Citation in Legal Writing
Effective legal writing relies on a variety of sources for information about the law, its principles, and its application. It also depends on the writer’s ability to properly cite those sources. The Bluebook, the standard system for citing sources of legal material in the United States, is one of the most widely used citation systems in the world.
However, the Bluebook’s rules for citing legal materials can be complex and confusing, especially for those unfamiliar with its requirements. To help students, professors, and judges learn how to cite legal sources correctly, the ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) has created the Guide to Legal Citation. The Guide provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the legal citation process and is suitable for use in American law schools, colleges, and universities.
It is also essential for all writers to be familiar with the basic rules of grammar and usage. This will make it easier for them to create clear and concise sentences in their writing.
As with other forms of writing, the best legal writing hews to the accepted standards of form and tone. The writer’s primary goal is to convey her ideas with the greatest possible clarity.
This will often require a judicious use of emphases and other linguistic devices. For example, it is important to include an introductory statement in the body of the text identifying the audience and setting the proper tone for the document.
In addition to these basics, the writer should pay attention to the reader’s context. For instance, the writer should consider the reader’s age, education level, professional experience, and legal background when deciding whether or not to make use of a particular term in her writing.
The writer should also keep in mind the purpose of her writing, i.e., how it satisfies the readers’ expectations. The reader will regard a document as well written only if it tracks the reader’s needs and interests, and advances those needs and interests.
Good legal writing is a synthesis of the knowledge and skills that a writer has acquired in her career. This includes a thorough understanding of the law, its history, and the various courts and administrative bodies that have issued interpretations of the law.
It is also essential for all legal writers to be familiar with the basic rules of grammatical and idiomatic usage. This will make it easier for them and their editors to write clear and concise sentences in their writing.
In addition to these basics, legal writers should pay attention to the reader’s context. This will involve a thorough understanding of the reader’s age, education level, profession, and legal background.
This will also require a thorough understanding of the reader’s relationship to the writer. For example, a lawyer’s client is likely to have a different perspective on the law than an attorney’s supervisor.
Similarly, a legal writer’s family may have very different views of the law than the author’s colleagues. In such cases, the writer should pay special attention to avoiding unnecessary technical terminology that could be misunderstood or oversimplified by the reader.
