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Title: Writing to Win: The Legal Writer
ISBN: 0385495927
Author:
Steven D. Stark
Publicate Date: 1999-12-28
Publish: 1999-12-28
List Price: $15.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.25
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.00
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.85
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1: Excellent advice for all writers, not just lawyers
Steven Stark's intended audience is lawyers and he attempts to lead them away from the pompous, bloated and overstuffed writing habits inculcated in the legal profession for centuries. Not being a lawyer, I can't authoritatively state whether Stark's book is helpful or not to lawyers who write poorly - but I can state with assurance that any attorney who misses Stark's point is dense, if not stupid.
Stark's advice is not news to any technical, business or copy writer whose job is to evoke a specific and immediate response from their audience. Mail order copywriters (today called "direct response")have known for more than a century that they had but one fleeting chance to capture the attention of their intended audience and then had to keep it through the sheer power and - yes - artistry of their writing.
If you compare the points Stark makes with those of the great ad copywriters Caples, Kennedy and Schwab, you'll see they are almost identical.
Stark's adaptation of these points of effective writing is often amusing and to the layperson and definitely instructive. In fact, I would suggest this book to businesspeople who retain lawyers as a way to judge their effectiveness. After all, if your lawyer can't write a document you can understand, how do you expect them to write one that will convince a judge?
One example of Stark's approach is his instruction that "[b]efore you begin writing, ask yourself "What's the big idea?". This is no different than advertising great Rosser Reeve's pushing marketers to find the USP - the Unique Selling Proposition. And, in fact, I had to laugh because that thought struck me as soon as I read Stark's line quoted above - and in the following line, Stark cites Rosser Reeves and the USP.
I could go on for a long time praising this book. It is an insight into legal thinking, good and bad. It is a book on effective argumentation in any area. It is a book about writing well and convincingly.
Laywer or layperson, if you'd like to make your writing more effective in terms of persuading people to adopt your ideas, this is an excellent book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Jerry
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2: Oh, that's what "they" meant
I have heard Writing to Win has been used in Advanced Legal Writing classes, which seems to be its best niche - law school upper level student or young lawyer or equivalent. (I read it on my own, outside a classroom setting.) The book should help polish one's writing style. It is not a basic writing book that dwells on grammar, etc. It does provide a writing structure that had me repeatedly saying to myself, "Oh, that's what 'they' meant." I have had other writing teachers and mentors say things that are similar to what is in this book, but they did not express their ideas as clearly to me as Steven D. Stark.
I debated whether to rate the book 4 or 5 stars. The book appears a little light on showing examples of writing vs. telling how to write. However, this appearance is probably related to the book telling a lot of writing ideas, because the book does show a number of writing examples and the Mr. Stark is actively soliciting more examples for potential future editions.
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3: Short And Sweet, But Not The Best
Stark takes on the whole legal writing proces in a breezy style. Stark was a litigator once, and it shows. But that was years ago, and I think you can tell. In contrast, I liked Bryan Garner's "The Winning Brief" a lot more, in part because Garner gives real-world examples of what to do and what not to do. Stark tells more than shows. As a litigator myself, I find it more useful if an author shows me an example of what not to do and how to correct it. I gave it three stars.
This book is very useful if you are a law student or a young lawyer. It gives simple rules and is easy to read. Some of his advice should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, he believes that briefs should not be written by several lawyers--but most young lawyers have little choice in that regard. Also, Garner's book (which is much longer and more detailed) gives much more advanced techniques. Overall, it is a very solid and readable resource for legal writers. It just is not the last word.
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4: Great book, very informative.
I am pleasantly surprised by the readability of this useful book. The book kept my attention, and it was very helpful and informative.
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5: Simple rules to live by
This book is a great tool for the over-verbose legalese writer, as well as the novice who needs to know how to LOOK as if they know what they're doing. It knocks legal writing down to the basics (face it - if you haven't got a valid case, no amount of purple prose is going to save it.) It also clearly defines the parameters of specialized legal writing (pleadings, writs, etc.)
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