Preface Introduction Part One: Principles for All Legal Writing 1. Framing Your Thoughts § 1. Have something to say--and think it through. § 2. For maximal efficiency, plan your writing projects. Try nonlinear outlining. § 3. Order your material in a logical sequence.

Present facts chronologically. Keep related material together. § 4. Divide the document into sections, and sections into subparts as needed. Use informative headings. 2. Phrasing Your Sentences § 5. Omit needless words.

§ 6. Keep your average sentence length to about 20 words. § 7. Keep the subject, the verb, and the object together--toward the beginning of the sentence. § 8. Use parallel phrasing for parallel ideas. § 9. Prefer the active voice over the passive.

§ 10. Avoid multiple negatives. § 11. End sentences emphatically. 3. Choosing Your Words § 12. Learn to detest simplifiable jargon. § 13.

Use strong, precise verbs. Minimize is, are, was , and were . § 14. Simplify wordy phrases. Watch out for of . § 15. Turn -ion words into verbs when you can. § 16.

Avoid doublets and triplets. § 17. Refer to people and companies by name. Never use corresponding terms ending in -ee and -or . § 18. Don''t habitually use parenthetical shorthand names. Use them only when you really need them. § 19.

Shun newfangled acronyms. § 20. Make everything you write speakable. Part Two: Principles Mainly for Analytical and Persuasive Writing § 21. Plan all three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. § 22. Use the "deep issue" to spill the beans on the first page. § 23.

Summarize. Don''t overparticularize. § 24. Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence. § 25. Bridge between paragraphs. § 26. Vary the length of your paragraphs, but generally keep them short.

§ 27. Provide signposts along the way. § 28. Unclutter the text by moving citations into footnotes. § 29. Weave quotations deftly into your narrative. § 30. Be forthright in dealing with counterarguments.

Part Three: Principles Mainly for Legal Drafting § 31. Draft for an ordinary reader, not for a mythical judge who might someday review the document. § 32. Organize provisions in order of descending importance. § 33. Minimize definitions and cross references. If you have more than just a few definitions, put them in a schedule at the end--not at the beginning. § 34.

Break down enumerations into parallel provisions. Put every list of subparts at the end of the sentence--never at the beginning or in the middle. § 35. Delete every shall . § 36. Don''t use provisos. § 37. Replace and/or wherever it appears.

§ 38. Prefer the singular over the plural. § 39. Prefer numerals, not words, to denote amounts. Avoid word-numeral doublets. § 40. If you don''t understand a form provision--or don''t understand why it should be included in your document--try diligently to gain that understanding. If you still can''t understand it, cut it.

Part Four: Principles of Document Design § 41. Use a readable typeface. § 42. Create ample white space--and use it meaningfully. § 43. Highlight ideas with attention-getters such as bullets. § 44. Don''t use all capitals, and avoid initial capitals.

§ 45. For a long document, make a table of contents. Part Five: Methods for Continued Improvement § 46. Embrace constructive criticism. § 47. Edit yourself systematically. § 48. Learn how to find reliable answers to questions of grammar and usage.

§ 49. Habitually gauge your own readerly likes and dislikes, as well as those of other readers. § 50. Remember that good writing makes the reader''s job easy; bad writing makes it hard. Appendix A How to Punctuate Appendix B Four Model Documents 1. Research Memorandum 2. Motion 3. Appellate Brief 4.

Contract Key to Basic Exercises Index.