Product Description
Good legal writing wins court cases. In its first edition, The Winning Brief proved that the key to writing well is understanding the judicial readership. Now, in a revised and updated version of this modern classic, Bryan A. Garner explains the art of effective writing in 100 concise, practical, and easy-to-use sections. Covering everything from the rules for planning and organizing a brief to openers that can capture a judge’s attention from the first few words, t… More >>
The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts
Tags: appellate courts, bryan a garner, court cases, effective writing, few words, legal writing, readership
I became familiar with this book in law school and it has helped me tremendously. It debunks the myths about which practices are truly expected in briefs and which provide more latitude and freedom for legal writers.
The information is presented in 100 easy-to-understand “tips.” Each tip provides quotes from judges, legal scholars, and other literary figures who help to explain why a particular facet of writing is important. Garner also includes examples, oftentimes what-to-do’s and what-not-to-do’s.
The format of the book makes it easy and helpful to use and the information is invaluable. It’s like an advanced course in legal writing.
Highly recommended!
Rating: 5 / 5
The Winning Brief is essential reading for any lawyer who cares about writing clearly and persuasively. As a litigation partner and trial lawyer, I am always looking to improve my own skills and find that Bryan Garner’s comments are clear and practical. I strongly recommend The Winning Brief because it goes well beyond many texts that discuss generalisms on trial and appellate briefs–Mr. Garner provides instead direct insight into how to move the trier of fact.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is the only guide you will ever need to writing good briefs. Garner teaches you to write powerfully in plain English. Be a better lawyer and work with this book!
Rating: 5 / 5
I am currently a law student, this book provides some insightful ideas and is useful because it doesn’t require an hour of reading to pick out helpful relevant tips. All the 100 tips are outlined in the front and back cover so you can skim for something specific and go to it and read it.
The author of this book is highly respected and provides many CLE classes, I recommend this book to anyone looking for ways to improve their brief writing.
Rating: 5 / 5
Yes, another by Garner, and this one is as wonderful, diverse and as instructional as his others, but in specific ways related to English drafting and argumentation in the context of litigation. Therefore, I have to say, this is the boutique book for the litigator who wants to improve his or her English (…that is, if there are some few of you out there who share those usually mutually-exclusive characteristics). The first 50 tips are listed inside the front cover, and the last 50 are inside the back cover, making it a good ready-reference. The meat is, thankfully, between the covers, and in usefully sweet doses: each tip is introduced by ‘quotable quotes,’ and includes an explanation and applications. Tips are particularized in other ways that endear me to this volume, including subtitles such as “Two Qualms Answered,” “Uncommonly Good Examples,” “Egregious Examples,” etcetera. You get the drift: now, how can you resist it? I would like to suggest that this is the book for both every good litigator…and every good armchair litigator and lover of legal English. So … Enjoy! Across the board, this was the most ‘fun’ book to read of the legal English books I set out to review. I note also that its substantive and universal logic and consistency will cross cultures without much difficulty.
Rating: 5 / 5