VI.
Presentation
310
A.
Dress
310
B.
Body, Hands, and Eyes
310
C.
Voice
310
D.
References
310
E.
Nervousness
310
Appendices
311
Appendix A
Sample Office Memorandum
313
Appendix B
Sample Trial-Level Brief
319
Appendix C
Sample Appellate Brief
325
Appendix D
Sample Letters
341
Appendix E
Cases
349
Index
359