A Lawyer Writes: A Practical Guide to Legal Analysis, Second Edition Second Edition Edition by Christine Coughlin (Author), Joan Malmud Rocklin (Author), Sandy Patrick (Author) (Carolina Academic Press)

A Lawyer Writes made a great difference in my teaching this year. The book explains concisely the expectations of lawyers regarding organization of legal analysis and then explicitly shows law students how to meet those expectations. The frequent examples are a great complement to the clear and accessible text.One of the best parts of A Lawyer Writes is its chapter explaining rules. After my students read that chapter, they really seemed to understand the concept that rules can be stated implicitly in the cases, and that it was their job to make those rules explicit for their readers. The book also provides a number of excellent, easy-to-understand examples in every chapter, which the students found very helpful'A Lawyer Writes is the perfect book for the first semester of Legal Writing. It explains the foundations of legal reasoning, illustrates those foundations with practical examples, and is an exemplary model of its own lessons about good legal writing.

Like the very popular first edition, this second edition puts the reader in the place of a first-year attorney faced with real life assignments. In doing so, it teaches law students not only how to succeed in law school, but also how to succeed in the practice of law. Using graphics and visual samples, the book shows best practices in both traditional and electronic environments. Speaking to its readers in a straightforward manner, A Lawyer Writes communicates essential skills and theories so that they will be retained for a lifetime of legal practice.

There are two significant changes in the second edition of A Lawyer Writes. First, two new chapters have been added: Chapter 17, Client Letters, and Chapter 19, The Transition from Objective to Persuasive Writing. (What was Chapter 17, Professional E-mails, will appear as Chapter 18.) In addition, section 8.3, Applying the Law: Counter Analyses, has been re-organized, but the content has remained the same. All other updates to the book are smaller edits that fix errors, create consistency, or further clarify an existing idea.

About the Author
Christine Coughlin is Director of Legal Analysis, Research & Writing and a Professor of Legal Writing at Wake Forest University School of Law. Joan Rocklin is a Legal Research and Writing Senior Lecturer and Director of Externships and Clinics at University of Oregon School of Law. Sandy Patrick is a Professor of Legal Analysis and Writing at Lewis & Clark Law School.