Monthly Archives: November 2013

New book on legal writing

I just finished reading Sketches on Legal Style by Mark Cooney, and I loved it. Lots of practical advice in a readable, engaging book. I recommend it.

COONEY-SKETCHES

From the publisher’s website:

Who says legal writing is a dull subject? This collection of lively, offbeat short pieces explores legal style like no book you’ve read before. But be warned: you just might learn something while you’re smiling. Through a colorful cast of characters, learn how legal writers can use plain language and careful syntax to produce clearer, stronger, and more persuasive documents.

Will legalese devotee Ebenezer Scribe change his ways after receiving visits from four clarity-minded ghosts?

Will Colonel Ketchup’s passive-voice phrasing obscure whodunit?

Will Editor Man defeat his most formidable foe yet: a dense block of statutory text containing, among other things, a 142-word sentence?

And much more . . .

Visiting lectures at Arizona State

I am pleased to report that my visit to Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was wonderful. I gave two lectures there, and both were well received. I visited a first-year LRW course and took some questions. I attended the writing faculty’s weekly meeting. It was a fantastic experience.

Spending time with the outstanding faculty in their Legal Method and Writing program was a great opportunity.

I offer a personal, special thank you to Professor Susan Chesler and Associate Dean Judy Stinson.

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The visit and my two lectures while there were made possible by support from ALWD through a grant to support the Legal Communication & Rhetoric Visiting Scholars Program.