Judges are writers first. We admire their words not just for creating the law but for crafting it with style. This book shows you how to write like a judge, using more than 100 handpicked examples from the nation's best judicial writers. So Ordered: The Writer's Guide for Aspiring Judges, Judicial Clerks, and Interns describes how to write judicial documents with step-by-step instructions and examples, annotated to describe successful strategies. So Ordered begins by describing behind the scenes of the judicial process, explaining how judges decide cases and how ethics and precedent underline every step. The book progresses to describe how to craft the documents that judges and their judicial clerks and interns routinely write. Throughout, So Ordered presents judges' various writing styles to show how to create a polished and engaging writing style. This book will help you improve as a legal writer, whether you want to practice the provocative and plainspoken style of U.

S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan or emulate the engaging, conversational approach of Chief Justice John G. Roberts. Perhaps you'd like to craft compelling narratives, in the same way as Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, or amuse readers with wit, as U.S. Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski likes to do. So Ordered will show you how to take your writing to the level of the nation's highest courts.

Hallmarks of So Ordered: The Writer's Guide for Aspiring Judges, Judicial Clerks, and Interns Practical, step-by-step, and concise instruction on how to write the most common judicial documents, including research and bench memos, court orders, jury instructions, appellate opinions, dissents, and concurrences Detailed checklists tailored for each type of judicial document The most relevant rules of grammar, punctuation, style, and citation A meaningful overview of the judicial process, with topics covering hierarchy of authority, stare decisis, standards of review, legal research, judicial ethics, social media, and more Writing and research tips throughout, offering helpful, specific suggestions Annotated examples from the nation's best judicial writers Book jacket.