Basic Legal Writing for Paralegals

Title
Table of Contents
PART ONE RESEARCH Chapter
	1 The Sources of the Law
		Legal Research in General
		Precedential Value: Primary Authority versus Secondary Authority
		Finding Case Law
			Citations
			Official Reporters
			National Reporter System
			United States Supreme Court Decisions
			Federal Court Decisions
			American Law Reports (A.L.R.)
			Other Unofficial Reporters
			Looseleaf Services
		Finding Statutes and Constitutions
			Slip Laws and Session Laws
			Codes
			Annotated Codes
			Local Ordinances
			Legislative History
			Constitutions
			Court Rules
		Finding Administrative Regulations and Decisions
			Federal
			State and Local
		The Hierarchy of the Law
		Secondary Sources
			Legal Encyclopedias
			Restatements
			Treatises and Texts
			Law Reviews and Periodicals
			Looseleaf Services and Annotations
		Practical Considerations: The Constraints of the Internet
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	2 Legal Research Finding Tools
		The Digest System
			Key Numbers and Digests
			Pocket Parts
		Updating the Law
			Shepardizing
		Online Updating: Shepard’s Citations Service and KeyCite
			Shepard’s Citations Service
			KeyCite
		Computer-Assisted Legal Research
			Lexis and Westlaw
		Westlaw (www.westlaw.com)
		Lexis (www.lexis.com)
			Case Law Summaries and Headnotes
			The Internet
		Practical Considerations—How to Begin and When to Stop
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	3 The Case Brief
		The Case Brief Distinguished
		The Components of a Printed Opinion
			Star-Paging
			Shorthand Case Name
			Parallel Citation
			Full Name of Case
			Docket Number, Court, and Date
			Synopsis
			West Key Number and Headnote
			Attorneys and Judge
			Text and Disposition
		The Components of a Case Brief
			Updating the Case
			Reading the Case
			Identification of the Case
			Parties
			Issues
			Facts
			Prior Proceedings
			Holding
			Reasoning
			Disposition
		Developing the Case Brief
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
PART II LEGAL WRITING BASICS Chapter
	4 Introduction to Legal Writing
		Tradition and Trend in Legal Writing
		Plain English
		Prewriting Considerations
			Identifying the Purpose
			Defining and Researching the Issues
		Constraints on Legal Writing
			Time Constraints
			Document Length
			Format Style
		Organizing the Legal Document
			Outlining
			An Alternative to Outlining
		Types of Documents
			Letters
			Internal Memoranda
			Transactional Documents
			A Few Words about Forms
			Pleadings
			Motions
			Briefs
			Discovery Documents
		Post-Writing Considerations: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
			Revising the Document
			Editing the Document
			Proofreading the Document
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	5 The Mechanics of Construction
		Punctuation
			The Comma
			The Semicolon
			The Colon
			Quotations
			Parentheses, Brackets, and the Ellipsis
			Hyphens and Dashes
			The Period
			Question Marks and Exclamation Points
			The Apostrophe
			Sentence Construction
			The Simple Sentence: Subject/Verb/Object
			Modifiers: Adjectives and Adverbs
			The Complex Sentence: Clauses
			The Compound Sentence
			The Run-on Sentence and the Sentence Fragment
			Active Voice versus Passive Voice
		Paragraphing
			The Topic Sentence
			The Body
			The Closing Sentence
		Transitional Language
		Basic Grammar and Spelling Reminders: The Trouble Spots
			Common Spelling Mistakes
			Capitalize Proper Names and Adjectives
			Grammar Hot Spots
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	6 Effective and Persuasive Legal Writing
		Writing Is Reading
		The Possibilities of Language
			Brevity, Clarity, and Precision
			Voice
			A Word about Tone
			Contractions—You Can’t Say Can’t
			Similes and Metaphors
		Pitfalls in Language
			Ambiguity
			Misplaced Modifiers
			Sexism
			Politically Correct Terminology
			Clichés, Slang, and Colloquialisms
			Jargon
			Redundancy and Verbosity
			Elegant Variation and the Thesaurus
			Misused Words
			Writing Fallacies
			Write in the Third Person
			A Word (or Two) about Plagiarism
			Tell Them!
			Topic Sentences and Transitions
			Structured Enumeration
			Take a Positive and Definitive Approach
		Logical Development
			IRAC Method
			Strongest Argument First
			Chronological Development
			Outlining and Subheading
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	7 Citations in Legal Writing
		In the Beginning
		The Young Upstart: ALWD Citation Manual
		The Competition
		The Other Guides
		The Basic Citation Form
		Recent Case Decisions
		Subsequent History of a Case
		State Subsequent History Guides
		Federal Reporters
			The Federal Reporter
			The Federal Supplement
			Federal Rules Decision
			Federal Appendix: A New Reporter
		Citing Statutes
		Administrative Rules and Regulations
			Code of Federal Regulations
			Federal Register
		The Constitution and Court Rules
			Constitutions
			Court Rules
		Secondary Sources
			Restatements
			Law Reviews
			Attorney General Opinions
			A.L.R. Annotations
			Legal Dictionaries
		Incorporating Citations into Legal Writing
			Citations in Sentences
			A Shortcut: Id. and Supra
			String Citing
		Signals in Legal Writing
		Quotations in Legal Writing
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
PART III PRACTICAL WRITING APPLICATIONS Chapter
	8 The Basics of Legal Correspondence
		The Function of Legal Correspondence
			The Informative Letter
			The Advisory Letter
			The Confirmation Letter
		Evaluating the Audience: Tone and Style
			The Client
			Opposing Counsel
			The Court
		The Components of a Letter
			The Letterhead
			The Date
			The Addressee
			The Reference Line
			The Salutation
			The Body
			The Header
			The Closing and Signature Block
			Referencing Initials
			Copy and Blind Copy (cc and bcc)
		Formatting the Letter
			General Legal Correspondence
			Transmittal Letters
		Specialized Legal Correspondence
			The Demand Letter
			The Collection Letter
			The Fair Debt Collection Statutory Letter
			The Consumer Protection Letter
			The Letter Notifying of Intention to Litigate
		Responding to Demand Letters
		Statutory Letters of Intent to Litigate: Malpractice Cases
		New Standards for Requesting Medical Information
		The Opinion Letter
			The Client Opinion Letter
			The Third-Party Opinion Letter
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	9 The Internal Office Memorandum
		Internal Memoranda: The Basic Types
			An Internal Memorandum to Summarize Information
			Memorandum to Document Information
			Internal Memorandum of Law
		The Interoffice Memorandum Distinguished
		Preliminary Considerations
		The Internal Memorandum of Law
			The Heading
			The Statement of Issues Presented
			Multiple Issues Presented
			Short Summary of the Conclusion
			Statement of Facts
			Discussion and Analysis
			The IRAC Method
			Conclusion
		Post-Writing Considerations
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	10 The Basics of Pleadings
		Pleadings in General
		Types of Pleadings
		Fact Pleading and Notice Pleading Distinguished
		The Basic Components of a Pleading
			The Caption
			Title of the Pleading
			Body of a Pleading
			Signature
		The Significance of Rule 11
		Certificate of Service
		Filing of Pleadings
		The Complaint
		The Caption
			Introduction
			The Body of the Complaint
			The Prayer for Relief
			The Signature Block and the Verification
			Service of Process
			Checklist
		The Answer
			The Components of an Answer
			Checklist
		Additional Pleadings
		Amending and Supplementing Pleadings
			Amended Pleadings
			Supplemental Pleadings
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	11 Discovery
		Discovery in General
		Interrogatories
			The Caption
			Title
			The Introductory Paragraphs
			Instructions
			Definitions
			Interrogatories
			Signature Block and Certificate of Service
		Responses to Interrogatories
		Requests for Admissions
			The Introduction of a Request for Admission
			Text of a Request for Admission
			Responses to Requests for Admission
			Request for Production of Documents and Things
			Request for Medical Examination
		The Deposition
			Notice of Intention to Take Oral Deposition
			Applicability of a Subpoena
			Production of Documents in Conjunction with a Deposition
			Deposition Preparation
			Digesting a Deposition
		Discovery Motions
			The Motion for Protective Order
			The Motion to Compel Discovery
			The Motion for Sanctions
		A Method of Culminating the Case: The Motion for Summary Judgment
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
PART IV PERSUASIVE WRITING Chapter
	12 The Memorandum of Law to the Trial Court
		The Nature and Purpose of the Memorandum of Law to the Trial Court
		Types of Trial Memoranda
			Memorandum in Regard to a Motion
			Memorandum at the Request of a Judge
			Unsolicited Memorandum Anticipating Legal Issues
		Getting Ready to Write: The Prewriting Considerations
		The Components of a Memorandum of Law to the Trial Court
			The Caption or Heading
			Title
			Introduction to the Court
			Issues or Questions Presented
			Statement of Facts
			The Argument
			Conclusion
			Signature Block and Certificate of Service
		Post-Writing Review
		Practical Considerations
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
	13 The Appellate Brief
		A Preliminary Note about Procedural Rules
		The Appellate Brief Defined
			The Parties to the Appellate Brief
			The Record
			The Standard of Review
		The Sections of an Appellate Brief
			Title or Cover Page
			Certificate of Interested Parties or Disclosure Statement
			Table of Contents
			Table of Authorities
			Jurisdictional Statement
			Statement of the Case
			Questions Presented
			Statement of Facts
			Summary of the Argument
			Argument
			Conclusion
			Signature Block
			Certificate of Compliance with Length Requirements
			Certificate of Service
			Appendix
		The Four Categories of Appellate Briefs
			Appellant’s Brief
			Appellee’s Brief
			Reply Brief
			Amicus Curiae Brief
		Writing the Brief
		Practical Considerations
		A Final Word
		Summary
		Key Terms
		Review Questions
		Exercises
		Portfolio Assignment
		Vocabulary Builder
GLOSSARY
INDEX