There are countless Legal Writing courses, tutorials, articles available online, but for some, having a book is still a necessity to learn. This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
- 1. Legal Writing in Plain English, Second Edition: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (2013)
- 2. Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates (2014)
- 3. Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Writing and Editing (2008)
- 4. Legal Writing [Connected Casebook] (Aspen Coursebook) (2019)
- 5. Legal Writing and Analysis (Aspen Coursebook Series) (2019)
- 6. Academic Legal Writing: Law Rev Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Rev (Coursebook) (2016)
- 7. Examples & Explanations for Legal Writing (Examples & Explanations) (2018)
- 8. Legal Writing Style (Hornbooks) (2018)
- 9. Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals (Aspen College) (2016)
- 10. The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win (2013)
- 11. Bryan A. Garner’s Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, 4th Edition (Coursebook) (2018)
- Related YouTube Video
1. Legal Writing in Plain English, Second Edition: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (2013)
Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. Since 2001 Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. Now the leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge…
2. Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates (2014)
With Point Made, legal writing expert, Ross Guberman, throws a life preserver to attorneys, who are under more pressure than ever to produce compelling prose. What is the strongest opening for a motion or brief? How to draft winning headings? How to tell a persuasive story when the record is dry and dense? The answers are “more science than art,” says Guberman, who has analyzed stellar arguments by distinguished attorneys to develop step-by-step instructions for achieving the results you want. The author takes an empirical approach, drawing heavily on the writings of the nation’s 50 most influential lawyers, including Barack Obama, John…
3. Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Writing and Editing (2008)
Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Writing and Editing gives you the specialized knowledge and techniques to draft clear and compelling legal documents, no matter how complicated the issues involved….
4. Legal Writing [Connected Casebook] (Aspen Coursebook) (2019)
Buy a new version of this Connected Casebook and receive access to the online e-book, practice questions from your favorite study aids, and an outline tool on 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. Written in a style that engages students, Legal Writing, Fourth Edition by Richard K. Neumann Jr., Sheila Simon, and Suzianne D. Painter-Thorne, includes outstanding coverage on organizing analysis according to the CREAC…
5. Legal Writing and Analysis (Aspen Coursebook Series) (2019)
Buy a new version of this Connected Casebook and receive access to the online e-book, practice questions from your favorite study aids, and an outline tool on 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. This streamlined text offers a straightforward guide to developing legal writing and analysis skills for beginning legal writers. Legal Writing and Analysis, Fifth Edition by Linda Edwards, leads students logically through reading and analyzing the…
6. Academic Legal Writing: Law Rev Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Rev (Coursebook) (2016)
Designed to help law students write and publish articles, this text provides detailed instructions for every aspect of the law school writing, research, and publication process. Topics covered include law review articles and student notes, seminar term papers, how to shift from research to writing, cite-checking others’ work, publishing, and publicizing written works. With supporting documents available on http://volokh.com/writing, the book helps law students and everyone else involved in academic legal writing: professors save time and effort communicating basic points to…
7. Examples & Explanations for Legal Writing (Examples & Explanations) (2018)
A favorite classroom prep tool of successful students that is often recommended by professors, the Examples & Explanations (E&E) series provides an alternative perspective to help you understand your casebook and in-class lectures. Each E&E offers hypothetical questions complemented by detailed explanations that allow you to test your knowledge of the topics in your courses and compare your own analysis. Here s why you need an E&E to help you study throughout the semester: The Examples & Explanations series has been ranked the most popular study aid among law students because it is equally as helpful from the first…
8. Legal Writing Style (Hornbooks) (2018)
Legal Writing Style promotes the art of good writing by teaching students and practitioners the tools to make their prose clear, precise, simple, and forceful. With examples of what works and what doesn't, this short but comprehensive treatise provides an invaluable resource for recasting writing for maximum impact and ultimate success.You will find a preview of the paperback by clicking the orange box "download this article" at:papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3157430….
9. Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals (Aspen College) (2016)
This is a revision of noted author Deborah Bouchoux's market-leading legal research and writing text for paralegal students. This clear, well-organized text is designed specifically for paralegal students, offering a comprehensive overview of research and writing skills, reinforced by illustrations and exercises. Part I covers Primary Authorities, Part II discuses Secondary Authorities, and Part III covers the basics of Legaal Writing. The Legal Writing section includes samples of legal writing, such as letters, a court brief, and a legal memorandum,…
10. The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win (2013)
Joel Trachtman’s book presents in plain and lucid terms the powerful tools of argument that have been honed through the ages in the discipline of law. If you are a law student or new lawyer, a business professional or a government official, this book will boost your analytical thinking, your foundational legal knowledge, and your confidence as you win arguments for your clients, your organizations or yourself. For more information, go to toolsofargument.com….
11. Bryan A. Garner’s Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, 4th Edition (Coursebook) (2018)
Since first appearing in 2002, Bryan Garner’s The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style has established itself as the go-to source for all questions of legal style (apart from citation form). The book isn’t just one talented man’s effort: Garner has two experienced coauthors plus a hands-on team of 54 editorial advisers, most of whom have long and valuable experience teaching LRW. The book is a one-of-a-kind resource–the legal writer’s equivalent of The AP Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style.The brand-new fourth edition has lots of new material, including an especially helpful new chapter on handling…
Best Legal Writing Books Worth Your Attention
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some legal writing books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Writing by Numbers: Legal Writing Made Easy
Author(s): Melissa Shultz; Christine Tamer
ID: 2520612, Publisher: Carolina Academic Press, Year: 2020, Size: 12 Mb, Format: mobi
A Short & Happy Guide to Legal Writing (Short & Happy Guides)
Author(s): Deborah L. Borman
ID: 2562310, Publisher: West Academic, Year: 2019, Size: 670 Kb, Format: mobi
Writing the Victorian Constitution
Author(s): Ian Ward
ID: 2311610, Publisher: Springer International Publishing;Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2018, Size: 2 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are really hot items according to The Wall Street Journal, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.