Writing to Win: The Legal Writer

By Steven D. Stark

Book Overview

From a master teacher and writer, a fully revised and updated edition of the results-oriented approach to legal writing that is clear, that persuades--and that WINS. More than almost any profession, the law has a deserved reputation for opaque, jargon-clogged writing. Yet forceful writing is one of the most potent weapons of legal advocacy. In this new edition of Writing to Win , Steven D. Stark, a former lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, who has inspired thousands of aspiring and practicing lawyers, applies the universal principles of powerful, vigorous prose to the job of making a legal 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 legal writing--as well as compelling models drawn from advertising, journalism, and fiction. It deals with the challenges lawyers face in writing, from organization to strengthening and editing prose; offers incisive ways of improving arguments; addresses litigation and technical writing in all its forms; and covers the writing attorneys must perform in their daily practice, from email memos to briefs and contracts. Each chapter opens with a succinct set of rules for easy reference. With new sections on client communication and drafting affidavits, as well as updated material throughout, Writing to Win is the most practical and efficacious legal-writing manual available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307888711
• ISBN13: 9780307888716
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Enlightening, yet funny

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.

great book

I own the book by Mr. Stark, and I also recommend the books by Bryan Garner, including, Elements Of Legal Style. The Stark book and the others, like the example I gave are useful for lawyers, law students, and paralegals, like myself, or anyone who writes on legal matters.

Great advice from someone who knows.

Stark's credentials as a practicing litigator and writing teacher give him great credibility, and he makes the most of it with this entertaining and useful book. It is superbly organized and easy to read. Plus, he gives lots of practical examples that drive home his points. A great book.

Surprisingly funny

Got this book for my stepson, & got a chance to look at it when we visited him at college. As I expected, it's a good book for anyone who wants to improve their writing, whether they are interested in law or not. What I didn't expect is that it was funny. I found myself laughing, sometimes out loud, every few pages.Highly recommended.

Quite an outstanding book

Jaded from having read almost every major treatise on legal writing written in the past twenty years, I was surprised by how much I liked Professor Stark's book. It's practical, comprehensive, (I especially liked that he even gave advice about how to write reply briefs, amicus briefs, and e-mail, subjects rarely considered elsewhere. Bravo!), bathroom-readable, and funny. (He titles a chapter "Yes, Virginia, you can even make patent applications more readable by studying board games and cookbooks,") For the price, it's an excellent value, especially when compared to Bryan A. Garner's bloated, ego-driven behemoth "The Winning Brief," which, while making good points, also includes several idiotic ones. Unlike Garner, Stark never succombs to trying to be different simply to stand out from the crowd. For that, he gets my highest praise.