Affiliates Work - Writing to Win: The Legal Writer

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Manufacturer: Main Street Books

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.06634
EAN: 9780385495929
ISBN: 0385495927
Label: Main Street Books
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 1999-12-28
Publisher: Main Street Books
Release Date: 1999-12-28
Studio: Main Street Books

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Editorial Reviews:

From a master teacher, a results-oriented approach to powerful legal writing that communicates, that persuades--and that wins.

Of all the professions, the law has the most deserved reputation for opaque, jargon-clogged writing. Legal education, which focuses on judicial opinions, not instruments of persuasion, is partly to blame. Yet forceful writing is one of the most potent weapons of legal advocacy. In Writing to Win, Steve Stark, a former teacher of writing at Harvard Law, who has taught thousands of aspiring and practicing lawyers, has written the only book on the market that applies the universal principles of vigorous prose to the job of making a case--and winning it.

Writing to Win focuses on the writing of lawyers, not judges, and includes dozens of examples of effective (and ineffective) real-life writing--as well as models drawn from advertising, journalism, and fiction. It deals with the problems lawyers face in writing, from organization to strengthening and editing prose; teaches ways of improving arguments; addresses litigation and technical writing in all its forms; and covers the writing attorneys must perform in their practice, from memos and letters to briefs and contracts. Each chapter opens with a succinct set of rules for easy reference.

No other legal writing book on the market is as practical, as focused on results, as well written as Writing to Win.

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Customer Rating:

Summary: Oh, that's what "they" meant
Comment: I have heard Writing to Win has been used in Advanced Legal Writing classes, which seems to be its best niche - law school upper level student or young lawyer or equivalent. (I read it on my own, outside a classroom setting.) The book should help polish one's writing style. It is not a basic writing book that dwells on grammar, etc. It does provide a writing structure that had me repeatedly saying to myself, "Oh, that's what 'they' meant." I have had other writing teachers and mentors say things that are similar to what is in this book, but they did not express their ideas as clearly to me as Steven D. Stark.

I debated whether to rate the book 4 or 5 stars. The book appears a little light on showing examples of writing vs. telling how to write. However, this appearance is probably related to the book telling a lot of writing ideas, because the book does show a number of writing examples and the Mr. Stark is actively soliciting more examples for potential future editions.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Short And Sweet, But Not The Best
Comment: Stark takes on the whole legal writing proces in a breezy style. Stark was a litigator once, and it shows. But that was years ago, and I think you can tell. In contrast, I liked Bryan Garner's "The Winning Brief" a lot more, in part because Garner gives real-world examples of what to do and what not to do. Stark tells more than shows. As a litigator myself, I find it more useful if an author shows me an example of what not to do and how to correct it. I gave it three stars.

This book is very useful if you are a law student or a young lawyer. It gives simple rules and is easy to read. Some of his advice should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, he believes that briefs should not be written by several lawyers--but most young lawyers have little choice in that regard. Also, Garner's book (which is much longer and more detailed) gives much more advanced techniques. Overall, it is a very solid and readable resource for legal writers. It just is not the last word.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Great book, very informative.
Comment: I am pleasantly surprised by the readability of this useful book. The book kept my attention, and it was very helpful and informative.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Simple rules to live by
Comment: This book is a great tool for the over-verbose legalese writer, as well as the novice who needs to know how to LOOK as if they know what they're doing. It knocks legal writing down to the basics (face it - if you haven't got a valid case, no amount of purple prose is going to save it.) It also clearly defines the parameters of specialized legal writing (pleadings, writs, etc.)

Customer Rating:

Summary: Enlightening, yet funny
Comment: More than one person has referred to Stark as the David Letterman of legal writing instructors. He advances the notion, also advanced by Bryan Garner and for many years by James Raymond, of clear and (hard as it is for a lawyer to do) interesting writing. The several series of commandments at the beginning chapter beginnings enable you to keep the main ideas in your mind. The book is a good combination of instructional manual and a quick briefing paper. All lawyers should read and embrace Stark's notions. I only wish he had not emphasized winning as the goal, but I suppose that what his publisher needed to get someone to buy the book.

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