Organization
List two acronyms for organizational structures used in legal writing.
IRAC
CREAC
Also common: CRuPAC, CRAC, TREAT
What signal would you use to compare two or more sources?
Compare...with.
What is the proper way to write the United States of America as the name of a party in a case?
United States
What is the smallest state capital in the U.S. (measured by population)?
Montpelier, VT
Correct the punctuation in this sentence: Lavinia has traveled to Jupiter, Neptune and Mercury.
Lavinia has traveled to Jupiter, Neptune, and Mercury.
Serial comma for the win!!
When writing a rule section, an author may pull rules from what kinds of sources?
Binding primary sources.
Name two categories of signals.
Signals that indicate support
Signal that suggests a useful comparison
Signals that indicate contradiction
Signal that indicates background material
What is the start of a Bluebook citation for a case with the names Philander Chase Knox (plaintiff) and William Jennings Bryan (defendant)?
Knox v. Bryan
Define analogical reasoning.
Analogical reasoning uses comparisons of like things to predict a particular outcome.
Name two grammatically correct techniques used to join independent clauses.
Hint: An independent clause has a subject and a verb.
1. A semi-colon
2. A comma followed by a conjunction
Lavinia enjoyed her time on Jupiter; she did not like Neptune.
Lavinia enjoyed her time on Jupiter, but she did not like Neptune.
A complete Statement of the Case has four sections. What are they?
1. Introduction
2. Legal Background
3. Factual Background
4. Procedural Background
Name the three ways to write an explanatory parenthetical.
1. Full sentence quotation
2. Sentence fragment starting with an -ing word
3. Short phrase
What is the Bluebook citation for the case Elihu Root versus Robert Bacon, decided by the Washington Supreme Court, located in the 231st volume of the Second Series of the Pacific Reports on page 178, and decided in 2009?
Root v. Bacon, 231 P.2d 178, 178 (Wash. 2009).
Which original Vermont Law School faculty member is still teaching at Vermont Law & Graduate School?
David Firestone
Explain how the following sentence changes if we replace the commas with parentheses or em dashes.
Lavinia has never been to Mars, she does not like the color red, though she has been to Saturn.
Em dashes emphasize the importance of the phrase
What's the minimum length for a paragraph?
One sentence - as long as the thought conveyed in the paragraph is still complete
Why should you avoid the (cleaned up) parenthetical?
Because it obscures changes an author has made to quoted language.
What is the Bluebook citation for the case Roberta Lansing versus Bainbridge Colby, decided by the Third Circuit, and reported in the 199th volume of the Third Series of the Federal Reporter on page 123 in the year 2001?
Lansing v. Colby, 199 F.2d 123, 123 (3d Cir. 2001).
When is it okay to use passive voice?
When there is a good reason to obscure a sentence's subject.
What is wrong with the following quotation: "Lavinia would like to travel to Earth from her home on Pluto."
The quote marks should be curved quotes, not straight quotes
What kinds of sources are included under the heading "Other Authorities" on the Table of Authorities?
Everything except cases, constitutional provisions, and statutes
Describe two benefits that come from using explanatory parentheticals in persuasive writing.
1. They allow an author to tell the reader what to take away from an indirectly cited source
2. They allow an author to acknowledge, analogize, and/or distinguish authority in a concise way
What is the Bluebook citation for the case Smith Brothers versus Charles Evans Hughes, and reported in 245th volume of the Federal Supplement (Second Series) on page 267, decided in the District Court for the Western District of Washington, in 2011?
Smith Bros. v. Hughes, 245 F. Supp. 2d. 267, 267 (W.D. Wash. 2011).
When will the U.S. Supreme Court hear oral argument in Ellingburg v. United States?
Tuesday, October 14.
Don't listen to the argument until after next Thursday's class!
How large should the indent be at the beginning of a paragraph?
half an inch - no more and no less!