Class notes
Writing Law Essays
- Course
- Institution
Information is provided on the correct way to write a law essay
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
lgilray76
Content preview
Writing Law EssaysEffective Written Communication
1. Tone
○ Consider your audience and nature of communications
○ Formal or informal?
○ Avoid redundancy ‘absolutely essential’
○ Objective and impersonal
○ Avoid words such as I, me, you, they, we and us
○ No need to write ‘in my opinion’
○ All words written in full
Formal Informal
○ Professional language ○ Everyday language
○ All words pronounced and written in ○ Will shorten/abbreviate words
full and correctly ○ May contain slang words
○ Does not include slang words ○ Unplanned/spontaneous/flexible
○ Planned/structured/rigid
2. Clarity
○ Avoid legal jargon and colloquialisms
○ Write in full sentences (short and simple)
3. Brevity
○ Get to the point, i.e. don’t waffle
○ Lord Denning in Miller v Jackson - “In summertime village cricket is the delight of
everyone. Nearly every village has its own cricket field where the young men play
and the old men watch. In the village of Lintz in County Durham they have their
own ground, where they have played these last 70 years. They tend it well. The
wicket area is well rolled and mown. The outfield is kept short. It has a good club
house for the players and seats for the onlookers. The village team plays there on
Saturdays and Sundays. They belong to a league, competing with the
neighbouring villages. On other evenings after work they practise while the light
lasts.”
4. Structure
○ Use paragraphs and headings
○ Keep the text focused and relevant
5.Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
○ Know the rules
, ○ Incorrect SPaG can cost your chance of getting a job, or can cost your employer
a case
○ Magistrates and county court don’t have a capital letter
Commonly Confused Words
○ Advice/Advise
○ Practice/Practise
○ Licence/License (Licence is a noun, License is a verb)
○ Effect/Affect
Why is grammatical accuracy important in written language?
○ Grammatical inaccuracies change meaning
○ Legal English has a particularly formal and traditional style
○ Reputation/Client trust
When to use Capital Letters?
1. At the beginning of the first word in a sentence
a. Keeping bees is a rewarding hobby
2. Days of the week, and months of the year, but not seasons
a. On Saturday I saw the first shoots of spring, which was incredible as it was early
February
3. Names of Languages
a. My French is diabolical, but my Spanish is fluent
4. Adjectives describing connections to places
a. His weight varied according to his consumption of Polish sausage
b. He lives in a quiet Kentish village
5. Nationalities and Ethnic Groups
a. She is the leading Asian novelist of her generation
b. The British are fond of flag waving and queuing
6. Proper Nouns - Nouns referring to things, people, or places that are unique
a. The crowds trudged wearily across London Bridge.
b. There has been an unfortunate incident involving George Osborne.
c. The governing body for solicitors is the Law Society.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lgilray76. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.76. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75057 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now