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.
- Legal Writing in Plain English, Second Edition: A Text with Exercises (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (2013)
- Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates (2014)
- Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Writing and Editing (2008)
- Legal Writing [Connected Casebook] (Aspen Coursebook) (2019)
- Legal Writing and Analysis (Aspen Coursebook Series) (2019)
- Academic Legal Writing: Law Rev Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Rev (Coursebook) (2016)
- Examples & Explanations for Legal Writing (Examples & Explanations) (2018)
- Legal Writing Style (Hornbooks) (2018)
- Legal Research and Writing for Paralegals (Aspen College) (2016)
- The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win (2013)
- Bryan A. Garner’s Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, 4th Edition (Coursebook) (2018)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 Library 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.
Legal Method and Writing I: Predictive Writing
Author(s): Charles R. Calleros, Kimberly Y.W. Holst
ID: 3487649, Publisher: Wolters Kluwer, Year: 2022, Size: 5 Mb, Format: epub
The Legal Writing Handbook: Analysis, Research, and Writing (Aspen Coursebook Series)
Author(s): Laurel Currie Oates; Anne Enquist; Jeremy Francis
ID: 2942932, Publisher: Aspen Publishers, Year: 2021, Size: 14 Mb, Format: mobi
Carl Schmitt's Early Legal-Theoretical Writings: Statute and Judgment and the Value of the State and the Significance of the Individual
Author(s): Lars Vinx; Samuel Garrett Zeitlin
ID: 3010958, Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Year: 2021, Size: 4 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.