The book by Professors Fajans and Falk (F&F) is very helpful, so I’ll refer you to their many rich and thoughtful tips on starting your first draft. Below are some of idea mixed in with the excellent suggestions of Professors F&F. The zeroth draft. Your initial draft is for you and you alone. It’s not the “first draft” you […]
In chapter I of his book Academic Legal Writing, law professor Eugene Volokh likens good academic writing to a patent. I agree with Professor Volokh. But what does he mean? For a U.S. Patent to issue, a number of requirements must be met. Three of the most important are: Patent Novelty. The invention must be […]
The second submission you will make will be a document with three components: thesis statement, outline, and preliminary source listing. Do not leave this document for last-minute work. It takes thought and preparation to do this document properly. It is also a very important document because: 1) it requires that you are now researching and reading; […]
DRAFT – this page very rough TBP – basic jist is: Baby-bear approach A short list of headings doesn’t help. But extensive listings of paragraphs doesn’t help. Typical way of organizing (See fajans) intro (topic – why novel, nonobvIous, useful – thesis, roadmap) factual background legal background analysis my proposal conclusion starting point, not endpoint […]
