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Basic Legal Writing for Paralegals, Seventh Edition

Authors
  • Hope Viner Samborn
  • Andrea B. Yelin
Series / Aspen Paralegal Series
Description
Table of contents
Preface

Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on Casebook Connect, including academic lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities. Access also includes practice questions, an outline tool, and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes.

Basic Legal Writing for Paralegals, Seventh Edition, teaches students the skills they need to effectively work with cases, legal authorities, documents, and professional correspondence. Samborn and Yelin guide students through the writing process, using the objective memo as a teaching tool. At every stage of a well-defined writing process, the authors provide lucid explanations, visual aids, and plenty of examples. With practice exercises throughout the book, students can develop the skills that will become indispensable to their careers as paralegals.  

New to the Seventh Edition: 

  • New and refreshed exercises 
  • Streamlined presentation, making the material even more accessible and teachable 
  • Broadened discussion of AI and emerging technologies, showing how they are reshaping research and practice 
  • Updated online resources 
  • Revised and updated chapter on Case Briefing and Analysis 
  • Expanded coverage of email and e-memos, reflecting today’s professional practice 
  • Citation Information and the Citation Appendix updated using the new 22nd edition of The Bluebook 

Professors and students will benefit from

  • A practical approach that emphasizes the paralegal’s role and how different types of legal writing are applied in practice 
  • Step-by-step instruction that guides students through every stage of the writing process, from pre-writing and planning to drafting, revising, and finalizing 
  • An overview of the legal system that explains how different forms of legal writing are used in different contexts 
  • Detailed discussion of how to find, synthesize, and present legal authorities in legal communications for attorneys 
  • Instruction on applying the IRAC method of legal analysis 
  • Examples and exhibits that provide useful models for students 
  • Writing tips, practical strategies, updated exercises, ethics alerts, and web resources are integrated throughout 
  • Updated teaching materials and classroom-tested exercises 
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Table of contents

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

Contents 
List of Illustrations 
Preface
Acknowledgments 


CHAPTERS
1 Introduction to Legal Research and Writing 
2 Legal Authorities and How to Use Them 
3 Getting Ready to Write 
4 Clear Writing and Editing 
5 Writing Basics 
6 Case Briefing and Analysis 
7 The Legal Memorandum 
8 Questions Presented and Conclusions or Brief Answers 
9 Facts 
10 The IRAC Method 
11 Synthesizing Cases and Authorities 
12 Outlining and Organizing a Memorandum 
13 Persuasive Writing 
14 In- House and Objective Client Documents 
15 Correspondence 


Appendix A: Citation 
Appendix B: Writing Strategies 
Index 

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About the authors
Hope Viner Samborn

Hope Viner Samborn is a lawyer and freelance writer in Chicago. She earned her J.D. degree at the University of Toledo College of Law and her B.A. degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. She is the co-author of The Legal Research and Writing Handbook (8th ed. Aspen Publishing, 2018) and Basic Legal Writing (5th ed. Aspen Publishing, 2016.)

Andrea B. Yelin
DePaul University

Andrea Yelin served for several years as a Legal Reference Librarian at Loyola's Law Library. At Loyola, she taught legal writing for 1Ls as well advanced legal research. She attended Vassar College and earned her B.A. degree at Rice University in Houston, and her J.D. and M.S.L.S. degrees at Case Western. She also taught legal research and legal writing for Loyola's Institute for Paralegal Studies. She is the co-author of The Legal Research and Writing Handbook (10th ed. Aspen Publishing, expected 2027); Basic Legal Writing (7th ed. Aspen Publishing, expected 2026); and Contract Law for Legal Professionals (Pearson, 2011). Andrea currently teaches courses at DePaul University.

Product Information
Edition
Seventh Edition
Publication date
2026-02-02
Copyright Year
2026
Pages
416
Print + eBook
9781543858709
eBook
9798894109213
LLPOD
9798894109220
Subject
Legal Writing
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