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Legal Writing and Research

Series

1997

Legal writing

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Law

Right Writing Or Rite Riting?, K.K. Duvivier Nov 1997

Right Writing Or Rite Riting?, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

After more than two decades of deliberation, a government-sponsored commission, composed of linguists from the major German-speaking countries, recently issued a new standard German grammar called Die neue deutsche Rechtschreibung.


The Volley Of Canons, K.K. Duvivier Sep 1997

The Volley Of Canons, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The "canons of construction" are a set of formalized rules or maxims for interpreting words. These canons are especially relevant for two categories of legal writers. First, brief writers can use the canons to argue a particular interpretation of the words of a statute. The statute's words provide the best evidence of statutory intent, both under the "plain-meaning" rule and when legislative history is sparse. Second, attorneys who draft instruments should consider the impact of the canons when choosing specific language to insert in a contract,' lease, or other instrument.


Not Selected For Official Publication, K.K. Duvivier Jul 1997

Not Selected For Official Publication, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Hundreds of thousands of "unpublished opinions" are now available on electronic databases. Although these opinions have not been designated as officially published precedent, they still may have a significant impact on the outcome of your client's case. The dilemma is whether you can or should cite these unpublished cases in your brief.


The Footnote=An Interruption, K.K. Duvivier May 1997

The Footnote=An Interruption, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The footnote is a familiar tool in legal scholarship. Some of the best law review articles, legal encyclopedias, and legal treatises devote half of each page to detailed, supporting footnotes. Footnotes make sense in this context. Readers of these sources have a dual objective: to glean a general framework for an argument and to find specific authorities to support each point. The Colorado Lawyer is such a research source. It lists authorities in endnotes so its readers may complete an article uninterrupted, but they also may find the more specific sources if they should need them.


Readers Speak Out, K.K. Duvivier Mar 1997

Readers Speak Out, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

This month, I am turning the column over to letters from readers. If you have a question or comment to share, please feel free to write or e-mail me at the addresses in the box below. Don't worry I will ask your permission before using your name.


Selecting And Designing Effective Legal Writing Problems, Grace C. Tonner, Diana Pratt Jan 1997

Selecting And Designing Effective Legal Writing Problems, Grace C. Tonner, Diana Pratt

Articles

Legal research and writing courses are unlike most substantive first year law school classes in that they teach using the problem method. The success of a legal writing course depends on the quality of the problems. The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance for legal writing professors in designing legal writing problems. The article addresses (1) general considerations in problem design, (2) designing expository problems, (3) designing persuasive problems, and (4) sources of problems. In the first section, we discuss problem design as it relates to the overall goals for teaching the basic forms of legal analysis, …