写作练习legalwritinginplainenglish.docx

写作练习legalwritinginplainenglish.docx

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写作练习legalwritinginplainenglish

ExercisesfromLegalWriting

inPlainEnglish

byBryanA.Garner

Copyright2001,BryanA.Garner

PublishedbytheUniversityofChicagoPress（www.press.uchicago.edu）

Section1.Havesomethingtosay--andthinkitthrough.

Exercises

Beginthefollowingexercisesbylookingupthecasescited.Thenwriteacasenoteforeachone--

thatis,ashortcasesynopsisthatfollowsastandardform:

（1）casenameandcitation;

（2）brief

facts;（3）questionfordecision;（4）holding;（5）reasoning.Yourfinishedproductshouldfitona

five-by-seven-inchindexcard（frontandback）.Theexercisesareincreasinglychallengingfor

eitherorbothoftworeasons:

first,theincreasingcomplexityofthelegalprinciplesinvolved;and

second,theincreasingdifficultyofthelanguageusedintheopinions.Whenyou'refinished,have

afriendassesshoweasyitistounderstandwhatyou'vewritten.

Here'sanexampleofacasenote:

Case:

Hendersonv.FordMotorCo.,519S.W.2d87（Tex.1974）.

Facts:

Whiledrivingincitytraffic,Hendersonfoundthat,despiterepeatedattempts,shecouldn't

brake.Toavoidinjuringanyone,sheranintoapole.Aninvestigatorlaterfoundthatpartofa

rubbergasketfromtheairfilterhadgottenintothecarburetor.HendersonsuedFordon

varioustheories,includingdefectivedesign.Herexpertwitnessdidn'tcriticizethedesignof

thegasket,carburetor,orairfilter,butdidsaythatthepositioningofthepartsmighthavebeen

better.Noonetestifiedthattheair-filterhousingwasunreasonablydangerousfromthetimeof

installation.Yetthejurydeterminedthattheair-filterhousingwasdefectiveandthatthis

defecthadcausedHenderson'sdamage.

Question:

Theexpertwitnessdidn'ttestifythatthedesignwasunreasonablydangerous--onlythat

itcouldbeimprovedon.Isthistestimonysufficienttosupportajuryfindingthataproduct's

designisunreasonablydangerous?

Holding:

Mereevidencethatadesigncouldbemadebetter--withoutevidencethatthedesignitself

wasunreasonablydangerous--isinsufficienttoimposeliabilityonamanufacturer.

Reasoning:

Apersonsuingonadesigndefectmustprovidesomeevidencethatthedesignofthe

productmadeitunreasonablydangerous.Specifically,theevidencemustshowthataprudent

manufacturerwhowasknowledgeableabouttheriskswouldnothaveplacedtheparticular

productinthestreamofcommerce.Merespeculationthataproductmightbeimprovedon

doesnotconstituteevidenceofadesigndefect.Amanufacturerisnotrequiredtodesignthe

bestproductscientificallypossible.

Basic

WriteacasenoteforSerrano-Moranv.Grau-Gaztambide,195F.3d68（1stCir.1999）.Ifyoubelongtoa

writinggrouporclass,bringacopyofyourcasenoteforeachcolleague.

Intermediate

WriteacasenoteforFloudiotisv.State,726A.2d1196（Del.1999）.Ifyoubelongtoawritinggroupor

class,bringacopyofyourcasenoteforeachcolleague.

Advanced

WriteacasenoteforAtlasFoodSystems&Services,Inc.v.CraneNationalVendors,Inc.,99F.3d587

（4thCir.1996）.Ifyoubelongtoawritinggrouporclass,bringacopyofyourcasenoteforeach

colleague.

Section2.Formaximalefficiency,planyourwritingprojects.Trynonlinearoutlining.

Exercises

Basic

Whileplanningandresearchingalegalmemo,filloutawhirlybird.（You'rereadytobeginonceyou

knowenoughabouttheproblemtohaveanideaortwo.）Useunruledpaper.Takeyourtime.Fillas

manymajorandminorbranchesasyoucan,andfeelfreetoaddmorebranches.Then,whenthepaper

startsgettingfull--andonlythen--createalinearoutlineusingbullets.Rememberthatyou'reworking

onthebasicunitoforganization:

onceyouhavethat,you'llorganizefurtheraccordingtoissuesand

answers.

Intermediate

Dothesamewithatrialorappellatebrief.

Advanced

Dothesamewithajournalarticleorcontinuing-legal-educationpaper.Forthisone,youmightneeda

largesheetofbutcherpaper.

Section3.Orderyourmaterialinalogicalsequence.Usechronologywhenpresentingfacts.Keeprelated

materialtogether.

Exercises

Basic

Improvethesequenceofideasinthefollowingsentence.Startlikethis:

"InMarch2000,Gilbert

SpauldingappliedtotheWorkforceCommissionforextendedunemploymentbenefits."Thenuseoneor

twoextrasentences.

*ThelowercourtdidnoterrbyaffirmingtheWorkforceCommission'sdenialof

Spaulding'srequestforextendedunemploymentbenefits,sincethosebenefitswerenotavailable

duringtheperiodforwhichhesoughteligibility.

Improvethesequenceandphrasingofideasinthesesentences,perhapsbybreakingthemintoseparate

sentences:

*Thestatesupremecourtreversedtheintermediateappellatecourt'saffirmanceofa

summaryjudgmentgrantedtoPilsenCorporation,theplaintiff,whichhadonlyrequestedapartial

summaryjudgmentonthediscreteissueoffraud.

*TheissueiswhetherDavisEnergyhasgranteditsneighborsaneasementtouseaprivateroadthat

entersaDavisfuel-storageyard,whenforthreeyearsDavishashadaguardattheroad'sentrance

buthaspostednoothernoticeaboutprivatepropertyorpermissiontoenter,andforsevenyearsthe

ownersofadjacentpropertyhaveusedtheroadtoreachtheirownproperty.

*ThePlaintiffLosAngelesDodgers,acorporationwithofficesanditsprincipalofficeinLos

Angeles,California,istheownerofaprofessionalbaseballteamthat,since1958,hasplayed

baseballinLosAngeles,California,andbefore1958playedbaseballinBrooklyn,NewYork,under

thename"theBrooklynDodgers,"butinthatyearmovedthesiteofitshomegamesfromBrooklyn

toLosAngeles.

Intermediate

Rewritethefollowingpassagestoreassembletheelementsinchronologicalorder.Again,youmightneed

tobreakoneormoresentencesintoseparatesentences.

*ThisactionaroseoutofarequestbyPan-Americantocancelitssuretybondpostedwith

theLandReclamationCommissiontoensurereclamationonaportionofthePrelanciaFuelsmine

site.TheCommissionfiledapetitionfordeclaratoryjudgmentandapplicationforatemporary

restrainingorderandpreliminaryinjunctiononFebruary16,1996,todeterminewhetherPan-

Americancouldlawfullycancelitssuretybond.Pan-Americanmadeitsrequestafterlegislationhad

beenpassedthat,accordingtoPan-American,wouldincreaseitsliabilityunderthebonds.Thetrial

judgedisagreedwithPan-American.AttherequestoftheCommission,afterabriefevidentiary

hearing,atemporaryrestrainingorderandpreliminaryinjunctionweregrantedonFebruary16,

1996,preventingPan-Americanfromcancelingthebondatissueuntilfinaljudgmentonthe

declaratory-judgmentaction.

*InSinclair,thecourtawardedthenieceofSinclairaconstructivetrust.Sinclair'sniecewassuing

Purdy'sestateforone-halfinterestinpropertythatsheclaimedheruncleownedandhadpromised

tobequeathtoherinexchangeforcaringforhimuntilhisdeath.Thecourtobservedthatthe

propertywaspurchasedinhissister'sname.Thiswasdoneforbusinesspurposesandbecausehe

andhissistersharedacloserelationship.Therewasalsoanagreementbetweenthesiblingsthatthe

sisterwouldbeallowedtokeeponlyhalftheproperty.Thecourtruledthatwithholdingtheproperty

fromtheniecewouldbeabreachofpromise;hence,aconstructivetrustwasawardedinfavorof

theniece.

*KathcartfiledtheinstantpatentapplicationonApril11,2000,morethanoneyearafterhefiled

counterpartapplicationsinGreeceandSpainonNovember21,1998.Kathcartinitiallyfiledan

applicationintheU.S.onNovember22,1997,claimingmostofthesamecompoundsasintheinstant

application.Whenhefiledabroad,however,in1998,heexpandedhisclaimstoincludecertainester

derivativesoftheoriginallyclaimedcompounds.Itistheclaimstotheseesters,whichKathcarthasmade

thesubjectofasubsequentcontinuation-in-partapplication,theapplicationnowbeforethecourt,thatare

theissuehere.BothforeignpatentsissuedpriortotheinstantapplicationintheU.S.,theGreekpatenton

October2,1999,andtheSpanishpatentonJanuary21,1985.

Advanced

Findapublishedcaseinwhichthepresentationofthefactsismarredbydisruptionsinchronology.Write

ashortexplanationspecifyingwhytheunchronologicalnarrativewasdifficultforyoutoread.Rewrite

thefactualstatementasbestyoucan,omittingirrelevantfactsandputtinginbracketsanyfactsyoumight

wanttoadd（butweren'tgiveninthecaseitself）.Ifyoubelongtoawritinggrouporclass,bringacopyof

yourbefore-and-afterversionsforeachcolleague.

Section4.Dividethedocumentintosections,anddividesectionsintosmallerpartsasneeded.Use

informativeheadingsforthesectionsandsubsections.

Exercises

Basic

Findapre-1950law-reviewarticleortreatisewithlongstretchesoftextuninterruptedbyheadings.

Deviseappropriateheadings.If,asaresultofthisexercise,youfindthattheorganizationispoor,notethe

organizationaldeficiencies.Ifyou'reamemberofawritinggrouporclass,bringacopyoftherelevant

pagesandbepreparedtoexplainwhereyourheadingswouldgoandtodiscussanyorganizational

problemsyouuncovered.

Intermediate

Inastateadministrativecode,findaregulationhavingatleastthreesectionswithheadingsthatdon't

adequatelydescribethesections'contents.Devisebetterheadings.Ifyou'reamemberofawritinggroup

orclass,bepreparedtoexplainwhyyoureditswouldimprovetheregulation.

Advanced

Findaproxystatementorprospectuswithlongstretchesofuninterrupt