LibGuides: Legal Writing Guide: Citation, Grammar and Style Guides

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Correct citation form, proper grammar and effective astyle are essential to effective legal writing. This page provides links to and descriptions of the Library's best resources in the following areas:

Citation Guides

Proper citation is not merely a requirement, it is a matter of credibility. There are a myriad of resources to assist students with understanding citation form and ensuring that citations are correct. Below are some of the resources (both in print and online) available to LUC law students to accomplish that goal.

ALWD Guide to Legal Citation by Carolyn V. Williams; Association of Legal Writing Directors Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: KF 245 .A45 2021 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9781543807776
Publication Date: 2021-05-05
The ALWD Manual was intended as a more user-friendly alternative to the Bluebook. Occasionally the ALWD Manual includes examples that provide context for the application of Bluebook rules.
The Bluebook, 21st Ed. by Harvard Law Review Association (Compiled by); Columbia Law Review (Compiled by); University of Pennsylvania Law Review (Compiled by); The Yake Law Journal (Compiled by)
Call Number: KF245 .B58 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9780578666150
Publication Date: 2020-05-20

The Bluebook uncovered : a practical guide to mastering legal citation Author Anthon, Dionne E. author.
"This book is designed to help first-year law students master the fundamental Bluebook citation rules that will be needed in legal research and writing courses (LRW) and in legal practice. It can also act as a Bluebook refresher for other law students, clerks, attorneys, judges, and paralegals"--Page xi.

Available online as a PDF

Cite-Checker: Your Guide to Using the Bluebook by Deborah E. Bouchoux
Call Number: KF 245 .B68 2021 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781543832808
Publication Date: 2021-02-23
Legal Citation in a Nutshell by Larry Teply
Call Number: West Academic Study Aids Subscription
ISBN: 9781647087487
Publication Date: 2021-10-11
Current Loyola Law ID and password required for access.
Understanding and Mastering the Bluebook by Linda J. Barris
Call Number: KF 245 .B373 2020 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781531019150
Publication Date: 2020-08-01
Universal Citation Guide by American Association of Law Libraries, Digital Access to Legal Information Committee Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: HeinOnline
ISBN: 9780837739588
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Also available in print (KF 245 .U54)
Users Guide to the Bluebook by Alan L. Dworsky
Call Number: KF 245 .D853 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9780837741406
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
The goal of this little book is to make the task of mastering citation form as easy and painless as possible.

Dictionaries and Thesauri

Advocacy Words, a Thesaurus by William Drennan
Call Number: K 50 .D74 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781627222242
Publication Date: 2014-08-07
A lawyer's ability to choose words wisely and accurately is a valuable component for effective communication. This book arranges words alphabetically in two groups: favorable-critical (Part One) and critical-favorable (Part Two). The reader can use the columns to see the corresponding advocacy word or critical words in the opposite column.
Barron's Law Dictionary by Steven H. Gifis
Call Number: KF 156 .G53
ISBN: 9780764143571
Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Also available via Bloomberg Law
Black's Law Dictionary by A. Bryan Garner (Editor-In-Chief)
Call Number: KF 156 .B53 2024 Law Reference
ISBN: 9798350290899
Publication Date: 2024
12th edition. Also available via Westlaw (valid Westlaw ID and password required for access).
Burtons Legal Thesaurus by William C. Burton
Call Number: KF 156 .B856 Law Reference
ISBN: 9780071818810
Publication Date: 2013-09-26
This reference contains over 10,000 synonyms, terms, and expressions specifically related to the legal profession.
Garner's Dictionary of Legal Usage by Bryan Garner
Call Number: KF 156 .B49 Law Reference
ISBN: 9780195384208
Publication Date: 2011-07-01
This This book thoroughly analyzes modern legal vocabulary. For example, it provides dozens of sets of near-synonyms that have long perplexed lawyers. It concisely defines and differentiates the terms and uses asterisks to indicate words and phrases that are invariably inferior forms, making it easy for readers to tell which ones to avoid.
Lawtalk: the Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions by James E. Clapp; Elizabeth G. Thornburg; Marc Galanter; Fred R. Shapiro
Call Number: KF 156 .L39 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9780300172461
Publication Date: 2011-11-22
Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance. This insightful book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss.
Modern Dictionary for the Legal Profession by Gerry W. Beyer; Pamela Anne Dallefeld; Stephanie A. Williams
Call Number: KF 156 .B49 Law Reference
ISBN: 0837715431
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Kept up-to-date by annual cumulative supplements
The Wolters Kluwer Bouvier Law Dictionary by Steve Sheppard
Call Number: KF 156 .W653 Law Reference
ISBN: 9781454806110
Publication Date: 2012-05-21
Word Origins for Lawyers by Rick Autry
Call Number: K 50 .A93 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781614381471
Publication Date: 2013-02-26
This book features a profuse collection of legal words and phrases, or words that are commonly used in legal work. The etymologies first focus on the meaning of the entry in the legal context, then provide the "roots" of the word focusing on ideas that a lawyer would find particularly helpful or enlightening.
Words and Phrases by Thomson/West
Call Number: KF 156 .W6 Law Main tacks Non-circulating
This 46-volume set contains judicial definitions, from both state and federal courts, of words and phrases, arranged alphabetically. Definitions may pertain to statutory language, court rules, administrative regulations, or business documents, among other sources. Each definition contains a citation from the court that provided the definition. Kept up to date by cumulative annual pocket supplements and replacement vols. Also available via WestlawNext.

Grammar, Punctuation, Style & Editing Guides

The (Not Too Serious) Grammar, Punctuation, and Style Guide to Legal Writing by Diana Simon
Call Number: KF 250 .S536 2022 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781531024772
Publication Date: 2022-11-01
ABA Basic Guide to Punctuation, Grammar, Workplace Productivity, and Time Management by Jayne Kracker
Call Number: KF 250 .K73 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9781614385639
Publication Date: 2013-12-07
This book is a guide directed to employees in law offices and related workplaces who review documentation for grammatical correctness, provide written information to the legal community, or create general correspondence while often faced with time constraints, deadlines, and stress. It includes sections on sentence structure, parts of speech, punctuation review, and grammar.
Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers by Deborah E. Bouchoux
Call Number: KF 250 .B68
ISBN: 9781454885184
Publication Date: 2017-02-24
This concise and compact guide offers thorough coverage of proper legal writing technique and style to help students resolve questions and develop strong writing skills. It includes exercises that students can use to test themselves as they go.
Beyond the First Draft by Megan McAlpin
Call Number: K 94 .M35 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781594609985
Publication Date: 2014-02-28
The ultimate goal of this book is to help students and practitioners understand that good writing cannot be accomplished in a single draft; good writers must be good editors. Each chapter of the book is organized around one of the principles of good writing and begins with an editing checklist for accomplishing that principle of good writing. The book explains each item in the checklist, providing students and lawyers with the instruction and straightforward editing tips that they need to become effective editors.
The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Staff (Editor)
Call Number: Z 253 .U69 2010 Law Reference
ISBN: 9780226104201
Publication Date: 2010-08-01
Cupples and Temple-Smith's Grammar, Punctuation and Style: A Quick Guide for Lawyers and Other Writers by Deborah Cupples; Margaret Temple-Smith
Call Number: KF 250 .C87 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9780314288073
Publication Date: 2013-07-15
Part of the ABA fundamentals series, this book includes a brief history of the English language, as well as comprehensive information on every thing from singular vs. plural, to composing a legal memorandum.
The Elements of Legal Style by Bryan A. Garner
Call Number: KF 250 .G37 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 0195141628
Publication Date: 2002-03-21
Inspired by Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, this book explains the full range of what legal writers need to know: mechanics, word choice, structure, and rhetoric, as well as all the special conventions that legal writers should follow in using headings, defined terms, quotations, and many other devices.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk; E. B. White; Roger Angell (Foreword by)
Call Number: PE 1408 .S772 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9780205309023
Publication Date: 1999-07-23
The Grammar and Writing Handbook for Lawyers by Lenné Eidson Espenschied
Call Number: KF 250 .E84 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781616328825
Publication Date: 2012-04-16
The Grammar and Writing Handbook shows the reader which rules need to be followed, how to choose the correct words, and the most effective way to structure every sentence to compose more persuasive, stronger material that's flawlessly written.
The Lawyer's Editing Manual by Joan Ames Magat
Call Number: KF 250 .M34 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781594605383
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
The Lawyer's Editing Manual includes advice on word choice and modifier placement, conciseness, sentence and paragraph structure, and effective transitions. The manual ends with conventions inspired less by consensus than by the reader's reliance on consistency, such as whether and what to capitalize or how to treat abbreviations, symbols, and lists.
Legal English by Rupert Haigh
Call Number: K 94 .H35 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 0415712858
Publication Date: 2015-04-03
Legal Writing Style by Antonio Gidi; Henry Weihofen
Call Number: West Academic Study Aids Subscription
ISBN: 9781634592963
Publication Date: 2018-03-28
This Hornbook promotes the art of good writing by teaching students and practitioners the tools to make their prose clear, precise, simple, and forceful. With examples of what works and what doesn’t, this short but comprehensive work provides an invaluable resource for recasting writing for maximum impact and ultimate success.
Garner's the Redbook by Bryan Garner
Call Number: KF 250 .G375 2023 Law Permanent Reserve
ISBN: 9781642421439
Publication Date: 2023-06-14
The Redbook is written in the style of a restatement, with black-letter rules that are followed by exhaustive comments and illustrations. The more than 700 pages cover all aspects of writing style from grammar and punctuation to drafting legislation and scholarly writing.
Sketches on Legal Style by Mark Cooney
Call Number: KF 250. C59 Law Main Stacks
ISBN: 9781611634150
Publication Date: 2013-10-04
A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers
Call Number: PE 1408 .H2778 2011
ISBN: 9780312601430
Publication Date: 2010-10-25
Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please: the Case for Plain Language in Business, Government, and Law by Joseph Kimble
Call Number: KF 250 .K535 2024
ISBN: 9781531024543
Publication Date: 2023-10-01
Writing Shorter Legal Documents: Strategies for Faster and Better Editing by Sandra Jean Oster
Call Number: KF 250. O848 2011
ISBN: 1616329912
Publication Date: 2012-04-16