The Pre-Writing Handbook for Law Students: A Step-by-Step Guide

Intended primarily for use in the first few weeks of the first-semester legal writing course, The Pre-Writing Handbook for Law Students: A Step-by-Step Guide takes a systematic approach to the process of preparing to write legal memos, briefs, and other documents. The Handbook is designed to help students focus on and become competent in the process of legal analysis that precedes their work on a written product. The Handbook is uniquely designed to help students gauge their own progress as they work through the pre-writing process. The confidence students will gain from engaging in the pre-writing process outlined in the Handbook will translate into a smoother, more effective writing process and a better written product.



Each chapter of the Handbook contains a number of useful features:

- Frequent metacognitive ''checkpoints'' — text boxes that prompt students to pause or stop in their pre-writing work and assess their own efficiency and effectiveness.

- Concrete examples of how the steps in the pre-writing process would work in the context of two recurring legal scenarios.

- End-of-chapter recaps that summarize the desired results of the student's work during each step of the pre-writing process.

- Independent Practice Exercises.