using quotations wisely

A recent article in Texas Lawyer notes that careful and thoughtful use of opinions can add spice to legal writing, but as the author points out,

"In the hands of some lawyers, quotations from judicial opinions are . . . are prepackaged prose. Writers often use quotations to avoid the hard work of formulating a message in their own words. They quote where they should paraphrase, mistaking the court's pedigree for a point. Quotations can have an insidious allure."

(njs)