Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer's Guide to Effective Writing and EditingPart I introduces the approach and principles that can guide lawyers in “thinking like a writer.” Part II applies the guiding principles to a document’s organization, while Part III applies them to specific types of legal writing: letters, memoranda, and emails; briefs; and judicial opinions. Part IV applies the principles to the smaller scale of paragraphs and sentences. Finally, Part V applies the principles to the editing process, for both self-editing and editing the work of others. Throughout, chapters include many before-and-after examples to demonstrate how writing and editing can be improved by following the advice offered in the book. See "More Info" for table of contents.
Ch. 1 From Colorado to Kansas: A Legal Writer’s Journey; Ch. 2 A Writer’s Principles: Beyond Logic to Coherence; Ch. 3 Applying Principle 1: Creating Containers; Ch. 4 Applying Principle 2: Making the Structure Explicit; Ch. 5. Applying Principle 3: Making Form Match Substance: Avoiding Organizational Traps; Ch. 6 Writing Effective Introductions: Making Readers Smart, Attentive, and Comfortable; Ch. 7 Emails, Letters, and Legal Memoranda; Ch. 8 The Art of Persuasion: Lessons from Posner, Aristotle, and Toulmin; Ch. 9 Briefs; Ch. 10 Judicial Opinions; Ch. 11 Paragraphs: Focus, Flow, and Emphasis; Ch. 12 Sentences: The Wages of Syntax; Ch. 13 Words: Precision and Brevity; Ch. 14 Style: Energy and Character; Ch. 15 Overcoming the Dr. Strangelove Syndrome: Editing Yourself and Others
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