Legal writing skills

396 Pages·2019·3.668 MB·English

by  Steve Foster

‘It is an “all-in-one” source for students who wish to improve their
academic skills and their ability to obtain higher awards.’
Dr Lucy Barnes, University of East Anglia
‘The book is a valuable resource for students new to undergraduate
study. It provides straightforward guidance on legal research and
writing, explaining what the expectations are at university and
highlighting the common pitfalls.’
Seema Kandelia, University of Westminster
Strong writing skills are an essential ingredient to succeeding in your law degree.
Packed full of practical tips and advice, Legal Writing Skills will help you to develop the
ability to research, write and present your law assignments with clarity and confi dence.
Discover:
• Top tips on answering problem questions;
• What law lecturers mean by ‘critical analysis’ and how to incorporate it into
your essays;
• Practical advice on developing analytical and critical writing skills, legal reasoning
and conducting legal research;
.devre • Real-life examples of sample writing with commentary so you can see what makes A GUIDE TO WRITING ESSAYS AND
se
r sthgir llA • Na usmtreornogu psi eecxea mofp lwersi twtehnic wh osrhko awn dh ohwo wto t oap apvloyi dth ceo pmrmincoinp lpeistf ainl ltsh;e book to your ANSWERING PROBLEM QUESTIONS
.de own writing. FIFTH
tim
iL EDITION
n
o
ita Steve Foster is Principal Lecturer at Coventry Law School, where he has taught legal
c
u
dE skills for over 40 years and where he runs courses on legal writing and research.
n
o
sra
e
P
.8
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp Cover type based on © iarti / iStock / Getty Images Plus www.pearson-books.com
o
C
FIFTH EDITION
Foster, Steve. Legal writing skills : A guide to writing essays and answering problem questions, Pearson
Education Limited, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ybp-ebookcentral/detail.action?docID=5606132.
Created from ybp-ebookcentral on 2020-04-06 08:34:17.
CVR_FOSTER_05_51097.indd 1 12/11/2018 14:19
Legal Writing Skills
A Guide to Writing
Essays and Answering
Problem Questions
Fifth Edition
Steve Foster
Principal Lecturer in Law
Coventry Law School
.de Coventry University
vre
se
r sth
g
ir llA
.a
d
a
n
a
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C
Harlow, England • London • New York • Boston • San Francisco • Toronto • Sydney
Dubai • Singapore • Hong Kong • Tokyo • Seoul • Taipei • New Delhi
Cape Town • São Paulo • Mexico City • Madrid • Amsterdam • Munich • Paris • Milan
Legal Writing Skills
A Guide to Writing Essays 
and Answering Problem Questions
.d
e
vre
se
r sth
g
ir llA
.a
d
a
n
a
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C
At Pearson, we have a simple mission: to help people
make more of their lives through learning.
We combine innovative learning technology with trusted
content and educational expertise to provide engaging
and effective learning experiences that serve people
wherever and whenever they are learning.
From classroom to boardroom, our curriculum materials, digital
.de learning tools and testing programmes help to educate millions
vrese of people worldwide – more than any other private enterprise.
r sthg Every day our work helps learning flourish, and
ir llA wherever learning flourishes, so do people.
.a
d
a
na To learn more, please visit us at www.pearson.com/uk
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C
Pearson Education Limited
KAO Two
KAO Park
Harlow, CM17 9NA
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
First published 2007 (print)
Second edition published 2009 (print)
Third edition published 2013 (print)
Fourth edition published 2016 (print and electronic)
Fifth edition published 2019 (print and electronic)
© Pearson Education Limited 2007, 2009, 2013 (print)
© Pearson Education Limited 2016, 2019 (print and electronic)
The right of Steve Foster to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval
system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or
otherwise, permission should be obtained from the publisher or, where applicable, a licence permitting
restricted copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd,
Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN.
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased,
licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers,
as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by applicable
copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and
the publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of the HMSO and the
Queen’s Printer for Scotland.
Law Commission Reports are reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence (OGL) v3.0.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence (OPL) v3.0.
http://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/open-parliament-licence/
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN: 978-1-292-25109-7 (print)
.d 978-1-292-25110-3 (PDF)
e
vre 978-1-292-25111-0 (ePub)
se
r sth BAr ciatitsahlo Lguiber raercyo rCda ftoarl othgeu pinrign-ti ned-Pituiobnl iics aatviaoinla Dblaet farom the British Library
g
ir llA Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
.a Names: Foster, Steve, 1955- author.
d
a Title: Legal writing skills / Dr. Steve Foster, principal lecturer in law
n
aC Coventry Law School, Coventry University.
n Other titles: How to write better law essays
o
ita Description: Fifth edition. | Harlow, England; New York : Pearson, 2019. |
cu Includes bibliographical references and index.
d
E Identifiers: LCCN 2018042710| ISBN 9781292251097 (print : alk. paper) |
no ISBN 9781292251103 (PDF : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781292251110 (ePub : alk. paper)
sra Subjects: LCSH: Legal composition. | Exposition (Rhetoric) | Law
eP examinations—England—Study guides. | LCGFT: Study guides
.9 Classification: LCC KD404 .F67 2018 | DDC 808.06/634—dc23
1
02 LC record available at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__lccn.loc.gov_2018042710&
© d=DwIFAg&c=0YLnzTkWOdJlub_y7qAx8Q&r=Q1huLr_hfN5hBmNklTyEbqNkqKPJUy4ujVI9zNDFI
th LM&m=jbbAu2BADSI6-BeJ_6Os8av3clBz3AmpUIfxPzpyabw&s=GVsYVmujy7gIJiCwQYVg6rTCOQRy
g
iryp ynvXFgsJglt0fU0&e=
o
C 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
23 22 21 20 19
Cover type based on © iarti/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Print edition typeset in 10/13 pt Janson MT Pro by Pearson CSC
Print edition printed and bound in Malaysia
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
To William Roy Foster (1953–2017)
.d
e
vre
se
r sth
g
ir llA
.a
d
a
n
a
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C
.d
e
vre
se
r sth
g
ir llA
.a
d
a
n
a
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C
Contents
Acknowledgements xi
Preface xiii
Introduction: How to use this book xvii
Part 1: Preparing and writing law
assignments 1
Chapter 1: Writing law assessments on
undergraduate courses 3
Some common complaints 5
Some basic points 6
Note-taking and using notes with other sources 8
What should I do when I get an assignment? 11
Researching for assessments 13
Chapter 2: Presentation of law assessments 17
Word-processed work 18
.de Adopting good practice in grammar, punctuation and spelling 18
vre
se Clear and coherent writing style 25
r sth Avoiding plagiarism 35
g
ir llA Providing authority 40
.ad Reading over your answer 45
a
n
aC Answering the question 46
n
oita Reasons why students fail to answer the question 52
cud Writing critically and gaining enhanced grades 70
E
n
o Summary of writing and presentational skills 74
sra
e
P
.91 Part 2: Writing good essays and answering
0
2
© th problem questions 75
g
iryp Chapter 3: Legal reasoning and critical thinking in
o
C
assessments 77
Legal reasoning 77
Critical thinking and writing 85
Using critical reasoning and analysis 91
Contents
Chapter 4: Good and bad essays 99
Question 1: Contract law essay 100
Question 2: Legal system and constitutional law essay 128
Chapter 5: Answering problem questions 161
Understanding problem questions 161
How to tackle problem questions 164
Question 1: Contract problem 172
Question 2: Statutory interpretation/judicial review problem 186
Part 3: Researching and writing legal essays:
specific legal skills 209
Chapter 6: Researching and using legal materials 211
Researching for assessments 211
Locating your sources 213
Using legal materials 217
Providing authority 217
Using cases 226
Using statutory materials 251
Using law journals 257
Using websites 263
.d Chapter 7: Legal referencing and citation 265
e
vre
se Learn how to cite cases 266
r sth Citing statutory materials 269
g
ir llA Citing journals 274
.ad Citing books 277
a
n
aC Citing websites 278
n
oita Bibliographies 279
cu
d
E
no Part 4: Tackling exams and extended essays
sra
eP and projects 283
.9
1
0
2 Chapter 8: Preparing for and answering exam
©
th questions 285
g
irypo General exam skills 285
C
The revision process 291
Contents
The examination 299
Examples of exam answers 313
Question 1: The contract problem 314
Question 2: The constitutional law essay 320
Summary of examination skills 326
Chapter 9: Researching and writing advanced
essays 329
Extended and advanced essays at undergraduate level 329
In-depth research 341
Writing in a professional and academic, critical and
analytical style 346
Undergraduate projects 348
Further reading 367
Index 369
.d
e
vre
se
r sth
g
ir llA
.a
d
a
n
a
C
n
o
ita
cu
d
E
n
o
sra
e
P
.9
1
0
2
©
th
g
iryp
o
C