Writing to Win: The Legal Writer

More than one person has referred to Stark as the David Letterman of legal writing instructors. He advances the notion, also advanced by Bryan Garner and for many years by James Raymond, of clear and (hard as it is for a lawyer to do) interesting writing. The several series of commandments at the beginning chapter beginnings enable you to keep the main ideas in your mind. The book is a good combination of instructional manual and a quick briefing paper. All lawyers should read and embrace Stark's notions. I only wish he had not emphasized winning as the goal, but I suppose that what his publisher needed to get someone to buy the book.

I own the book by Mr. Stark, and I also recommend the books by Bryan Garner, including, Elements Of Legal Style. The Stark book and the others, like the example I gave are useful for lawyers, law students, and paralegals, like myself, or anyone who writes on legal matters.

Stark's credentials as a practicing litigator and writing teacher give him great credibility, and he makes the most of it with this entertaining and useful book. It is superbly organized and easy to read. Plus, he gives lots of practical examples that drive home his points. A great book.

Got this book for my stepson, & got a chance to look at it when we visited him at college. As I expected, it's a good book for anyone who wants to improve their writing, whether they are interested in law or not. What I didn't expect is that it was funny. I found myself laughing, sometimes out loud, every few pages.Highly recommended.

Jaded from having read almost every major treatise on legal writing written in the past twenty years, I was surprised by how much I liked Professor Stark's book. It's practical, comprehensive, (I especially liked that he even gave advice about how to write reply briefs, amicus briefs, and e-mail, subjects rarely considered elsewhere. Bravo!), bathroom-readable, and funny. (He titles a chapter "Yes, Virginia, you can even make patent applications more readable by studying board games and cookbooks,") For the price, it's an excellent value, especially when compared to Bryan A. Garner's bloated, ego-driven behemoth "The Winning Brief," which, while making good points, also includes several idiotic ones. Unlike Garner, Stark never succombs to trying to be different simply to stand out from the crowd. For that, he gets my highest praise.