November 2010

Thumbnail image for Le Mot Juste: Poetry & Legal Writing

Le Mot Juste: Poetry & Legal Writing

November 30, 2010

By Jason Wilson A brief should rarely, if ever, be a poem. Smith, The Poetry of Persuasion: Early Literary Theory and Its Advice to Legal Writers, 6 Journal of the Association of  Legal Writing Directors 55 (2009). As writers, lawyers should be concerned, at all times, with the search for the right words and to [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Typography for Lawyers: some initial reviews

Typography for Lawyers: some initial reviews

November 22, 2010

By Jason Wilson Although I have been completely overwhelmed with our forthcoming title {WARNING: shameless plug ahead}, O’Connor’s California Civil Pretrial Handbook, I wanted to take a moment and mention some fine people who have taken some of their time to mention our latest title, Typography for Lawyers. Mark Bennett‘s Defending People post Book Review: Typography [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for The death of embarrassment: when did we abandon editorial standards?

The death of embarrassment: when did we abandon editorial standards?

November 11, 2010

By Jason Wilson A couple of weeks ago, we received Michael R. Overly‘s Electronic Evidence in California (2010-11).  I believe we paid full retail of $198.00 for the print copy. It’s a fairly nice product. Perfect bound, with a scored binding to help it lie flat, with roughly 280 pages of commentary and 300 pages [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for What to look for in a law book.

What to look for in a law book.

November 6, 2010

By Jason Wilson From Miles Oscar Price and Harry Bitner, I give you an excerpt from Effective Legal Research: A Practice Manual of Law Books and Their Use (Little, Brown & Co. 1953): D. Law Book Characteristics. Because primary authority is usually published in chronological rather than in classified order, and because the latest statute [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for The print digest is dead, and soon, headnotes.

The print digest is dead, and soon, headnotes.

November 4, 2010

By Jason Wilson I have a guest post on the Law Librarian Blog this morning on the demise of print digests and the inevitable end of the venerable headnote (as we’ve come to know it so far). If you disagree, I would encourage you to comment. [Image (CC) by Helico]

Read the full article →