Tom Goldstein is Professor of Journalism and Director of the Media Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley. Jethro K. Lieberman is Martin Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School, where he was the director of its writing program for nearly a quarter century. He is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The Litigious Society.

• Preface PART I: Why Lawyers Write Poorly 1. Does Bad Writing Really Matter? 2. Don't Make It Like It Was PART II: The Practice Of Writing 3. Ten Steps to Writing It Down 4. Of Dawdlers and Scrawlers, Pacers and Plungers: Getting Started and Overcoming Blocks 5. The Technology of Getting It Down: From Quill Pens to Computers 6. Lawyers as Publishers: Words Are Your Product PART III: Getting To The Point 7. Writing Persuasively for Your Audience: Tell Your Audience the Point 8. Writing the Lead PART IV: Revising For Clarity And Luster 9. Form, Structure, and Organization 10. Wrong Words, Long Sentences, and Other Mister Meaners 11. Revising Your Prose 12. Making Your Writing Memorable Notes Usage Notes An Editing Checklist Editing Exercises Suggested Revisions to Editing Exercises Reference Works Acknowledgments About The Authors Index