Expert Legal Writing

Dr. Terri LeClercq taught advanced legal writing at the University of Texas School of Law for twenty-two years.

Foreword by Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillip
Acknowledgments
Part I. Introduction: Getting and Keeping a Competitive Edge

Introduction
1. Writing like a Lawyer
2. Writing's a Touchy Subject
3. Focus on Density
4. Attorneys and Writer's Block
5. Min(d)ing the Field: Appellate Judges Speak Out


Part II. Manipulating Legal Sentences: First Aid

6. The Long Sentence
7. Left-Handed Sentences
8. Marshmallow Constructions
9. Cases and Citations Within the Text
10. Coordination and Subordination: Defining Relationships
11. Examining Other Professional Prose
12. Emulating the Pro's Prose: Stylistic Consciousness
13. Deliberate Sentence Structure
14. Beware of Ambiguous Modifiers


Part III. Manipulating Legal Organization: Structure Is Meaning

15. Organization and the Deductive Thrust
16. Organizational Advice for Successful Drafting
17. Quick Tricks for Organization


Part IV. Manipulating Words: Bigger Isn't Better

18. Jargon: Manure, Margarine, and Moderation
19. Boilerplate: Empty Formalisms
20. Gender-Neutral Language
21. That's Not What I Meant


Part V. Punctuating for Clarity: The Poetry of Punctuation

22. Allowing Commas to Create Meaning
23. Sentence Punctuation Guide
24. "Quotation Marks?" She Queried—or, The Arbitrary Rules Surrounding Quotation Marks
25. That Sophisticated Semicolon
26. Compound Adjectives and Noun Strings


Part VI. Advice and References: So Go Be an Expert

27. Testing Your Basics
28. Grammar Rules Versus Suggestions
29. Advice to Partners About Advice
30. Reference Books for Legal Writers


Index