About the Book
Legal Writing and Analysis
Third Edition
Linda H. Edwards
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2011. 384 pages. ISBN: 978-0-7355-9850-8. With Teacher's Manual.
About the Book
Best-selling text that offers a concise and straightforward guide to legal writing and analysis skills for beginning legal writers.
Features:
- Concise text for the basic legal writing course. Leads students logically through reading and analyzing the law, writing the discussion of a legal question, writing an office memo and professional letters, and advocacy writing. Concludes with style and formalities and oral argument.
- Tracks the traditional legal writing course syllabus, providing students with the necessary structure for organizing a legal discussion.
- Consistent use of the legal method approach, from an opening chapter providing an overview of a civil case and the lawyer’s role, to information about the legal system, case briefing, synthesizing cases, and statutory interpretation.
- Emphasis on analogical reasoning and synthesizing cases, as well as rule-based and policy-based reasoning, with explanations of how to use these types of reasoning to organize a legal discussion.
- Coverage of the use of precedent, particularly on how to use cases.
- Superior discussion of small-scale organization, including the thesis paragraph.
- Includes numerous examples and uses frequent short exercises to encourage students to apply concepts. Many exercises focus on first-year courses.
- Comprehensive Teacher’s Manual offers helpful advice for instructors.
New to the Third Edition:
- New material on drawing factual inferences, one of the most important kinds of reasoning for legal writers.
- Citation materials updated to cover the new editions of both ALWD and the Bluebook.
- Companion web site will include additional examples of office memos, opposing briefs, letters, and summary judgment motions
- PowerPoint slides will be available on the companion web site
