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Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

by: Elwell, Celia; Smith, Robert

Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

by: Elwell, Celia; Smith, Robert

ISBN 13:
9780314061157
ISBN 10:
0314061150
Edition: 1st
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 02/02/1996
Publisher: Cengage Learning

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Summary

This text is designed to cover all aspects of paralegal writing. It is intended not only as a text for paralegal instruction, but as a desk reference tool for practicing paralegals. It includes many practice examples and exercises in both the text and in the appendices. ALSO AVAILABLE INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructors Manual - (with Test Bank and Transparency Masters)ISBN: 0-314-06116-9

Preface

Introduction

(6)

Fact Scenario

(5)

Communication Skills

(20)

Listening Skills

(1)

Oral Communication Skills

(1)

Note-Taking Skills

(2)

Dictation Skills

(4)

Dictation Equipment

(1)

Dictation Etiquette

(1)

Editing

(1)

Dictation Dos and Don'ts

(3)

Telephone Skills

(1)

Telephone Etiquette

(1)

Organizing Your Thoughts

(1)

Putting the Caller On Hold

(1)

Taking Notes during the Call

(1)

Ending the Telephone Call

(1)

Returning Calls Promptly

(1)

Communication Between Lawyers and Legal Assistants

(3)

Paraphrasing

(1)

Clarification

(1)

Don't Be Afraid of Saying ``I Don't Know''

(1)

Prioritizing Assignments

(1)

Receiving Criticism Constructively

(1)

Communication Between Legal Assistants and Other Support Staff

(2)

Office Etiquette and Procedures

(1)

Handling Personnel Issues

(1)

Communication Between the Legal Assistant and Client

(7)

Ethical Considerations

(3)

Client Communications

(4)

Legal Writing---The Basics

(24)

Keep It Simple

(7)

Eliminating Pomposity

(1)

Handling Jargon

(1)

Trimming Verbosity

(1)

Achieving Simplicity

(4)

Keep It Short

(2)

Writing Short Phrases

(1)

Writing Short Sentences

(1)

Writing Short Paragraphs

(1)

Eliminating Pleonasms

(1)

Keep It Professional

(5)

``Eschewing'' Legalese

(1)

Avoiding Babble

(1)

Using the Right Word

(3)

Using Correct Word Order

(1)

A Touch of Class

(4)

Avoiding Overemphasis

(1)

Using Repetition

(1)

Using Alliteration

(1)

Using Vivid Language

(1)

Using Quotations Sparingly

(1)

Proofread

(6)

Using a Proofreader

(1)

Reading Slowly

(5)

Grammar and Punctuation

(26)

Grammar

(14)

Pronoun References

(2)

Case Forms of Pronouns

(1)

Number

(2)

Singular and Plural

(1)

Active and Passive Voice

(1)

Mood

(1)

Double Negatives

(1)

Nominalization

(1)

Parallel Construction

(1)

Split Infinitives

(1)

Possessives

(1)

That or Which

(1)

Where, When, and In Which

(1)

Dangling Modifiers

(2)

Compound Words

(1)

Both...And

(1)

Run-On Sentences

(1)

Dangling Prepositions

(1)

Contractions

(1)

Whether (Or Not)

(1)

Punctuation

(6)

Commas

(1)

Semicolons

(1)

Colons

(1)

Quotation Marks

(1)

Dashes and Hyphens

(1)

Apostrophes

(1)

Parentheses

(1)

Brackets

(1)

Ellipses

(1)

Slashes

(1)

Capitalization

(6)

Proper Names

(1)

Titles

(6)

Correspondence and Internal Memorandums

(26)

Internal Memorandums

(4)

Uses for Memos

(1)

Deadline Ticklers

(1)

When to Write a Memo

(2)

Correspondence

(22)

Writing Letters

(8)

Formatting Letters

(4)

Writing Different Kinds of Letters

(10)

Legal Research

103

(38)

Legal Authority

103

(1)

Primary Authority

103

(1)

Secondary Authority

104

(1)

The Research Process

104

(30)

Legal Encyclopedias and Treatises

104

(1)

Corpus Juris Secundum

105

(7)

Digests

112

(3)

Case Law

115

(6)

The Statutes

121

(8)

Shepard's Citator

129

(5)

Research Hints

134

(7)

Citation Form

141

(14)

The Bluebook

141

(1)

Spacing in Citations

142

(1)

Case Law

142

(6)

Federal Cases

143

(2)

State Cases

145

(1)

Subsequent History of Cases

146

(1)

Introductory Signals

146

(1)

Short Citations

147

(1)

Statutes

148

(2)

Secondary Authority

150

(2)

Treatises

150

(1)

Legal Encyclopedias

151

(1)

Legal Periodicals

151

(1)

Local Rules and Customs

152

(3)

Legal Analysis

155

(9)

Case Briefs

156

(8)

Facts

156

(1)

Title and Citation

157

(1)

Procedural History

158

(1)

The Opinion

158

(1)

Legal Theories of the Parties

159

(1)

The Facts

160

(1)

The Issues

161

(1)

The Holding of the Court

162

(1)

The Court's Rationale

163

(1)

The Judgment

164

(1)

Sample Case Briefs

164

(19)

Legal Memorandum

183

(44)

Cases

183

(1)

Elements of the Legal Memorandum

184

(9)

Heading or Caption

184

(1)

Introduction

185

(1)

Statement of Facts

185

(1)

Questions Presented and Brief Answers

186

(1)

Pertinent Statutes

187

(1)

Discussion

187

(5)

String Citations

192

(1)

Conclusion

192

(1)

Other Considerations

193

(34)

Focus of the Memorandum

193

(1)

Length of the Memorandum

193

(1)

Designation of Parties, Events, Documents, and Things

193

(2)

Legal Authority

195

(32)

Drafting Briefs

227

(80)

Briefs

227

(2)

Court Rules

228

(1)

Brief Banks

229

(1)

Trial Briefs

229

(22)

Scheduling Conference and Order

229

(4)

Pretrial Conference and Final Pretrial Order

233

(6)

Components of the Trial Brief

239

(12)

Appellate Briefs

251

(11)

The Parts of the Appellate Brief

252

(10)

Finalizing and Preparing a Brief for Filing

262

(45)

Checklist for Preparing and Filing a Brief

262

(1)

Tips for Saving Space

263

(44)

Pleadings

307

(70)

Federal Courts

307

(1)

Rules of Civil Procedure

307

(1)

Pleadings

308

(4)

Types of Pleadings

308

(2)

Fact Pleadings and Notice Pleadings

310

(1)

Boilerplate Pleadings

311

(1)

General Format for Pleadings

312

(10)

Caption or Style of the Case

312

(1)

Title of the Pleading

313

(1)

Body of the Pleading

314

(6)

Signature Block

320

(1)

Certificate of Service

321

(1)

Service of Process

322

(1)

Drafting Specific Pleadings

323

(54)

Drafting the Complaint

323

(7)

Filing Fees

330

(1)

Filing the Complaint

330

(4)

Checklist for Drafting and Filing to the Complaint

334

(1)

Drafting the Answer

335

(5)

Checklist for Drafting an Answer to the Complaint

340

(1)

Drafting the Counterclaim or Cross-Claim

340

(2)

Pleading Checklist

342

(35)

Motions and Supporting Briefs

377

(32)

Court Rules

377

(2)

Requirements for Drafting Motions

378

(1)

Setting the Motion for Hearing and Giving Notice to Opposing Counsel

378

(1)

Rule 11

379

(1)

Drafting the Body of the Motion

379

(3)

Motions That Require Supporting Briefs

382

(20)

Motion to Compel Discovery

383

(3)

Motion for Protective Order

386

(1)

Motion for Sanctions

387

(2)

Motion to Dismiss

389

(5)

Motion for Summary Judgment

394

(8)

Checklist for Completing Motions and Supporting Briefs

402

(7)

Drafting Discovery Documents

409

Discovery

409

Discovery Narrows the Issues

409

What Else Does Discovery Do?

409

Court Rules for Discovery

409

What Is Discoverable?

410

Relevance

410

Privilege

411

Discovery Strategy

411

Types of Discovery

412

Interrogatories---Rule 33, Fed. R. Civ. P.

412

Requests for Production of Documents (or Tangible Things)---Rule 34, Fed. R. Civ.P.

413

Depositions---Rules 27, 28, 30, 31, and 32, Fed.R. Civ.P.

413

Request for Physical or Mental Examination---Rule 35, Fed.R. Civ.P.

413

Request for Admissions---Rule 36, Fed.R. Civ.P.

414

Applying Discovery Strategy

414

Interrogatories

415

Interrogatories May Be Served Only upon Parties

416

Drafting and Responding to Interrogatories

416

Guidelines for Drafting Interrogatories

417

Limitation on the Number of Interrogatories

419

Ladder or Branching Interrogatories

420

The Basic Structure of Interrogatories

420

Boilerplate Interrogatories

424

How to Find Out the Identity of Documents and Witnesses

425

Expert Witnesses

426

Contention Interrogatories

428

Answers to Interrogatories

429

Signature, Verification, and Certificate of Mailing

430

Requests for Production of Documents or Things

430

Guidelines for Drafting Requests for Production

431

Definitions and Instructions

431

Drafting the Requests for Production

432

Responses to Requests for Production

433

Depositions

434

Drafting Deposition Documents

434

Deposing Non-Party Witnesses

435

Summarizing Depositions

440

Requests for Physical or Mental Examination

443

Requests for Admissions

444

Drafting Requests for Admissions

445

Drafting Responses to Requests for Admissions

446

Appendixes

Appendix A-Commonly Misspelled Words

A-1

Appendix B-Which Preposition?

B-1

Appendix C-Unnecessary Verbiage and Stuffy Words

C-1

Appendix D-Sample Case Brief

D-1

Appendix E-Sample Legal Memorandum

E-1

Appendix F-Brief Cheat Sheet

F-1

Appendix G-Sample Trial Brief

G-1

Appendix H-Motion for Protective Order and Supporting Brief

H-1

Appendix I-Deposition of Defendant

I-1

Glossary

Glossary-1

Index

Index-1

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

9780314061157

0314061150

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

Practical Legal Writing for Legal Assistants

9780314061157

0314061150

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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