Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
B11 Student Activities Ctr
(310) 267-4805
gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu
Click here to see our location
Writing in Law
Blogs
Articles
Other Online Resources
Books
Books for International Students
Legalwriting.net—This site links to Wayne Schiess’ blog entries and scholarly articles on legal writing (you’ll need your UCLA logon ID and password), as well as his books and audio seminars.
Adams Drafting—This site, created by lawyer Ken Adams, includes Adams’ articles on contract drafting and a blog on the language of contracts.
The Trial Practice Tips Weblog—This blog, by Evan Schaeffer, contains entries on various aspects of legal writing.
The (New) Legal Writer—This site, created by Raymond Ward, synthesizes what’s new in the legal writing and language blogosphere.
The Party of the First Part: Adventures in Legalese—A humorous blog focusing on legalese.
Scholarly Articles on Legal Writing—Through the Social Science Research Network, the Legal Writing Institute maintains a database of the articles and working papers published on legal writing, ranging from a paper addressed to law clerks drafting their first legal opinions to an article on avoiding cliches. Log in with your UCLA ID and password to access the site.
How to Write Good Legal Stuff—Written by Eugene Volokh and J. Alexander Tanford in 2001, this article discusses bad legal writing, provides a dictionary of legalese, and gives principles of critical writing.
Good Legal Writing: of Orwell and Window Panes—Written by Pamela Samuelson in 1984, this article describes characteristics of successful legal writing.
Wex—A collaborative, open-access legal dictionary and encyclopedia, sponsored by the Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
Plagiarism Resources—Resources on plagiarism in law school from the Legal Writing Institute. See especially the plagiarism exercise and answer key.
There are many books on legal writing, but here are a few recommended by law students:
Volokh, E. (2007). Academic legal writing: Law review articles, student notes, seminar papers, and getting on law review (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Foundation Press.
Shapo, H. S., Walter, M., & Fajans, E. (2008). Writing and analysis in the law (5th ed.). West.
Edwards, L. H. (2007). Legal writing and analysis (2nd ed.). Aspen Publishers.
Wydick, R. C. Plain English for lawyers (5th ed.). Durham, NH: Carolina Academic Press.
Garner. B. A. (2001). Legal writing in plain English: A text with exercises. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. (The book’s exercises are posted here.)
Garner. B. A. (2006). The redbook: A manual on legal style (2nd ed.). West.
Enquist, A, & Oates, L. C. (2009). Just writing: Grammar, punctuation, and style for the legal writer (3rd ed.). Aspen Publishers
Books for International Students
Reinhart, S. M. (2007). Strategies for legal case reading and vocabulary development. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Lee, D. S., Hall, C., & Barone, S. M. (2007). American legal English (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Wojcik, M. E. (2009). Introduction to legal English: An introduction to legal terminology, reasoning, and writing in plain English (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: International Law Institute.
McGregor, D. H., & Adams, C. M. (2008). The international lawyer’s guide to legal analysis and communication in the United States. Aspen Publishers.
Nedzel, N. E. (2008). Legal reasoning, research, and writing for international students (2nd ed.). Aspen Publishers.
Ramsfield, J. (2005). Culture to culture: A guide to U.S. legal writing. Durham, NH: Carolina Academic Press.
Enquist, A, & Oates, L. C. (2009). Just writing: Grammar, punctuation, and style for the legal writer (3rd ed.). Aspen Publishers. (contains a chapter for ESL students on grammar and rhetoric)
This page was created by Andrea Olinger. To suggest a resource or report a broken link, email the GWC at gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu.
