A Lawyer Writes

by Coughlin, Christine; Malmud, Joan; Patrick, Sandy

• ISBN13: 9781594603600
• ISBN10: 159460360X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-31
• Publisher: Carolina Academic Pr

Summary

Whether you are starting law school or preparing to start the practice of law, you need to learn the essential skills and theory of your trade. A Lawyer Writes puts the reader in the place of a first-year attorney tasked with real life assignments. In doing so, it teaches law students not only how to succeed in law school, but also how to succeed in the practice of law. The book uses graphics and visual samples to demonstrate the variety of ways in which attorneys write effectively, showing best practices in both traditional and electronic environments. Speaking to its reader in a straightforward manner, A Lawyer Writes communicates essential skills and theories so that they will be retained for a lifetime of legal practice.

Author Biography

Sandy Patrick is on the faculty of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon where she teaches Legal Research and Writing and Advanced Legal Writing. Joan Malmud is a Legal Research and Writing Professor at the University of Oregon School of Law in Eugene, Oregon. Christine Coughlin is the Director of the Legal Research and Writing Program at Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

How Attorneys Communicate	p. 3
Sources and Systems of the Law	p. 15
Reading for Comprehension	p. 33
Finding Your Argument	p. 57
Organizing Your Legal Authority	p. 67
One Legal Argument	p. 81
Explaining the Law	p. 87
Explaining the Law: Rules	p. 89
Explaining the Law: Case Illustrations	p. 101
Explaining the Law: Citing and Avoiding Plagiarism	p. 121
Applying the Law	p. 129
Applying the Law: Rule-Based Reasoning	p. 131
Applying the Law: Analogical Reasoning	p. 135
Applying the Law: Counter-Analyses	p. 151
Applying the Law: Organizing Your Application of the Law	p. 161
Conclusions to One Legal Argument	p. 165
Policy	p. 171
Statutory Analysis	p. 179
The Discussion Section: Introducing and Connecting Legal Arguments	p. 197
Question Presented and Brief Answer	p. 213
Statement of Facts	p. 229
Conclusion to the Memorandum	p. 239
Editing and Polishing	p. 243
Professional E-mails	p. 269
Effective Memo: Adverse Possession	p. 279
Effective Memo: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress	p. 289
Less Effective Memo: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress	p. 297
Glossary	p. 303
Index	p. 309
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.