Successful Legal Analysis and Writing

by Clary, Bradley G.

• ISBN13: 9780314908049
• ISBN10: 0314908048
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-22
• Publisher: West Academic

Summary

This work is a practical legal analysis and writing handbook. Designed for first-year students, it is also a valuable refresher text for more advanced students, and for practitioners. The book features fundamental advice, a problem-solving perspective, illustrative examples and templates, and an easy-to-read approach. Each chapter is designed to stand on its own or be supplemented by a professor's own materials. The third edition includes additional examples and models, and a chapter on oral argument.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. i
Road Mapping	p. 1
Where, What	p. 2
Why	p. 2
Who	p. 2
When	p. 3
How	p. 3
Example	p. 4
Comparison to Legal Writing	p. 7
The Role of Facts in Resolving Legal Problems	p. 11
Story Identification	p. 12
Additional Story Identification Principles	p. 16
The Role of Rules in Resolving Legal Problems	p. 19
The Sources of Rules: Enacted Law and Cases	p. 19
Enacted Law	p. 20
Cases	p. 23
Basic Principles for Understanding Primary Authority	p. 25
Considerations When Working with Statutes and Cases	p. 28
Determining the Rule in Typical, Simple Scenarios	p. 31
Pulling Apart a Rule	p. 31
Common Mistakes in Parsing a Rule	p. 35
Assembling a Rule from a Single Court Decision	p. 38
Determining the Rule in Typical, Complex Scenarios	p. 47
Assembling a Rule from Multiple Court Decisions	p. 47
Common Mistakes in Assembling a Rule from Multiple Cases	p. 59
Determining the Rule in Atypical Scenarios	p. 61
Assembling Rules in Atypical Settings: Direct Conflicts	p. 61
Assembling Rules in Atypical Settings: Cases of First Impression	p. 65
Determining the Meaning of a Statutory Rule	p. 71
Interpreting Statutory Language	p. 71
Understand Issues of Statutory Interpretation in Context	p. 73
Basic Organizing Principles in Legal Analysis and Writing	p. 81
IRAC: The Basic Components	p. 84
Introduction	p. 84
Rule	p. 86
Application	p. 88
Conclusion	p. 91
Linking Discrete IRACs	p. 91
Basic Writing Principles	p. 97
Prefer Simplicity	p. 98
Prefer the Familiar	p. 98
Prefer Concision	p. 98
Prefer Action	p. 99
Avoid Overuse of Adjectives and Adverbs	p. 100
Pay Attention to Flow	p. 100
Be Meticulous	p. 101
Common Mistakes to Avoid	p. 101
Citation and Quotation Basics	p. 103
ALWD Citation Manual	p. 105
General Citation Rules	p. 105
Full and Short Citations	p. 105
Pinpoint References	p. 106
Citation Placement and Use	p. 106
Abbreviations	p. 107
Capitalization	p. 110
Citing to Primary Authority	p. 110
Constitutions currently in force	p. 110
Statutes currently in force	p. 110
Cases	p. 113
Citing to Secondary Authority	p. 115
Restatements	p. 115
Legal Periodicals (Law Reviews)	p. 116
Books	p. 117
Working with Signals	p. 118
The Bluebook	p. 120
General Citation Rules	p. 120
Full and Short Citations	p. 120
Pinpoint References	p. 121
Citation Placement and Use	p. 121
Abbreviations	p. 122
Capitalization	p. 125
Citing to Primary Authority	p. 125
Constitutions currently in force	p. 125
Statutes currently in force	p. 126
Cases	p. 128
Citing to Secondary Authority	p. 130
Restatements	p. 130
Legal Periodicals (Law Reviews)	p. 131
Books	p. 132
Working with Signals	p. 133
General Rules on Quoting Authority	p. 135
Block Quotations	p. 135
Shorter Quotations	p. 136
Alterations and Omissions	p. 136
Common Questions about When and What to Cite	p. 139
Communicating a Predictive Analysis	p. 143
Common Features of Good Predictive Writing	p. 144
The Office Memorandum Template	p. 151
The Client Advice Letter Template	p. 172
Communicating a Persuasive Analysis	p. 185
Common Features of Good Persuasive Writing	p. 186
The Trial Court Brief Template	p. 191
The Appellate Brief Template	p. 236
Oral Argument	p. 261
A Way to Prepare the Argument	p. 261
A Way to Begin the Argument	p. 263
A Way to Approach the Middle of the Argument	p. 265
A Way to Approach the Conclusion of the Argument	p. 269
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