Customer Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Comment: How good is this book? Well, I've put it on my shelf right between Bryan Garner's masterwork The Winning Brief and Steven Stark's famous and succinct Writing To Win. Like both of those books, Professors Goldstein and Liberman present a systemic approach to legal writing. They are brave enough to offer real-life legal writing duds as well as writing gems from practicing lawyers as well as judges. Only professors could do that. If a lawyer tried it, it would be professional harikari.
Their advice is more general than Garner's and more detailed than Stark's. In that vein, the book is a good middle-of-the-road guide for lawyers. Frankly, I was skeptical of a book written for lawyers by two professors. I thought they'd be throwing stones from their ivory towers at the litigators in the trenches. They do, but not so much we can't handle it. More importantly, their advice is mostly on the mark.
That doesn't mean they don't stray a bit from time to time. They spend the first agonizing 34 pages telling us over and over again how legal writing has been atrocious for centuries apparently never to change. So why should we bother with this book? And at one point they proclaim that lawyers too often are careless about punctuation. Poppycock, I say. In my experience, many lawyers obsess over typos and punctuation and completely forget to breathe any life into their arguments.
But those are minor flaws in a very good writing guide. If you know a lawyer, chances are this would make a great gift. Too bad I already have it...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Essential for Any Lawyer
Comment: Even though this book is 17 years old, it remains in the first rank. More extensive than Steven Stark's, more engaging than Garner's, Goldstein and Lieberman's book is my first choice for any lawyer seeking to become a competent writer. Part III, the longest part of the book is entitled, "Making Your Prose Serviceable," the part one must read. But particularly worthy is the Part following, "Making Your Prose Memorable." Even though few of us will ever attain that goal, it's worth trying. I can't think of another book in the genre suggesting such a lofty purpose. I appreciate having some guidance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: More than good writing advice.
Comment: Are lawyers professional writers? Could a law office benefit by adopting some methods of a book publisher or newspaper office?Yes and yes, according to the authors of this excellent book.
The writing advice is superb, from commas to sentence length and from transitions to editing methods. But the best parts of the book are the suggestions for managing a law office so that it will produce consistent, top-notch written work. The authors recommend using proofreaders, training junior lawyers in editing, and employing someone in the position of copy editor. All great advice that would improve legal writing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: my favorite book of all times
Comment: i first purchased this "intriguing" book when living in chicago where i worked as "foreign patent specialist" and "senior tech writer/editor". When we moved to Las Vegas, after my retirement, I panicked when I realized that I've lost this book. Just open any page and savor the words in this book. Bravo to the authors. I wish I could shake their hands for a well-written and intriguing book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Helpful tool for all lawyers and law students
Comment: Goldstein and Lieberman have authored a book every law professional and law student should consult. The glossary alone has enough helpful hints to improve one's writing.
