In 1936 Piero Calamandrei, an Italian lawyer and law professor, published Elogio dei Giudici Scritto da un Avvocato, a wry collectionof maxims, anecdotes and observations on the nature of the legalprocess. Translated in 1946 as Eulogy of Judges, Written by a Lawyer, it gradually acquired a reputation among sophisticated legal circlesas the best lawyer's book ever written. Written by a self-describedmember of the "Piero Calamandrei Freemasonry Society," Eulogy ofLawyers revives the spirit of its great predecessor while shifting thefocus to the other side of the bench.Preface by Bryan A. Garner, President, LawProse, Inc.; Distinguished Research Professor of Law, SouthernMethodist University, Dallas, Texas; Editor, current editions ofBlack's Law Dictionary."Stein is a rare breed: a superb, noted advocate - one of the finestof his day - who is also a literary essayist. I can think of only twocomparable predecessors: Lord Brougham and Clarence Darrow." --Bryan A.Garner, Preface, xii-xiii.Jacob A. Stein has, for over 60 years, conducted a trial practice. Hehas been an adjunct professor at American University Law School, George Washington University Law School, and Georgetown University LawSchool where he has taught for the last 21 years. He has beenpresident of the District of Columbia Bar. He has served on variousjudicial committees connected with the Federal Judiciary. He wasappointed in 1985 to serve as the United States Independent Counsel toinquire as to the suitability of the President's choice as AttorneyGeneral of the United States. His articles have appeared in The American Scholar, Times Literary Supplement, The Washington Post, TheWilson Quarterly, the Washington Lawyer, the Green Bag, Litigation, and other publications. His books include Legal Spectator & More(2003), The Law of Law Firms (1994), Closing Argument: The Art and theLaw (1969) and other titles.

Professors Newell and Peterkin deal thoroughly with fundamental grammar skills often overlooked in legal writing textbooks. The chapters in this text cover everything that students should learn in legal writing from spotting issues, to finding and interpreting the law, to writing either an objective or persuasive document for their client or the court. Each chapter provides exhaustive treatment of the topic. The text also provides useful examples and exercises for the reader to test his or her understanding of the topic. The Journey to Excellence in Legal Writing not only contains a thorough explication of legal writing for first-year law students. Upper-level students, practitioners, and judges will also benefit from the instruction contained in these pages. Therefore, this book is the perfect tool for all who wish to learn and improve their legal writing skills. Through The Journey to Excellence in Legal Writing students and other readers will: Learn the differences between primary and secondary law, the doctrine of stare decisis, and the distinction between statutory law and case law. Become skilled at outlining rules in order to identify issues and craft issue statements properly. Gather knowledge to interpret statutes and apply case law to different factual scenarios. Use synthesis to compare court holdings and reasoning in fashioning a general legal principle. Be taught how to develop organizational skills and use grammatical rules appropriately. Be able to apply effective techniques in writing memoranda. Study the importance of ethics in correspondence to clients. Comprehend the power behind mediation and negotiations. Study the best ways to answer examination questions.

Purposeful Punctuation is a guide to punctuating English sentences for writers and editors. It has been used for several years in college classes from freshmen to graduate. It will work as a supplement to English instruction in junior high or high school. The author, Dr. Heaberlin, has fifty years experience in teaching-from seventh grade to graduate school. He has included many exercises and practice tests with answers. This guide complements his previously published guides on writing style-English Syntax and Connecting for Coherence.

Not long ago, an appellate court fined a lawyer for filing an "incomprehensible brief." That negligence hurt the lawyer's wallet and reputation, but his carelessness hurt his client's case even more. Today, most of our law depends on the written word. A single error can tarnish the writer's image in the eyes of the court and make his or her writing less persuasive. In the end, the client suffers. Even the simplest error reduces the effectiveness of any brief or pleading. Spellcheck won't cure every ill; neither will a loyal and efficient secretary. This little book is dedicated to real legal writing, terse, persuasive, and accurate. It not only teaches brevity, clarity and power in writing, but lists the common pitfalls that infest so much legal writing and destroy the lawyer's meaning and the client's life. It includes tables of commonly misspelled and misused words and commonly confused prepositions. It lays out guidelines for persuasive brief-writing, deals with the letters lawyers regularly write - and some they shouldn't - with office memoranda, and with the basic rules of punchy, persuasive oral argument. It addresses the rules of grammar; the violations of those rules that instantly mark the writer as illiterate at best, and can destroy any amount of clever reasoning and knowledge of the law. It gives examples of how to write effectively . . . and some horrors that good lawyers must avoid. Most important, The Literate Lawyer shows the road to simple, common-sense persuasion, powerful, solid writing that makes the lawyer's point with strength and clarity. And wins cases. About the author: Robert Barr Smith is a Professor at the University of Oklahoma Law Center. He earned a BA in History and a Doctor of Laws from Stanford, and is a member of both the Oklahoma and California Bars. He came to the Law Center in 1982, after retiring from the United States Army as a Colonel. He designed the Law Center's writing, oral advocacy and research class, taught and directed it for fifteen years, served six years as Associate Dean for Academics, and taught trial and appellate advocacy, advanced brief writing, and paralegal writing courses.

This book is a compilation of legal and law-related statements that have defined and characterized our legal system over the centuries. But the reader will quickly recognize that it is not a textbook in disguise. The quotations, and the actions and ideas they present and represent were selected by purely personal criteria: the author found them fascinating, important, or revealing. They range from history-changing statements (Henry II's "will no one rid me of this turbulent priest ") to purely mythological encounters (Lincoln's cross-examination of "Sovine" about the phase the moon was in when a murder took place) to royal chit-chat (a devastating remark a high-born lady made to the fugitive King James II which can be viewed as the final word on English royal tyranny) to an apology made in a casual encounter on an American street that symbolized the healing of a terrible cultural wound. The hope is to convey, not a rigid history, but a random flavor of how the law has been shaped by calculated, casual, powerful, and even silly words, uttered for the ages or merely for the moment.

This disparate verbal collection tells us that our legal system is not like a carefully sculptured statue, but like a human being, is composed of all that it has known and done and said.

The writer has been deprived of his license to practice law in three states. The basis for these court orders was a confidential complaint made by the writer about the misconduct of a United States District Judge. The complaints included evidence, which pointed to the judge's financial ties to litigators with matters in his court. Nevertheless, the judge's misconduct was overlooked by supervising judges. The writer reviews the court order which drove him from the practice of law. "The point of all this," he concludes, "was to banish me from the legal profession, not to find the truth since bringing truth into the light of day would have been uncomfortable for" the judge. From the book: "Any professional regulatory authority empowered to deprive its members of their reputation and their ability to earn an income should be subject to the highest standards of objectivity and fairness. In the legal community, the opposite is the norm. The rules which govern the behavior of lawyers are explicitly intended to overlook complaints about the venal and self-interested behavior of the most powerful members of the profession. The judges make the rules and see to their own insulation from criticism, oversight and transparency in their dealings with persons interested in judicial outcomes. The judges take pains to block any examination of their off-the-books income streams. Those who are so incautious as to rely on the prescribed complaint rules and who come forward, confidentially, to object to obvious instances of be-robed venality are themselves subjected to the severest sanction." Consideration of salary increases for the judges should be put on hold, the writer asserts. Why? Better rules than the "bogus revised" ones are needed immediately. "In writing their own ethics rules, the judges have given themselves impunity to accept bribes." The writer offers prescriptive comments, including the text of a "Best Practices Declaration," which should be binding upon any who seek a position on the bench, local state or federal.

The twenty-first century global world order creates fundamental challenges for the American model of legal education. This professional model cannot focus only on one domestic legal system isolated from the rest of the world. American law students need a realistic exposure to a transnational legal perspective in the contemporary global legal environment. This objective can be achieved in three stages. The first step requires a first year introductory course setting the foundation in public and private international law with the fundamental understanding of the comparative law methodology to grasp legal problems and institutions transcending through national boundaries. In the second stage, the transnational perspective should be emphasized in every domestic course, in the expanded coverage of public and private international law, and in the comparative law curriculum. Finally, in the third stage, law students should have the opportunity to apply their transnational learning experience by selecting an intellectually and professionally stimulating topic for academic research. Through this research, the student should focus not only on developing a thesis and writing a research quality seminar paper, but also on the potential for publication of the paper in law reviews and other legal journals. This concise Guide to Legal Research and Writing from the Transnational Perspective can be used as a practical tool in the critical third stage of the transnational legal education process. Concise practical tips will assist students in the research and writing process. Samples of articles written by the author will provide a model for scholarly writing. Professor Francis A. Gabor, is a Professor of Law at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and a regular visiting professor at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. He has been teaching in the area of public and private international law and comparative and immigration law. Professor Gabor's research interest is focused on current issues of international trade and investments in Central-Eastern Europe. His treatise on Foreign Investment in Hungary was published by Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law at Columbia University of New York.

Every year, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people apply to Canadian law schools, vying for just over 2,000 coveted spots. The competition is even fiercer when applying for a law job. Adam Letourneau, B.Sc., B.A., LL.B., 2005 graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, former Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review and owner of Letourneau Law, Barristers & Solicitors, reveals in this 2nd Edition many insider tips on how to gain admittance to law school in Canada, how to cope and succeed in law school, and most importantly, how to land a coveted law job post-graduation. Drawing upon personal experience and the experiences of numerous Canadian law school graduates, Letourneau shares insights on the LSAT, applying for law school, study strategies, summer jobs, the articling application process and much more. Letourneau will save you hours of research, hours of study and tons of stress. Including new law school graduate comments, updated admissions information, what being a lawyer is like, salary updates and more. For more information go to www.canadianlawschool.ca. Part of the Writing on Stone Press Canadian Career Series.

This early work on law is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. It contains details on the meanings of legal terms and their uses. This is a fascinating work and thoroughly recommended for law students. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Finally, a simple, fun book to show you how to study for law school, how to outline, and how to write Grade A exams By a practicing lawyer with the top grade in 3 of 5 first year law classes.

This unique book offers a practical guide to deconstructing judgments for the purpose of fair criticism and appeal. It shows how judgments are written and examines the style and language of judges expressing judicial opinion. The work is founded upon independent research in the form of interviews conducted with judges at every level from deputy district judge to Lords of Appeal in ordinary, and the practical application of existing academic material more usually devoted to the structure and analysis of wider prose writing. It is illustrated by reference to reported judgments, both well-known and obscure, of the past 100 years. Contents include: . The nature of judgment. How to read a judgment. The use of language in judicial opinion. Argument and legal logic. Fair criticism. Writing judgments. How judges decide. The appellate judgment. Problems with law reporting. Judicial style It will assist vocational and research students alike - as well as fascinate those interested more general in the law and judicial process.

Thinking of becoming a lawyer? Attending law school in Canada? Finally-it's here-the guidebook you've been waiting for. Every year, an estimated 10,000-15,000 people apply to 16 Canadian law schools, vying for just over 2000 coveted spots. The competition is even fiercer when applying for a job as an articling student. Adam Letourneau, B.Sc., B.A., LL.B., a graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review, reveals many insider tips on how to gain admittance to law school, how to cope and succeed in law school, and most importantly, how to land a coveted job post-graduation. Drawing upon personal experience and the experiences of numerous other Canadian law students, Letourneau shares general insights on the LSAT, applying for law school, study strategies, summer jobs, the articling application process and much more, along with plenty of context-specific information for the Canadian law student. Because the Canadian law school experience is unique, this book is the only full source of relevant information available to prospective and current Canadian law students. Letourneau will save you hours of research, hours of study and tons of stress. Recommended to all students interested in law school, all students applying to law school and to students in all three years of law school. For more information on this book, and for a variety of Canadian law school resources, go to www.canadalawstudent.ca.

This anthology features accessible, enjoyable, thought-provoking essays on timely legal issues by prominent journalists and scholars. Selected from well-known magazines like Atlantic Monthly, Harvard Business Review, The New Yorker, Slate, and Vanity Fair, each essay explores an important question currently being debated in our counts. Should government intervene in the business of a free market? Should people of the same sex be allowed to marry? Should religious icons be displayed in government buildings? Is a college student who mixes music on his laptop a thief? Any reader who would like to gain insight into the workings of the legal system while taking pleasure in excellent writing will enjoy this valuable collection. Including: Vikram Amar on What's Wrong with the Modern Jury Alex Beam on Big Tobacco and Greed Richard Thompson Ford on Gay Marriage Christopher Hitchens on Appalling Misdemeanors Ken I. Kersch on Multilateralism in the Courts Bryan Lonegan on Heartbreaking Deportations Nina Martin on Exoneration Hilary Rosen and Lawrence Lessig on Copyright Rod Smola on The Ten Commandments Eliot Spitzer on Business and Government Jeffrey Toobin on Gerrymandering

This is version 1.0 and it is not the current version. Please go to THE TRIANGLE I"F LAW(R) -- Version 1.1

First published in hardback in April 2003, this is the first book that directly addresses the cultural history of the legal profession. An international team of scholars canvasses wide-ranging issues concerning the culture of the legal profession and the wider cultural significance of lawyers, including consideration of the relation to cultural processes of state formation and colonisation. The essays describe and analyse significant aspects of the cultural history of the legal profession in England, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Finland. The book seeks to understand the complex ways in which lawyers were imaginatively and institutionally constructed, and their larger cultural significance. It illustrates both the diversity and the potential of a cultural approach to lawyers in history. 'Wesley Pue and David Sugarman have produced a fascinating volume of essays written from various perspectives under the rubric of cultural histories. I...want to present a sense of the richness of the essays in this volume. Lawyers and Vampires is a very provocative volume, and it will appeal to many political scientists who are using multiple methods and multidisciplinary approaches in their own work.' Laura J. Hatcher, The Law and Politics Book Review, November 2003

"Diversity" has become a mantra within discussions of university admissions policies and many other arenas of American society. In the essays collected here, Sanford Levinson, a leading scholar of constitutional law and American government, wrestles with various notions of diversity. He begins by explaining why he finds the concept to be almost useless as a genuine guide to public policy. Discussing affirmative action in university admissions, including the now famous University of Michigan Law School case, he argues both that there may be good reasons to use preferences-including race and ethnicity-and that these reasons have relatively little to do with any cogently developed theory of diversity. Distinguished by Levinson's characteristic open-mindedness and willingness to tease out the full implications of various claims, each of these nine essays, written over the past decade, develops a case study focusing on a particular aspect of public life in a richly diverse, and sometimes bitterly divided, society.Although most discussions of diversity have focused on race and ethnicity, Levinson is particularly interested in religious diversity and its implications. Why, he asks, do arguments for racial and ethnic diversity not also counsel a concern to achieve religious diversity within a student body? He considers the propriety of judges drawing on their religious views in making legal decisions and the kinds of questions Senators should feel free to ask nominees to the federal judiciary who have proclaimed the importance of their religion in structuring their own lives. In exploring the sense in which Sandy Koufax can be said to be a "Jewish baseball player," he engages in broad reflections on professional identity. He asks whether it is desirable, or even possible, to subordinate merely "personal" aspects of one's identity-religion, political viewpoints, gender-to the impersonal demands of the professional role. Wrestling with Diversity is a powerful interrogation of the assumptions and contradictions underlying public life in a multicultural world.

Effective Writing: A Handbook with Stories for Lawyers offers specific advice on how to write effectively the many kinds of writing lawyers do in actual practice.. It considers what makes writing effective in letters of various kinds, forms, bills, the many kinds of writing done through the trial, writing for an appeal, contracts, and writing for wills and trusts. The last chapter addresses how to rewrite to promote more effective thinking and how to rewrite for the reader, going beyond the usual considerations of correct or "plain" style to address what constitutes effective word choice, sentence structure, organization, citation and quotation in real contexts. The book is seasoned with "sidebars"-brief stories about legal writing from many judges, lawyers, and other writers-- that help to bring the world of legal writing alive. This book is the product of a collaboration between a distinguished lawyer, a professor of English (Rhetoric and Writing).

This new edition of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s classic book offers a lively and accessible history of the Supreme Court. His engaging writing illuminates both the high and low points in the Court's history, from Chief Justice Marshall’s dominance of the Court during the early nineteenth century through the landmark decisions of the Warren Court. Citing cases such as the Dred Scott decision and Roosevelt's Court-packing plan, Rehnquist makes clear that the Court does not operate in a vacuum, that the justices are unavoidably influenced by their surroundings, and that their decisions have real and lasting impacts on our society.

The public often hears little about the Supreme Court until decisions are handed down. Here, Rehnquist reveals its inner workings--the process by which cases are chosen, the nature of the conferences where decisions are made, and the type of debates that take place. With grace and wit, this incisive history gives a dynamic and informative account of the most powerful court in the nation and how it has shaped the direction America has taken.