Advanced Legal Writing: Theories and Strategies in Persuasive Writing, Second Edition

by Michael R. Smith

Overview of Advanced Legal Writing: Theories and Strategies in Persuasive Writing, Second Edition

With a practical focus on persuasive writing strategy, Michael R. Smith identifies and explores three processes of persuasive writing—logos, pathos, and ethos—and provides a thorough introduction to the elements of rhetorical style.

Using detailed how-to guides and plenty of examples, the author’s distinctive approach to persuasive writing examines:

• technical aspects of rhetorical style: metaphor, literary allusion, figures of speech, and graphic design
• three basic processes of persuasive legal writing strategy:
  • Logos: logic and rational argument
  • Pathos: value-based argument
  • Ethos: establishing credibility
• interdisciplinary contributions to persuasive writing from fields such as cognitive psychology, classical rhetoric, and morality theory
• effective strategies that extend beyond the trial or appellate brief to a broad range of documents and settings

In the Second Edition, the reader will find:

• a new organization that puts a greater emphasis on practice and relatively less on theory for each of the three processes of persuasive writing strategy
• a new six-Part organization:
  • I. Introduction
  • II. Logos Strategies
  • III. Pathos Strategies
  • IV. Ethos Strategies
  • V. Rhetorical Style
  • VI. The Ethics and Morality of Persuasion
• coverage of new developments in cognitive psychology, Pathos persuasion, and the role of metaphor in persuasive legal writing.
• the same manageable length

For a complete examination of the technique and strategy behind persuasive writing, Smith’s text strikes the right balance of depth and scope for upper-level legal writing courses.

Synopsis of Advanced Legal Writing: Theories and Strategies in Persuasive Writing, Second Edition

With a practical focus on persuasive writing strategy, Michael R. Smith identifies and explores three processes of persuasive writing-logos, pathos, and ethos-and provides a thorough introduction to the elements of rhetorical style. Using detailed

Booknews

Covering specific strategies and techniques that lawyers can employ to make their writing more persuasive, this text for a first-year legal writing course draws on recent research in cognitive psychology, literary theory, and classical rhetoric. The book begins by examining the functions of literary references in persuasive legal writing and the processes of persuasion recognized in classical rhetoric, then covers stylistic persuasive devices of classical rhetoric and persuasive writing strategies based on principles of psychology. Ethical and moral issues are also discussed. Smith teaches law at Mercer University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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