Rushing McCarl LLP partner publishes book on legal writing

Ryan McCarl’s new book, Elegant Legal Writing, stands to transform how attorneys write.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Rushing McCarl LLP partner Ryan McCarl‘s new book Elegant Legal Writing was published today by the University of California Press. In recent months, it has become the most talked-about book in the legal community after receiving endorsements from Ross Guberman, Eugene Volokh, and other legal luminaries. In the days before its release, the book became the top-selling book about legal writing on Amazon other than The Bluebook citation manual.

Like McCarl’s blog of the same name, Elegant Legal Writing shares strategies Rushing McCarl LP uses daily to help clients win high-stakes litigation cases. For example, the firm pioneered the use of QR codes to share links to online videos and other multimedia resources in legal filings. Rushing McCarl used that technique in the first-of-its-kind lawsuit the firm filed last week in Brown v. Pacific Mktg. Int’l (L.A. Super. No. 24STCV02653 [filed Feb. 1, 2024]), a putative class action alleging that the manufacturer of Stanley Tumbler cups deceived its safety-conscious consumers by concealing its use of lead in its popular drinkware.

About Ryan McCarl’s Elegant Legal Writing

Ryan McCarl’s Elegant Legal Writing (book | blog) helps attorneys elevate their writing from passable to polished. Drawing on ideas from cognitive science, stylistics, and litigation strategy, the book teaches practical techniques by example using fast-paced chapters. Readers will learn the essentials of effective legal composition:

*Writing clear, efficient prose
*Crafting strong arguments
*Telling a client’s story through a compelling narrative
*Overcoming procrastination and drafting more productively
Readability, aesthetics, and argumentation are intertwined. Ryan McCarl shows how litigation documents that are easier and more pleasant to read are more likely to persuade judges and other busy readers. The book also discusses parts of legal writing that many guides overlook, including sentence mechanics, writing technology, and typography.

Reviews of Elegant Legal Writing

“Elegant Legal Writing is a terrific addition to the field. Bristling with sage advice and generous examples, this book will help you navigate nearly every legal-writing hurdle in your path.”
— Ross Guberman, author of Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates

“Elegant Legal Writing is a book to study and savor. Its non-intimidating and readable format exposes law students and lawyers to a plethora of crucial concepts to transform their writing from passable to great. Although the substance of legal writing is important, Ryan McCarl reminds us that persuasiveness requires more: style.”
— Peggy Kline Kirkpatrick, Legal Writing Instructor, Mitchell Hamline School of Law

“This clear and straightforward guide will be tremendously useful for any law students or lawyers who want to improve their writing—something that all but the most gifted few should want to do.” — Eugene Volokh, author of Academic Legal Writing

“In this elegant guide, McCarl covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of legal writing. Packed with real examples and road-tested tips, this book is a lifeline for busy lawyers and law students who need to communicate clearly, effectively, and ethically under tight time constraints.”
— Lee Fennell, Max Pam Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School

“The Elements of Style for the legal profession. McCarl’s tips will make your legal prose sing.”
— Clifford W. Gilbert-Lurie, Managing Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP

“An excellent resource for legal writers at all stages of their careers, from law students to experienced litigators. Writing with the elegance that he advocates, McCarl instructs with clear explanations, helpful examples, and practical suggestions. He succeeds in demystifying the art of legal writing.”
— S. Elizabeth Gibson, Burton Craige Professor of Law Emerita, University of North Carolina School of Law

“Keep McCarl’s tips in mind and judges will read your briefs with appreciation rather than frustration—which in turn makes for more auspicious oral arguments and results.” — Tim Kowal, appellate attorney and co-host of the California Appellate Law Podcast

About the Author of Elegant Legal Writing:

Ryan McCarl is a founding partner of the business litigation firm Rushing McCarl LLP and an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School. Before co-founding Rushing McCarl with trial attorney John Rushing, McCarl researched AI and designed an Advanced Legal Writing course at the UCLA School of Law. Previously, he was a research fellow in AI law and policy at UCLA School of Law, where he designed and taught a course on advanced legal writing. He has given talks about litigation writing, motion strategy, and appellate advocacy to audiences such as the American Bar Association Litigation Section and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.

Purchase and Media Information

You can order Elegant Legal Writing on Amazon and elsewhere.

Ryan McCarl will be promoting the book through media appearances and seminars, including by offering workshops to law firms and other organizations. Please email elw[at]rushingmccarl.com for more information. For information about Rushing McCarl LLP‘s legal services, visit rushingmccarl.com or contact the firm at info[at]rushingmccarl.com or (310) 896-5082.

Ryan McCarl is a founding partner of business litigation firm Rushing McCarl LLP and the author of Elegant Legal Writing (U. Cal. Press 2024), which is available on Amazon and elsewhere. Before co-founding Rushing McCarl with trial attorney John Rushing, McCarl researched AI and designed an Advanced Legal Writing course at the UCLA School of Law. Previously, he was a federal appellate clerk and a litigator at several prestigious firms. For more writing tips, subscribe to the Elegant Legal Writing blog and follow McCarl on LinkedIn.

Ryan McCarl, Founding Partner
Rushing McCarl LLP
+1 (310) 896-5082
[email protected]