Judicial Writing Manual


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Judicial Writing Manual


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Judicial Writing ManualA Pocket Guide for JudgesSecond EditionFederal Judicial CenterThe link between courts and the public is the written word. With rare exceptions, it is through judicial opinions that courts communicate with litigants, lawyers, other courts, and the community. Whatever the court's statutory and constitutional status, the written word, in the end, is the source and the measure of the court's authority. It is therefore not enough that a decision be correct—it must also be fair and reasonable and readily understood. The burden of the judicial opinion is to explain and to persuade and to satisfy the world that the decision is principled and sound. What the court says, and how it says it, is as important as what the court decides. It is important to the reader. But it is also important to the author because in the writing lies the test of the thinking that underlies it. “Good writing,” Ambrose Bierce said, “essentially is clear thinking made visible.” Ambrose Bierce, Write It Right 6 (rev. ed. 1986). To serve the cause of good opinion writing, the Federal Judicial Center has prepared this manual. It is not held out as an authoritative pronouncement on good writing, a subject on which the literature abounds. Rather, it distills the experience and reflects the views of a group of experienced judges, vetted by a distinguished board of editors. No one of them would approach the task of writing an opinion, or describe the process, precisely as any of the others would. Yet, though this is a highly personal endeavor, some generally accepted principles of good opinion writing emerge and they are the subject of this manual. We hope that judges and their law clerks will find this manual helpful and that it will advance the cause for which it has been prepared.William W SchwarzerDirector Emeritus, Federal Judicial Center




Decisions, Decisions


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Judicial Writing Manual


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Model Rules of Professional Conduct


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The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.




Alwd Citation Manual


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ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, now in its Fourth Edition, upholds a single and consistent system of citation for all forms of legal writing. Clearly and attractively presented in an easy-to-use format, edited by Darby Dickerson, a leading authority on American legal citation, the ALWD Citation Manual is simply an outstanding teaching tool. Endorsed by the Association of Legal Writing Directors, (ALWD), a nationwide society of legal writing program directors, the ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, features a single, consistent, logical system of citation that can be used for any type of legal document complete coverage of the citation rules that includes: - basic citation - citation for primary and secondary sources - citation of electronic sources - how to incorporate citations into documents - how to quote material and edit quotes properly - court-specific citation formats, commonly used abbreviations, and a sample legal memorandum with proper citation in the Appendices two-color page design that flags key points and highlights examples Fast Formatsquick guides for double-checking citations and Sidebars with facts and tips for avoiding common problems diagrams and charts that illustrate citation style at a glance The Fourth Edition provides facsimiles of research sources that a first-year law student would use, annotated with the elements in each citation and a sample citation for each flexible citation options for (1) the United States as a party to a suit and (2) using contractions in abbreviations new rules addressing citation of interdisciplinary sources (e.g., plays, concerts, operas) and new technology (e.g., Twitter, e-readers, YouTube video) updated examples throughout the text expanded list of law reviews in Appendix 5 Indispensable by design, the ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, Fourth Edition, keeps on getting better




Opinion Writing


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This book is based on real life experiences where the possibility of the living being able to communicate with the deceased is investigated. The belief in reincarnation and life after death raises a tantalising question: Can the living communicate with the dead? Most churchmen and scientists are sceptical, but many people, including churchmen and scientists, believe such a thing is possible. The belief in the immortal soul is a dogma of Christianity (resurrection), Hinduism (reincarnation or samsara), Islam (Day of Judgement), Judaism (sheol), and the Shona (NyikaDzimu). Moreover, man has been familiar with the concept of life after death since time immemorial. Immortality has been rejected by those who feel its only basis is wishful thinking that when the body dies, the personality dies with it because it is part of the physical body. Believers can cite the resurrection of Jesus, and maintain that since life on earth is not completely fulfilled an afterlife is necessary for completion. Another argument in favour of an afterlife is that since matter and energy may be transformed but not destroyed, neither can personality, which exists just as do the elements in nature, be destroyed. In many of the ancient societies, including Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unravelled by those with certain powers. In modern times, various schools of psychology have offered theories about the meaning of dreams. In Communication with the Deceased is meant to serve only as a basis for reflection in order for the reader to examine all the clues and then derive further meaning from specific circumstances of his/her own dreams. To be able to interpret a dream, one does not need to have an academic degree in psychology. What is important is to use one's instinct and common sense. Try to develop your own personal insights into what the common symbols in your dreams mean. When it comes to dream symbols, there are no equivocally universal rules or meanings. Dreams dictionaries help by providing hints at the meaning of symbols that appear in one's dreams. This book is of value to those studying psychology and those participating




California Style Manual


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Writing Manual


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