Journal article
LEGAL WRITING: Why is a Legal Memorandum Like an Onion? - A Student's Guide to Reviewing and Editing
Mercer Law Review, Vol.56, pp.729-1499
01 Jan 2005
Abstract
I. Introduction - The Riddle's Answer If you are a student working on a legal memorandum, you may think the answer to the question posed by the title of this Article is that they can both make you cry. This Article may help you avoid tears by giving you a way to review your work. The legal memorandum is like an onion because it is a whole made up of many layers. These layers cover each other in levels that can be cross-sectioned and examined in place without losing the sense of the whole. The guidelines offered for that examination follow the priorities of your legal reader. 1 These guidelines should help you with the complex task of editing your memorandum, while guarding against straying from the core purpose of your memorandum - the presentation of your legal analysis. Critiquing a legal memorandum forces analysis of the document on multiple levels, from that of large scale organization 2 to technical detail. Teachers know the dangers of overwhelming student writers with critique on all of these levels. 3 If you received comments on your draft, your teacher may well have identified major areas for your attention, 4 but left to you the job of attending to other aspects of the memorandum also in need of revision. Published checklists can provide comprehensive guidance for you in creating and assessing your work. 5 Legal writing teachers frequently use checklists or comment sheets, either standardized or custom tailored to the assignment. A danger of ...
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Details
- Title
- LEGAL WRITING: Why is a Legal Memorandum Like an Onion? - A Student's Guide to Reviewing and Editing
- Creators
- by Terry Jean Seligmann
- Publication Details
- Mercer Law Review, Vol.56, pp.729-1499
- Publisher
- Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University Mercer Law Review
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- [Retired Faculty]
- Identifiers
- 991021861658704721