Elegant Legal Writing

Book excerpt: Elegant Legal Writing helps attorneys elevate their writing from passable to polished. Drawing on ideas from cognitive science, stylistics, and litigation strategy, the book teaches practical techniques by example using fast-paced chapters. Readers will learn the essentials of effective legal composition: Writing clear, efficient prose Crafting strong arguments Telling a client's story through a compelling narrative Overcoming procrastination and drafting more productively Readability, aesthetics, and argumentation are intertwined. Ryan McCarl shows how litigation documents that are easier and more pleasant to read are more likely to persuade judges and other busy readers. The book also discusses parts of legal writing that many guides overlook, including sentence mechanics, writing technology, and typography.