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Legal Writing

463 ABA Journal Legal Writing articles.

How to frame a legal issue: Part II

A great boon to clarity results from rejecting the four traditional dogmas about framing a legal issue.

Feb 1, 2023 2:00 AM CST

Federal judge bans potentially inflammatory words, such as ‘yahoos’ and ‘fake news’

Lawyers in a case in the Eastern District of Texas can’t refer to jurors, the court or the jury pool as “yahoos” or by other similar, derogatory references, according to a motion granted by a federal judge last month.

Jan 30, 2023 3:03 PM CST

From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse, lawyer discusses justice and due process in the digital age

In Anne Bremner’s work as a Seattle-based trial attorney, she saw a disturbing pattern—that high-profile cases often trending on Twitter challenge the concept “innocent until proven guilty,” as cases are tried online, as well as in courtroom proceedings.

Jan 25, 2023 9:04 AM CST

Lawyer digs into big data for new legal thriller ‘Code 6’

“Code 6” follows an aspiring playwright, as she tries to make sense of her mother’s suicide and put on a play about big data while working for her father.

Jan 4, 2023 8:44 AM CST

Listen to our 10 favorite podcast episodes of 2022

Looking for a new listen? We've picked our favorite 2022 episodes from each of the ABA Journal's three podcasts. And if this whets your appetite, find more than 10 years of past episodes on our podcast page. You can also check out more legal podcasts from our partners at Legal Talk Network.

Dec 23, 2022 8:42 AM CST

Bryan Garner’s 2022 legal writing tips

This year, Bryan Garner gave us a new game for word lovers, a hypothesis on hyphens and four principles of legal writing that he learned as a clerk in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans. Here's the full wrap-up of 2022 columns by the Black's Law Dictionary's editor-in-chief.

Dec 22, 2022 8:34 AM CST

Who’s afraid of the big bad lawyer?

In Henry VI, part two, Shakespeare famously wrote, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” This type of sentiment might make someone think twice before signing up to take the LSATs. Now here’s the good news: The public treats us with deference. I would say they are actually afraid of lawyers.

Dec 15, 2022 10:30 AM CST

‘Complicit bias’ and ‘lawfare’ among top new legal terms in 2022

“Complicit bias” tops a list of new legal terms and expressions in 2022 compiled by law professors and academics who are on a committee for Burton’s Legal Thesaurus.

Dec 14, 2022 12:44 PM CST

Bestselling author David Baldacci shares words of wisdom for lawyers who want to be novelists

“I can’t tell you how many events I’ve gone to,” David Baldacci says, “and [lawyers] come up to me and say, ‘Oh my god, you broke out of jail! Congratulations!’”

Dec 5, 2022 8:50 AM CST

4 Dogmas Debunked: How to frame a legal issue, Part I

“During my first week of law school in August 1981, we were put through a legal-methods course taught by senior faculty. My small section was led by a respected professor who taught us ‘four essentials’ for stating legal issues,” writes ABA Journal columnist Bryan A. Garner.

Dec 1, 2022 1:50 AM CST

‘Show the Brief’: Lawyers can be better communicators by bringing visuals to their briefs

My decision to teach law more than 40 years ago has had the single biggest impact on my professional development. I made the move after working as a public defender in Seattle and as an assistant attorney general. I wanted to deepen my trial skills and thought teaching could help me.

Nov 30, 2022 9:50 AM CST

Can change really come from within? These 13 prosecutors think so

Change From Within: Reimagining the 21st-Century Prosecutor shares the personal profiles of prosecutors who want to use prosecutorial discretion to reduce incarceration rates and harm to vulnerable communities from the prison-industrial system.

Nov 30, 2022 8:44 AM CST

Read the 2022 winner of the Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction: ‘Dope Fiend’

Editor's Note: The following short story by Frank H. Toub, a 3L at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee, was the 2022 winner of the ABA Journal's annual Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction.

Nov 22, 2022 9:59 AM CST

‘By Hands Now Known’ shines light on cold cases of lynchings and racial violence

In summer 2020, when the murder of George Floyd was igniting protests, it occurred to Margaret A. Burnham that “George Floyd” was a common-sounding name. She went into her archive of Jim Crow-era homicides and found another George Floyd.

Nov 16, 2022 3:30 PM CST

Federal appeals judge complains about ‘show-off’ opinions

A federal appeals judge told Harvard Law School students Wednesday that judges should focus on writing opinions that “ordinary citizens can understand.”

Nov 3, 2022 2:53 PM CDT

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