LibGuides: Study Aids, Strategies & Exam Prep: Legal Writing & Advocacy

For Seminar Courses & Law Review

Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review by Eugene Volokh
Call Number: 5th Edition available on Reserve (ask at Circulation Desk)
Older editions available on the 2nd Floor at KF250 .V6 2010. Required text for Separation of Powers course (Prof. Samahon)
Grammar, Punctuation & Style: a Quick Guide for Lawyers and Other Writers by Deborah Cupples; Margaret Temple-Smith
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .C87 2013
ISBN: 0314288074
Publication Date: 2013
Scholarly Writing for Law Students, Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes and Law Review Competition Papers, 4th by Elizabeth Fajans; Mary R. Falk
Call Number: On Reserve (ask at Circulation Desk): KF250 .F34 2017
ISBN: 0314207201
Publication Date: 2017
Older editions on 2nd Floor at: KF250 .F34
User's Guide to the Bluebook by Alan L. Dworsky
Call Number: Hornbook Reserve: KF245 .D853 2015
Publication Date: 2015
Scholarly Writing by Jessica L. Clark; Kristen E. Murray
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .C528 2012
ISBN: 1611630177
Publication Date: 2012

For General Law School Legal Writing

Legal Drafting in a Nutshell
Call Number: Reserve Study, ask at Circulation Desk
Covers contract drafting, legislation drafting, rules of interpretation and drafting mechanics and tips. Older editions on 2nd Floor at KF250 .H343
The Legal Writing Survival Guide by Rachel H. Smith
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .S625 2012
ISBN: 1611631459
Publication Date: 2012
Persuasive Legal Writing (4th Edition) by Louis J. Sirico
Call Number: Reserve: KF250 .S54 2015
ISBN: 1454852046
Publication Date: 2015
The Pre-Writing Handbook for Law Students by Laura P. Graham; Miriam E. Felsenburg
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .G725 2013.
ISBN: 161163184X
Publication Date: 2013
Examples & Explanations for Legal Writing by Neumann
Call Number: Reserve Study, ask at Circulation Desk
Publication Date: 2019
Older editions available in First Floor Study Aids and on 2nd Floor at: KF250 .L398
Legal Writing in Plain English, Second Edition by Bryan A. Garner
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .G373 2013
ISBN: 0226283933
Publication Date: 2013
Writing for the Legal Audience by Wayne Schiess
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .S35 2014
ISBN: 1611633915
Publication Date: 2014
Point Made: how to write like the nation's top advocates by Ross Guberman
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF251 .G83 2014
ISBN: 0199943850
Publication Date: 2014
Experiential Legal Writing: Analysis, Process, and Documents by Diana R. Donahoe
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .D66 2011
ISBN: 0735509638
Publication Date: 2011

For Attorneys

Thinking Like a Writer: A Lawyer's Guide to Effective Writing and Editing
Covers formal legal writing (briefs, legal memoranda, judicial opinions) as well as correspondence including emails and letters. Also offers detailed advice on crafting sentences and paragraphs, word choice and other writing skills.
The Art of Advocacy by Noah A. Messing
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .M49 2013
ISBN: 1454818387
Publication Date: 2013
Remote Advocacy in a Nutshell
Call Number: Reserve Study, ask at Circulation Desk
Guidance for remote client interactions and court appearances, including tips for building rapport and navigating remote technologies.
Effective Lawyering: A Checklist Approach to Legal Writing and Oral Argument by Austen L. Parrish; Dennis T. Yokoyama
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .P37 2012
ISBN: 1611630126
Publication Date: 2012
Essential Lawyering Skills: interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and persuasive fact analysis by Stefan H. Krieger; Richard K. Neumann
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF300 .E84 2015
ISBN: 1454830980
Publication Date: 2015
Required text for Civil Justice Clinic (Prof. Haldar)
Foolproof: an attorney's guide to oral communications by Rebecca Diaz-Bonilla
Call Number: Lower Level: K181 .D53 2014
ISBN: 1601563442
Publication Date: 2014
The Force of Logic: Using Formal Logic as a Tool in the Craft of Legal Argument by Stephen M. Rice
Call Number: Lower Level: K213 .R4887 2017
ISBN: 1601566093
Publication Date: 2017
A Lawyer Writes by Christine Coughlin; Joan Malmud Rocklin; Sandy Patrick
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .C683 2013
ISBN: 1611633974
Publication Date: 2013
Legal writing for the 21st century by Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .L45 2009
Publication Date: 2009
Making Your Case by Antonin Scalia; Bryan A. Garner
Call Number: 3rd Floor: KF8870 .S28 2008
ISBN: 0314184716
Publication Date: 2008
Pleasing the Court: Writing Ethical and Effective Briefs by Judith D. Fischer
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .F53 2011
ISBN: 1594608962
Publication Date: 2011
Skills & values. Lawyering process : legal writing and oral advocacy by David I.C. Thomson, LP Professor and Director, Lawyering Process Program, University of Denver
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .T49 2013
Publication Date: 2013
Storytelling for Lawyers by Philip N. Meyer
Call Number: Lower Level: K181 .M49 2014
ISBN: 0195396634
Publication Date: 2014
Writing for Law Practice: Advanced Legal Writing by Elizabeth Fajans; Mary Falk; Helene Shapo
Call Number: Class Reserve: KF250 .F353 2015
ISBN: 1609304446
Publication Date: 2015
2nd Edition (2010) is available for general checkout. Located on 2nd Floor: KF250 .F353 2010
Writing for Litigation by Kamela Bridges; Wayne Schiess
Call Number: 2nd Floor: KF250 .B75 2011
ISBN: 1454802731
Publication Date: 2011

Contract and Other Transactional Drafting

Legal Drafting in a Nutshell
Call Number: Reserve Study, ask at Circulation Desk
Covers contract drafting, legislation drafting, rules of interpretation and drafting mechanics and tips. Older editions on 2nd Floor at KF250 .H343
Transactional Skills: How to Structure and Document a Deal by ABA
Covers basics of contract drafting and offers simulations/exercises.
Negotiating and Drafting Contract Boilerplate

Podcasts & Other Resources for Staying Up to Date

May the Record Reflect (NITA podcasts)
Podcasts from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Each 45 minute podcast offers interviews with experts on trial practice. Listen to episodes directly from this page or view links at the bottom to locate the episodes on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts and more or subscribe to the RSS feed for future episodes.

Legal Research

CALI Legal Research-State Resources Lessons
Online self-paced interactive lessons with sample questions on primary and secondary resources for a variety of jurisdictions. Villanova Law students and faculty should contact Lori Corso (lori.corso@law.villanova.edu) to request the access code.