Chapter 1: I Haven't Begun Yet and I Already Feel Lost

The Legal Writing Companion: Problems, Solutions, and Samples (2d ed.), Carolina Academic Press, LLC, 2019; eISBN 978-1-5310-1373-8

Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2019-22

57 Pages Posted: 1 Jul 2019 Last revised: 2 Aug 2019

See all articles by Kristen E. Murray

Kristen E. Murray

Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law

Jessica Lynn Wherry

Georgetown Law

Date Written: June 17, 2019

Abstract

The Legal Writing Companion is a practical, helpful guide for the new legal writer, designed to address common problems and demonstrate how and why to make effective choices to solve them. The book is intended as an assigned supplement to a Legal Research and Writing textbook or as a handbook for students working independently to strengthen their legal writing. Based on the authors’ combined thirty years of experience teaching legal research and writing, the book addresses the novice legal writer and offers specific tools for moving forward from the very first day of class (e.g., Problem: I’m Intimidated by Legal Writing) to polishing a final written work product (e.g., Problem: I’m Having Trouble with Tone).

Organized by eight common “problem” areas, the book uses two fictional case files (one common law, one statutory) to work through a series of problems and includes samples of both strong and weak writing choices. Chapters 1–3 identify and discuss common challenges during the prewriting stage, including the transition to writing a full first draft. Chapters 4–6 focus on writing and explaining legal rules, applying law to facts, and organizing legal analysis. Chapter 7 discusses problems and solutions related to the smaller components of legal writing, and Chapter 8 troubleshoots common polishing errors, from overuse of legalese to common citation problems. The Appendices feature complete annotated memos that pull together the themes presented in the text and show multiple models of successful finished products. The second edition includes advice from a current law student about how best to use the book.

Keywords: legal writing, legal research, legal education, student writing

JEL Classification: K00, K40

Suggested Citation

Murray, Kristen E. and Wherry, Jessica Lynn, Chapter 1: I Haven't Begun Yet and I Already Feel Lost (June 17, 2019). The Legal Writing Companion: Problems, Solutions, and Samples (2d ed.), Carolina Academic Press, LLC, 2019; eISBN 978-1-5310-1373-8, Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2019-22, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3405426

Kristen E. Murray

Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law ( email )

1719 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States
215-204-2379 (Phone)

Jessica Lynn Wherry (Contact Author)

Georgetown Law ( email )

600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
United States
202-662-9528 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/wherry-jessica-l.cfm#

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