Legal Writing in Plain English, Third Edition: A Text with Exercises

Bryan A. Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English is the leading guide to clear writing in the legal profession for over two decades. It provides practical tools for improving written work, encourages lawyers to challenge conventions, and draws on real-life writing samples. The third edition includes new sections on making writing vivid and concrete, using graphics to enhance arguments, and expanded coverage of key topics. It also includes updated sample legal documents and exercises, and checklists provide quick summaries of each section.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 28 November 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

For over two decades, Bryan A. Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English has been the go-to guide for legal professionals seeking clear and concise writing. Often criticized for its obscurity and excessive use of legalese, the book has aimed to address this issue by providing practical advice and tools for improving written work. Garner's book has become the leading resource in the field, encouraging legal writers to challenge conventions and offering valuable insights into the writing process.

Accessible and witty, Legal Writing in Plain English draws on real-life writing samples gathered through Garner's decades of teaching experience. The book covers various types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting, and its principles are reinforced by sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section.

In this third edition, Garner has retained the structure of the previous versions, with updates and new material throughout. New sections have been added on making writing vivid and concrete and on using graphics to enhance arguments. Coverage of key topics such as achieving parallelism, avoiding legalese, writing effective openers and summaries, and weaving quotations into text has been expanded. Additionally, sample legal documents and exercises have been updated, and newly added checklists provide quick summaries of each section.

Overall, this new edition of Legal Writing in Plain English is an invaluable resource for legal professionals seeking to improve their writing skills and communicate more effectively. With its clear and concise approach, the book has helped countless lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars enhance their written work and achieve greater clarity in their legal arguments.

Dimension: 235 x 165 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226816548
Edition number: Third Edition