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About the Book

Advanced Legal Writing: Theories and Strategies in Persuasive Writing

Second Edition

Michael R. Smith, University of Wyoming

2008. 400 pages. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0-7355-5659-1.
With Teacher’s Manual.


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About the Book

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.


Preface / Sample Chapters