Effective Legal Writing

Although most graduating law students and new attorneys understand the need to gain experience in the substantive areas of law, most feel relatively confident about their writing skills. Such confidence may be misplaced, however, as the requirements for writing prose and writing legal documents differ significantly.

 

Plain Language Association International has gathered a selection of resources regarding plain legal writing that is helpful to the new practitioner. Included are two excellent articles by Judge Mark Painter on Legal Writing 201 and Appellate Writing, as well as an article by Stephen Stark setting forth how win cases with effective writing and numerous pieces on the benefits of plain writing.