Legal Reasoning Writing And Other Lawyering Skills

The fourth edition of Legal Reasoning, Writing and Other Lawyering Skills draws on lessons from neuroscience and psychology to deepen students' understanding of self and others, and of the emotional biases and filters that undermine their efforts to "think like a lawyer." The fourth edition retains the same core chapters of earlier editions that emphasize and illustrate the "process" of thinking through, and writing about, a client problem. Within those core chapters, however, the fourth edition refines and adds clarity to foundational concepts. For example, the fourth edition distinguishes between types of client conclusions within legal analysis--ultimate conclusions and legal issue conclusions, and it breaks down the types of reasoning provided within court opinions--explanatory reasoning and application reasoning. These labels foster deeper understanding of the core concepts needed to engage in legal analysis. The fourth edition also provides a more specific formula for successfully drafting rule statements for use within memorandums and briefs. In addition, the fourth edition retains chapters covering the practicalities of modern-day legal practice, with a focus on documents students will draft in day-to-day law practice, from client letters, email responses, demand/settlement letters, and trial briefs. The fourth edition adds a new chapter on drafting summary judgment briefs, and introduces students to working with and citing record evidence. It also adds additional exercises throughout for more hands-on learning opportunities. This book can be used in a typical two-semester legal skills course, as well as more intensive two-semester courses, and three- and even four-semester courses.

With a consistent emphasis on precision and good organization, this text teaches students how to draft memoranda, opinion letters, pleadings, briefs, and other legal documents, as well as communications skills including client counseling, negotiating, and presenting oral arguments. Features: An expanded chapter on trial briefs, including pretrial motion briefs A new chapter on communicating by email A new chapter on time management A new chapter on mediation and related documents.

Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students, Fifth Edition, helps international students understand and approach legal reasoning and writing the way law students and attorneys do in the United States. With concise and clear text, Professor Nedzel introduces the unique and important features of the American legal system and American law schools. Using clear instruction, examples, visual aids, and practice exercises, she teaches practical lawyering skills with sensitivity to the challenges of ESL students. New to the Fifth Edition: Streamlined presentation makes the material even more accessible. Chapters are short, direct, and to the point. Five chapters on reasoning and writing, including exam skills, office memos, and rewriting. Full chapters on contract drafting and scholarly writing. New flowcharts provide a concise, visual overview for each chapter. Citation coverage updated to new 21st edition of The Bluebook. Simplified examples and exercises. Three thoroughly revised chapters on legal research, including non-fee legal research and technological changes in the practice of U.S. law. Professors and student will benefit from: Comparative perspective informs readers about the unique features of American law as compared to civil law, Islamic law, and Asian traditions. Explanations of practical skills assume no former knowledge of the American legal system. U.S. law school necessary skills explained immediately: case briefing, creating a course outline, time management, reading citations, and writing answers to hypothetical exam questions. Short, lucid chapters that reiterate major points to aid comprehension. Clear introductions to writing hypothetical-based exams, legal memoranda, contract drafting and scholarly writing. An integrated approach to proper citation format, with explanation and instruction provided in context. Discussion of plagiarism and U.S. law school honor codes. Practical skill-building exercises in each chapter. Research exercises are primarily Internet-based Charts and summaries that are useful learning aids and reference tools

Legal Reasoning and Legal Writing teaches students how to organize and incorporate a legal argument into strong and cogent writing for a variety of applications in legal practice. This clear and coherent text has been updated to address the new skills required for modern law practice. While the Ninth Edition still includes the fundamental tools that has made it one of the best-selling legal writing texts, it has been updated to incorporate current and more sophisticated material for students wishing to take their advocacy skills to the next level. Designed for utility in a wide range of legal writing courses, the book covers multiple types of legal writing, including office memos, appellate and motion briefs, client letters, and email correspondence, as well as all aspects of legal reasoning from rule-based analysis to strategies of persuasion. It also covers other key skills such as oral reports to supervisors, appellate and motion argument, tips about the realities of online law practice and modern changes in language and style. The Ninth Edition reflects the collective wisdom of three leaders in the legal writing discipline who together have over 90 years of experience teaching, writing and speaking about legal writing. New to the Ninth Edition: New chapters 23-33 (The Shift to Persuasion). The new chapters are thoroughly modernized and to incorporate the best ideas of the legal scholarship on persuasion in an accessible and clear fashion. The newly organized chapters reflect that legal writing courses might teach appellate briefs or motion briefs, or some combination, and make the assigning of chapters easier for all approaches. New content about theory of the case, motions, procedural posture and the client’s story. Professors and student will benefit from: Clear coverage of the nuts and bolts of writing an office memo, a motion memo, and an appellate brief organized to make assigning chapters easier for all different course approaches. The authors’ paradigm for Organizing a Proof of a Conclusion of Law, which provides the best explanation available of the reasoning underlying the proof of a conclusion of law. Immersive pedagogy where students learn both to think like lawyers and to think like writers. A thoughtful look at all aspects of legal reasoning, from rule-based analysis to the strategy of persuasion An accessible approach that focuses on the process of writing timely examples and exercises from legal practice A full complement of sample documents in the Appendices Teaching materials Include: Teacher’s Manual Additional resources included with Connected Coursebook

In twenty-two chapters, divided into six parts for convenience, the authors not only lay bare the art of lawyering but also provide invaluable nuggets of perfecting and excelling as a solicitor and advocate. There is little doubt that the contents of this book dramatically make a lawyer, especially the lawyer in Africa, to be more effective, more skilful and a proper lawyer useful to the client and society.