Instructional Aids for Faculty: Legal Writing
Legal Writing Web Portals Containing Instructional Materials
The International Writing Centers Association web portal/list of links
to support instructors of legal writing & their students.
Barger (University of Arkansas) has developed a web portal for
legal writers, including links to reference sources, drafting guides,
grammar, style and composition, plagiarism avoidance and
plain English.
From the Plain Language Association; resources include
web links, tutorials, and articles by plain-language specialists.
see especially: “Surviving Unplain Languageâ€
Includes extensive and thorough "handouts" on grammar and usage, tutorials,
and PowerPoint presentations.
An online companion to Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers text.
Includes electronic exercises, model papers and links.
Research Guides, Lecture Support & Presentations
Handouts, Guides for Students & Faculty
Editing/Proofreading/Revision
National Archives & Records Administration: Drafting Legal Documents
Many of the documents on this page are designed for drafters of federal
agency regulations. Several guides are of general interest, however, and
include useful charts and examples:
Tables of what NOT to write next to plain language alternatives.
Plain Language Network: Plain Legal Language
The “legal†section of this site handouts and brief guides on
such topics as:
Of particular note:
“How to write FOR a judge, not LIKE a judge.â€
Effective, compelling writing from an appellate judge’s perspective.
PowerPoint Presentations
Presentations from Purdue's Online Writing Lab
These presentations were developed as instructional aids for faculty classroom
use, but would also be useful for student self-review. When opening the files you
will be asked for a password. Ignore the login screen – just hit ‘cancel’.
Presentations will open without logging into the system. Note: these are large
files and may take a few minutes to open.