Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

Further Thoughts On Better Writing, Terrill Pollman

Scholarly Works

As writing teachers, we frequently witness the mystery of how writing and re-writing clarifies thinking. We teach our students to let the writing process show them the gaps in their reasoning. As student edit, they learn that paring away the superfluous allows us to see the line and structure of the argument. When a section or sentence “won’t write,” it is often because we are trying to ignore a flaw in our understanding. Form is related to content. The attempt to simplify out message teaches us what is it we have to say.

On Discipline And Canon, Katherine M. Franke

Faculty Scholarship

While the title of the panel I participated in was "Why Do We Eat Our Young?", I think I prefer: "On Discipline and Canon," or to rework the title of the panel in the program, "Why Do We Eat Our Girlfriends?"

In my short remarks, I would like to raise a set not of answers, but of questions that over the last year or so a few of us have been discussing outside of our published work. These questions seem apt both for this panel and for this conference. Last November a group of really wonderful women at the University …

Reconceptualizing Criminal Law Defenses, Victoria Nourse

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In 1933, one of the leading theorists of the criminal law, Jerome Michael, wrote openly of the criminal law "as an instrument of the state." Today, criminal law is largely allergic to claims of political theory; commentators obsess about theories of deterrence and retribution, and the technical details of model codes and sentencing grids, but rarely speak of institutional effects or political commitments. In this article, the author aims to change that emphasis and to examine the criminal law as a tool for governance. Her approach is explicitly constructive: it accepts the criminal law that we have, places it in …

Not Whistlin' Dixie: Now, More Than Ever, We Need Feminist Law Journals, Carlin Meyer

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

The Shape Of The Universe: The Impact Of Unpublished Opinions On The Process Of Legal Research, William R. Mills

Articles & Chapters

Unpublished appellate judicial opinions present formidable challenges for modern legal researchers, from both practical and ethical points of view. The practice of selective publication of court opinions, and attendant court rules that restrict citation of unpublished opinions, have long been the subject of debate within legal profession. The recent case of Anastasoff v. United States, 223 F.3d 898 (8th Cir. 2000), vacated as moot 235 F.3d 1054 (8th Cir. 2000), has rekindled this debate, giving it a new constitutional dimension, and placing it squarely within the context of judicial accountability and the appropriate separation of powers among our branches of …

Generation X In Law School: The Dying Of The Light Or The Dawn Of A New Day, Tracy L. Mcgaugh

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Network Effects And Legal Citation: How Antitrust Theory Predicts Who Will Build A Better Bluebook Mousetrap In The Age Of Electronic Mice, A. Christine Hurt

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A list of books recenlty received by Michigan Law Review.

Questions From Readers: Redbook Responses-Part I, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The last Scrivener' introduced readers to a new comprehensive reference tool for legal writers called The Redbook. This column and Part II, to be printed in the January 2003 issue of The Colorado Lawyer, will present The Redbook responses to reader questions.

Negotiating And Analyzing Electronic License Agreements, Duncan E. Alford

Faculty Publications

Mr Alford analyzes license agreements for electronic resources and suggests certain negotiation points to consider when entering into such an agreement. He begins by describing the results of a survey of law librarians about their preparation for and techniques used when negotiating electronic license agreements and the legal strategies used by publishers to support the licensing of electronic information. After reviewing selected principles of licensing issued by library associations and several standardized electronic license agreements, he identifies provisions in a typical agreement that should concern libraries and suggests certain arguments to use in negotiating terms more favorable to the library.

Researching Remedies In Intellectual Property Actions Involving Computer Technology: A Research Guide, Daniel N. Kassabian

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The purpose of this research guide is not to answer the question "What remedies are available to an owner of computer related technology whose rights have been infringed?" but to provide a methodology by which a legal practitioner can find the answer to this question. This guide sets forth materials and methods of research that can be used for an inquiry that is broad in scope, such as researching which legal scheme's remedial component best suits a client's technology, but that are also capable of being used for a narrow or limited inquiry, such as looking for specific remedies available …

From Pens To Pixels: Text-Media Issues In Promulgating, Archiving, And Using Judicial Opinions, Kenneth H. Ryesky

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

On The Internet, Nobody Knows You're A Judge: Appellate Courts' Use Of Internet Materials, Coleen M. Barger

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Neglecting The National Memory: How Copyright Term Extensions Compromise The Development Of Digital Archives, Deirdre K. Mulligan, Jason M. Schultz

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Preface, J. Thomas Sullivan

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Pliability Rules, Abraham Bell, Gideon Parchomovsky

Michigan Law Review

In 1543, the Polish astronomer, Nicolas Copernicus, determined the heliocentric design of the solar system. Copernicus was motivated in large part by the conviction that Claudius Ptolemy's geocentric astronomical model, which dominated scientific thought at that time, was too incoherent, complex, and convoluted to be true. Hence, Copernicus made a point of making his model coherent, simple, and elegant. Nearly three and a half centuries later, at the height of the impressionist movement, the French painter Claude Monet set out to depict the Ruen Cathedral in a series of twenty paintings, each presenting the cathedral in a different light. Monet's …

Legal Orientalism, Teemu Ruskola

Michigan Law Review

Fifty years ago comparative law was a field in search of a paradigm. In the inaugural issue of the American Journal of Comparative Law in 1952, Myres McDougal remarked unhappily, "The greatest confusion continues to prevail about what is being compared, about the purposes of comparison, and about appropriate techniques." In short, there seemed to be very little in the field that was not in a state of confusion. Two decades later, referring to McDougal's bleak assessment, John Merryman saw no evidence of progress: "few comparative lawyers would suggest that matters have since improved." And only a few years ago, …

Test Suites: A Tool For Improving Student Articles, Eugene Volokh

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

You Can Judge A Book By Its Cover: The Redbook, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

In a bold move this year, a new book on legal style has burst full-grown from its publishers with a title based on the color of its cover: The Redbook. Although there are other, more established "Red Books," the form of the new book's title suggests that The Redbook aspires to stand on par with The Bluebook in scope and stature.

Teaching Lawyers How To Perform: Legal Citation In Montana, Stacey L. Gordon

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

No abstract provided.

The Rhetoric Of Constitutional Law, Erwin Chemerinsky

Michigan Law Review

I spend much of my time dealing with Supreme Court opinions. Usually, I download and read them the day that they are announced by the Court. I edit them for my casebook and teach them to my students. I write about them, lecture about them, and litigate about them. My focus, like I am sure most everyone's, is functional: I try to discern the holding, appraise the reasoning, ascertain the implications, and evaluate the decision's desirability. Increasingly, though, I have begun to think that this functional approach is overlooking a crucial aspect of Supreme Court decisions: their rhetoric. I use …

Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A list of books recenlty received by Michigan Law Review.

Nit-Picking Or Significant Contract Choices?-Part Iii, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

In the March "Scrivener," I quoted three examples of revisions proposed in a lease negotiation that were characterized by one reader as "nit-picking." In the June article, I summarized the general responses I received about nit-picking from a number of readers. Two of those readers were kind enough to give me very specific feedback about the three clauses listed in the March article. This article addresses each clause individually to provide help to other readers with their negotiations. Overall, these readers concluded that each of the proposed revisions listed raised legitimate concerns for their clients that were worth discussing with …

Law Reviews And Academic Debate, Erik M. Jensen

Washington Law Review

This essay makes a simple point: When a law review publishes an article, the editors should be willing both to publish responses to that article and to give the author a chance to reply to critics. This shouldn't be a controversial principle, but, for far too many reviews today, it's not standard procedure.

Top 10 Tips On Writing For Professional Journals, Frank G. Houdek

Publications

The author provides ten suggestions for writers aspiring to publish in professional journals, ranging from writing about something you know to leaving yourself adequate time to revise and edit prior to a submission deadline.

Joining Forces: The Role Of Collaboration In The Development Of Legal Thought, Tracey E. George, Chris Guthrie

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

For every reason to believe that collaboration has been influential... there is a countervailing reason to believe that it has played a minor role in the evolution of legal thought. It may be easy to bring to mind a handful of prominent collaborations, but most law review articles seem to be written by one author (notwithstanding their lengthy acknowledgment footnotes, suggesting that even single-author works are shaped by the insights and input of multiple scholars). And while it is true that legal scholars often collaborate on their practically oriented works, scholarly articles might not be well suited to collaboration.

Nit-Picking Or Significant Contract Choices?-Part Ii, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The March 2002 Scrivener asked readers for feedback about how to distinguish nit-picking from requests for significant word changes in an agreement. The majority of respondents believed that the examples provided in the March article raised legitimate concerns. The July 2002 Scrivener will address those specific revisions quoted in the March article. This June article focuses on readers' general comments about crafting agreements to avoid nit-picking.

Foreword, Jeffrey S. Lehman

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Foreword, Jeffrey S. Lehman

Michigan Law Review

Why celebrate? Some people hate law reviews. They would think it unseemly to celebrate a centennial such as this. They might compare it to a 1448 celebration of the first hundred years of the Bubonic Plague. Their criticisms are familiar. Why do we entrust the development of the scholarly canon to second- and third-year law students? Why do law reviews publish really bad things and reject really good things? Why do they encourage a style of argument in which each article must begin by summarizing all that has been written before? Why do they insist that any assertion of fact, …

Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A list of books recenlty received by Michigan Law Review.