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Preface | |
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Introduction | |
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Principles for All Legal WritingFraming Your Thoughts | |
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Have something to say—and think it through | |
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For maximal efficiency, plan your writing projects | |
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Try nonlinear outlining | |
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Order your material in a logical sequence | |
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Use chronology when presenting facts | |
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Keep related material together | |
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Divide the document into sections, and divide sections into smaller parts as needed | |
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Use informative headings for the sections and subsections.Phrasing Your Sentences | |
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Omit needless words | |
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Keep your average sentence length about 20 words | |
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Keep the subject, the verb, and the object together—toward the beginning of the sentence | |
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Prefer the active voice over the passive | |
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Use parallel phrasing for parallel ideas | |
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Avoid multiple negatives | |
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End sentences emphatically.Choosing Your Words | |
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Learn to detest simplifiable jargon | |
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Use strong, precise verbs | |
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Minimize is, are, was,and were | |
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Turn -ion words into verbs when you can | |
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Simplify wordy phrases | |
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Watch out for of | |
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Avoid doublets and triplets | |
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Refer to people and companies by name | |
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Don't habitually use parenthetical shorthand names | |
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Use them only when you really need them | |
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Shun newfangled acronyms | |
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Make everything you write speakable | |
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Principles Mainly for Analytical and Persuasive Writing | |
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Plan all three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end | |
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Use the "deep issue" to spill the beans on the first page | |
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Summarize | |
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Don't overparticularize | |
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Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence | |
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Bridge between paragraphs | |
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Vary the length of your paragraphs, but generally keep them short | |
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Provide signposts along the way | |
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Unclutter the text by moving citations into footnotes | |
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Weave quotations deftly into your narrative | |
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Be forthright in dealing with counterarguments | |
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Principles Mainly for Legal Drafting | |
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Draft for an ordinary reader, not for a mythical judge who might someday review the document | |
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Organize provisions in order of descending importance | |
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Minimize definitions | |
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If you have more than just a few, put them in a schedule at the end—not at the beginning | |
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Break down enumerations into parallel provisions | |
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Put every list of subparts at the end of the sentence—never at the beginning or in the middle | |
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Delete every shall | |
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Don't use provisos | |
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Replace and/orwherever it appears | |
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Prefer the singular over the plural | |
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Prefer numerals, not words, to denote amounts | |
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Avoid word-numeral doublets | |
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If you don't understand a form provision—or don't understand why it should be included in your document—try diligently to gain that understanding | |
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If you still can't understand it, cut it | |
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Principles for Document Design | |
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Use a readable typeface | |
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Create ample white space—and use it meaningfully | |
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Highlight ideas with attention-getters such as bullets | |
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Don't use all capitals, and avoid initial capitals | |
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For a long document, make a table of contents | |
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Methods for Continued Improvement | |
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Embrace constructive criticism | |
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Edit yourself systematically | |
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Learn how to find reliable answers to questions of grammar and usage | |
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Habitually gauge your own readerly likes and dislikes, as well as those of other readers | |
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Remember that good writing makes the reader's job easy; bad writing makes it hard | |
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How to Punctuate | |
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Four Model Documents | |
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Research Memorandum | |
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Motion | |
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Appellate Brief | |
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ContractKey to Basic Exercises | |
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Index | |