Legal Commentary

Academic Legal Writing Is Now Available for the Kindle

By Eugene Volokh

I?m pleased to report that the latest edition (the 4th) of my Academic Legal Writing book is now available for the Kindle. Here?s one of my favorite reviews, which was written by a professor (Norman Garland) with regard to an earlier edition, but which I think should apply to the new one as well:

Last year I learned that Professor Eugene Volokh, a prolific and superb acamedician and author, had written a book with a blueprint for writing in law school and beyond. My expectation was that the book would be good, but I was awed by just how good it was. Prof. Volokh (pronounced ?Volk? I am told) has done an enormous service for academics like myself who struggle to help students and young colleagues to learn the art of writing in the legal domain. That means papers for law school, articles for student publication, and beyond, when a person enters the profession and seeks to enhance his or her name. Now he has a second edition, adding two chaper: one on getting on to law review (a major benefit for law students), and the other advice on how to enter writing competitions.

Let me tell you how much I love this book. I bought ten copies of the first edition and distributed it to some of my students who I thought could benefit from it (although all can). My first choice to give one to was a protege of mine who was my research assistant, a moot court competitor (interscolastic), and a candidate for the law review board at the time. She advised me when I handed her the book, that it was required by all law review candidates?the board of editors run a program at my school and require the text.

Next, I have a colleague who had not been writiing. I gave a copy of the book to him and he seems to have moved on to produce a publishable piece. My wife, who went back to law school to get an LLM degree had to engage in some serious writing. I gave her a copy of the book and she got very high grades on her work and is considering turning one of them into an article.

So, when the new edition came out last week, I ordered 10 copies of it to spread the word again this year. I have been a professor of law for 37 years. I am thrilled that Professor Volokh saw fit to share his wisdom and insight into academic legal writing. Not since the original writing book that I learned from, Strunk and White?s Elements of Style, has there been a book that I could recommend so heartily. If you are considering writing for law school or after, buy this book.

My one reservation about the review is that my name is usually pronounced ?Vollock.?

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on September 17, 2010 (boomark / email).