Legal Research Basics

General Legal Writing Skills

Key books

• Effective legal writing : a practical guide by Nichola Corbett-Jarvis, Brendan Grigg (2020)

  The text introduces students to writing skills and explains how they are applied a legal context. It is designed as a course book for first year students with ongoing relevance as a resource book in subsequent years both in at law school and beyond.

• Essential Skills for First Year Law Students by Samantha Kontra (2022)

  This book describes and teaches essential legal skills and is designed to accompany a first year level introductory course taught to law students. Content is structured in an approachable way and tips and tricks are included so skills can be honed while also absorbing the whole of the first year curriculum.

• Mastering Law Studies and Exam Techniques by Rick Krever (2019)

  This is a discretionary student work for both law students and business students studying law that offers a guide to the theory of legal argumentation and explains, together with included sample exam questions, answers and comments, how those skills can be applied in law examinations

• Legal Writing by Paula Baron; Lillian Corbin (2016)

  Good legal writing is an inherently ethical practice and fundamental to professionalism and lawyering. This book emphasises the link between legal writing and ethics as it guides readers through phases of the writing process and helps them develop effective legal writing skills essential for both academic and professional contexts.

• Grammar for lawyers by Michael Meehan, Graham Tulloch (2013)

  Offers a succinct and practical guide to effective legal writing and to precise legal reading, drawing on both the expertise of professional grammarians and the analytical skills of judges in interpreting legal writing in the courts. The importance of understanding basic grammatical principles is placed in the context of judicial comment and analysis from Australia and other common law jurisdictions.

• Legal usage : a modern style guide by Peter Butt (2018)

  Legal Usage A Modern Style Guide is a clear, unambiguous guide to good legal usage. It highlights the techniques that legal writers in the common law tradition need for effective, compelling and readable legal writing.

• How to Write Law Essays and Exams by S. I. Strong (2018)

  How to Write Law Essays and Exams provides law students with a practical and proven method of analysing and answering essay and exam questions. The book focuses on those questions that give students the most trouble, namely problem questions, but its techniques are equally applicable to other types of essays.

• Context and Method in Australian Law by Russell Hinchey (2019)

  This textbook takes an innovative and novel approach to the teaching and learning of first-year law students. It is underpinned by active student learning though an inquiry-guided learning approach. Part 5 is devoted to legal research and writing skills.

• Lawyers' Skills by Julian Webb; Caroline Maughan; Mike Maughan; Marcus Keppel-Palmer; Andrew Boon (2019)

  Lawyers' Skills helps students develop the legal skills required for successful practice in the modern solicitor's firm. The book equips students with a solid understanding of the theory and concepts underpinning the key skills areas of legal writing and drafting, interviewing and advising, practical legal research, and advocacy.

• Clear and precise : writing skills for today's lawyer by Ros Macdonald and Deborah Clark-Dickson (2010)

  "Legalese" can be a huge deterrent to all those trying to understand legal forms and processes. This book is a manual that aims to encourage law students and lawyers to use plain English techniques in the language, structure, content, style and presentation of their writing.

• Language and law : a resource book for students by Alan Durant and Janny H.C. Leung (2016)

  Language plays an essential role both in creating law and in governing its implementation, Providing an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this subject, 'Language and Law' describes the different registers and genres that make up spoken and written legal language and how they develop over time; analyses real-life examples drawn from court cases from different parts of the world, illustrating the varieties of English used in the courtroom by speakers occupying different roles; addresses the challenges presented to our notions of law and regulation by online communication; discusses the complex role of translation in bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Canada.

Need a short introduction to legal grammar?

If you want a quick overview of legal grammar, you will find Chapter 3 'Effective Legal Writing' in Michael Meehan and Graham Tullock, Grammar for Lawyers (LexisNexis, 3rd ed, 2013) useful. It is available as Reading 6 'Effective Legal Writing' in Daniel Goldsworthy & Michelle Bendall (eds), Research and Statutory Interpretation (LexisNexis, 2021).

Spelling and Grammar

Spelling should adhere to the latest version of the Macquarie Dictionary. Where a word is not in the Macquarie Dictionary, use the Oxford English Dictionary (AGLC4 rule 1.9.1).

Grammar should be guided by the latest edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage (AGLC4 rule 1.9.2).

Other resources on legal writing skills

• Monash University Law Library Legal Research and Writing Skills Guide

  This useful collection of guides provides information on writing legal essays, writing case notes and writing legal memos.

• Survive Law How to Write a Case Note

  Survive Law is an Australian blog site of resources for law students

• University of the Sunshine Coast Legal Research Skills

  This guide contains useful resources on writing and study skills as well as case note writing.

Victoria Law Foundation - Plain language resources

• Victoria Law Foundation - Legal Glossary

  Developed in consultation with lawyers and law dictionary editors, this plain language glossary explains more than 450 common legal terms.

• Victoria Law Foundation - Better Information Webinars

  Our better information webinars connect you to communications experts to equip you with the skills you need to produce interesting and engaging information. Previous sessions have focused on web design, podcasting, social media and design thinking.

 Writing in Plain English video resources

Watch the video (8:25) by Associate Professor Douglas Guilfoyle, to learn more about writing in plan legal English.

University of Manchester - Academic Phrasebank

The Academic Phrasebank produced by The University of Manchester is a useful generic guide on academic writing skills.

Sections include:

• Introducing Work
• Referring to Sources
• Describing Methods
• Reporting Results
• Discussing Findings
• Writing Conclusions