About the Book

Readers of this textbook will learn to think deductively and analogically, to distill the holdings of multiple cases into a coherent legal rule, to craft a compelling narrative, and to understand the role of context in legal decision-making. But beyond the practical how-to of these skills, this book also aims to ground these ideas in their rich and deep theoretical foundations. Professors Susan McMahon and Sonya Bonneau have mined the writings of legal writing professors, legal theorists, cognitive psychologists, and philosophers to produce a text that both teaches students practical writing skills and uses theory to explain why those skills are effective.