Legal Writing in Plain English

    Legal Writing in Plain English

    Professor Bryan A. Garner teaches all 50 sections of his classic text over 10 hour long sessions. In each session, you’ll work through exercises designed to sharpen your analytical and writing skills. You’ll learn the primary tools and techniques to make the most of your abilities. With Professor Garner’s tips and your dedication, you’ll find yourself succeeding at challenging writing projects and enjoying your work as never before.

    Framing Your Thoughts (Part 1)

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    Divide and conquer: compose in an orderly, planned way. Learn to think efficiently and prepare yourself properly.

    Phrasing Your Sentences (Part 2)

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    Improve your mastery of styling sentences. Engage your readers’ attention with shorter and more powerful statements.

    Choosing Your Words (Part 3)

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    Enhance your command of English vocabulary, particularly legal vocabulary. Discover how “impressive” words and phrases can bog down your writing—and learn the expressions you should use.

    Structuring Your Analytical and Persuasive Writing (Part 4)

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    Use the elements of rhetorical discourse to your advantage. Learn how to take advantage of the most important part of any presentation: the opener.

    Some Keys to Good Expository Prose (Part 5)

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    Perfect the techniques of persuasive exposition. Consider how you sound; learn why a relaxed, conversational tone works in your professional writing. Guide your readers deftly through narrative and argument.

    Legal Drafting (part A) (Part 6)

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    Adopt the optimal approach to contractual and statutory drafting. Understand your audience, your purposes, and the common pitfalls of archaic conventions.

    Legal Drafting (part B) (Part 7)

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    Refine your contractual and statutory drafting. Make the language plain and the meaning clear. Avoid introducing words and phrases that could create litigation.

    Document Design (Part 8)

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    Acquire enough knowledge about typography to produce readable documents. Learn the elements that make a document approachable and attractive—or the opposite.

    Editing Yourself and Others (Part 9)

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    Become proficient in large-scale revisions and copyediting. Learn to critique others’ writing constructively and to gain objectivity in reviewing your own.

    The Finer Points of Style (Part 10)

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    Maintain a clear-headed approach to writing and editing. Learn how and why effective communication takes practice and attention.

    LawProse Policy on CLE Credit

    Want more focused training on specific legal-writing skills? Professor Bryan Garner has created over 40 hours here for you. Learn the skills of legal writing and take the mystery out of the art.

    LawProse web seminars are approved for CLE credit in most states where allowed. A few states don’t yet approve web seminars. Please check with your state bar to see whether web seminars qualify.

    We are accredited CLE providers for online training in California, New York, and Texas. We can issue a CLE attendance certificate for you for California and New York. And we can also report your completed seminar hours to Texas—please email (info@lawprose.org) us your name, the course you completed, the date you finished, and your bar number.

    LawProse web seminars have been approved for CLE credit in most states where allowed—we do not maintain approval for all our courses for all these states. If you’re seeking credit in a state other than where we are accredited providers, please take the certificate of attendance from the program and submit it to the state bar you are seeking credit from. A few states don’t yet approve web seminars. Please check with your state bar to see whether web seminars qualify.

    We are accredited CLE providers for online training in California and Texas.

    Texas credit: Email your name, Texas Bar number, seminar name, and the date of completion to info@lawprose.org. We’ll report your credit within the next five days.

    California certificate: Email your name, California Bar number, seminar name, and the date of completion to info@lawprose.org. We’ll send you a California CLE Certificate for your self-reporting records within the next five days.

    If you’re seeking credit elsewhere, please take the certificate of attendance from the program to use as part of your application for credit to your state bar. Please check with your state bar to see whether web seminars qualify.

    Discounts & Watching as a Group

    Discounts are available for groups simultaneously viewing a self-paced online seminar using one computer connection. When one participant pays the full list price, each additional viewer pays for an additional-viewer license—again, if all registrants view on one screen together. You can register your group by calling LawProse at 214-691-8588 or emailing info@lawprose.org or directly on our e-learning site.

    Please note that the list price is for the purchase of an individual license for a single viewing by a single viewer. You may purchase additional discounted additional-viewer licenses on our e-learning site or contacting us at 214-691-8588. We ask for your cooperation in protecting our intellectual-property rights. We’re happy to help direct you to any particular course topic you’re looking for, to discuss group pricing, and to answer any other questions you may have.

    Please see our FAQs on Self-Paced Online Seminars.