Writing and Analysis in the Law

After reading the other reviews, I felt it was necessary to add my thoughts to the list. I found out about this book a few months ago while talking to a rising 1L about his legal writing course. As a looked through it, I realized that the format of this book would be a great tool for me to edit my writing samples for prospective employers. Most of the advice in this book about techniques and strategy is great, at least for the way I learn. I made an outline of some of the chapters for myself, including the authors' guidelines and underlying reason for why those techniques and strategies work. (I know, it's like a class outline.) This is the kind of guidance I find helpful. Our class used the Neumann book. Some people love the Neumann book, but it's not the best learning tool for me. Everyone learns differently. All I know is if I can't learn from it, it's of no value to me. The lack of examples is a legitimate point. I was lucky to have a legal writing professor who supplied us with copies of his own briefs for us to study. So, that was not much of a problem for me. In the end, Writing and Analysis in the Law is the legal writing guide I wish I had read the summer before law school and during the first year.

This is a good writing instruction for 1L J.D.. In my school, it is used as textbook.

Decent book, fairly basic but gets all the points across. Not confusing like case books. Typical LARC

If you are a law student taking Legal Writing or an associate (summer or new) in a firm, this book will teach or refresh all the skills you need to write an effective memo or brief. The authors teach clear writing and provide actual student wrting samples to elucidate their techniques. The book is especially helpful for those who are wholly unfamiliar with legal writing, and the index and layout make it a user-friendly reference tool. Most impoprtantly, though, the book is short; it provides a comprehensive framework without flooding the reader with unnecessary or confusing information.