Introduction
- Exercise: good and bad writing - the issue of communication
- What is good legal writing? What qualities does it have?
- Why is good writing important
- What types of writing do lawyers do?
- In what circumstances will you be writing?
- Reflective exercise: how good are your writing skills?
The process of writing
- Time management
- Diagnosis
- Planning your research
- Carrying out your research
- Evaluating and utilising your sources
- Planning your answer
- Writing
- Reviewing/reflecting
- Finalising and checking
Identifying your purpose
- Purpose of writing in different situations:
- Identifying the purpose of specific assignment:
- Planning and focussing your research - link to legal research text
Sources
- What are quality sources? How to evaluate sources
- Range of sources
- Using primary and secondary sources
- What types of sources support what type of assertion
- Acknowledging sources - when and how to reference
- Plagiarism
Different strategies to tackle different types of question
- Particular issues with problem questions
- Particular issues with essays
- How exams differ from coursework
- Tips for dissertations
Critical evaluation and constructing an argument
- What does critical evaluation mean?
- How to be critical
- How to put an argument together
- Logic and reasoning
Writing in good English
- Punctuation
- Grammar
- Spelling
- Sentence constructions
Structure
- Paragraphs
- Organising ideas
- Putting it altogether
- Introduction/conclusion
- Signposting/transition words
Finishing your work
- Proof reading
- Checking
- Writing a bibliography
- Review
- Exercise: rate your work
Utilising feedback
- Analyse your own strengths and weaknesses
- How to improve
- Compare your marks to your own assessment