Want to improve your brief-writing skills? Then check out Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates, which has just been added to the library’s collection.
Written by legal writing expert Ross Guberman, the book takes an empirical approach to the topic. It identifies 50 of the country’s most renowned and influential advocates, then dissects hundreds of their motions and briefs, demystifying their writing strategies and breaking those strategies down into concrete, learnable techniques.
Each chapter focuses on a specific writing challenge, providing practical examples and tips on how those challenges were resolved in various trial and appellate briefs. Chapter headings include:
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set the stage and sound your theme
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replace dates with phrases that convey a sense of time
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center technical matter on people or entities
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concede bad facts, but put them in context
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leave the court with a final image or thought
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start each paragraph by answering a question you expect the court to have
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link your party with the party in the cited case
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the one-syllable opener
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the pithy sentence
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the rhetorical question
The layout of the book is easy on the eyes, making the rules and guidelines easy to digest.
For more, click here for an interview with the author.
