New book will help struggling legal-writing students

Temple’s Kristen Murray (pictured at left) and George Washington’s Jessica Clark have written a new book to help “troubleshoot” students’ way through the legal writing course. Titled The Legal Writing Companion: Problems, Solutions, and Samples, the book may be especially helpful for struggling students. Chapter titles like “I’m Intimidated by Legal Writing,” “I’m Having Trouble Getting Started,” and “I Don’t Understand Umbrella Sections” will offer reassurance for students who feel insecure about their progress. And the book’s text will provide additional guidance for writing legal memoranda beyond what is found in a traditional textbook.  

 On some topics, my advice would differ from the authors’; for example, they suggest heavy reliance on explanatory parentheticals, while I would advise fewer parentheticals and more discussion in the text. I also prefer shorter, punchier section headings than the authors suggest. But professors who choose this book can address any such concerns. The book's less-formal approach may be just what some students need to get on track with legal analysis and writing—to have what the authors call a “light bulb moment.”

 View more about the book here.

(jdf)