If academic writing can be tough for students, legal writing is absolutely killing them. Why? Law papers have certain requirements that are difficult to process. Moreover, legal writing usually has its own referencing styles that makes it even more complex.

For example, a regular essay is all about communicating a message to the audience. Law essays make a difference. They are not about sending a message but rather digging deep to discover complexity and uncertainty within the law. This can be further used to argue or doubt a decision or position. Sounds difficult? We bet.

However, there are a few tips that can make your legal writing easier for you. We asked Sharon Coles, a professional law paper writer, how to succeed in writing killer law essays, and she shared the knowledge with us. Here are the tricks.


Plan Your Time

Writing a good paper requires time. Regardless of the essay type, it needs some hours to conduct proper research and actually write something logical and valuable. Thus, the key to writing a killing law paper is ensuring you have enough time to do that.

Ideally, students should learn how to organize their time. Their planning should include both the writing process and proofreading. If you lack time, there is always an online writing service that can help you out. However, writing and then looking for mistakes and imperfections are both essential.

Answer the Question

Law papers are all about specifics and details. You should avoid vague sentences by all means. Instead, focus on the issue in question. Do not go here and there circling around the truth. Be specific and write what actually matters.

Sometimes, students misread or misinterpret the main question. This is the worst-case scenario. We recommend reading the instructions over and over to make sure you get the idea and think about what is being asked exactly.

Do not Turn Your Paper into a Detective Novel

Do not Turn Your Paper into a Detective Novel

This is a very common mistake. Students write the whole essay as if they are going to publish it as a bestselling detective story. They leave the main idea obscure until the end of the essay. This is totally wrong when it comes to legal writing. If you can’t figure out how to open the main idea to readers you need to go deeper into resources like https://studyfy.com/. Find the main points that can give you an explicit answer.

Instead, make sure your argument is in the body of your essay. Make your stance clear and support it with facts. Do not list the case details without supplying them with arguments and logic. Overall, evidence and facts are what law is all about.

Enforce Your Reasoning

Law students are actually very good at reasoning. They often express useful ideas and propositions in their essays. Most professors admit that every new generation of lawyers is even better than the previous one.

However, when it comes to essays, this reasoning is often disconnected from the law. Think of it as the reference in the ordinary essay. Whatever suggestion you have, must be supported by a bit of statute, case law, or a legal academic paper. Every claim you make should have such grounds to be valuable.

Do Not Forget to Structure Your Research

Even though legal writing is different from ordinary essay writing, you should still structure your paper. Creating an outline is also very helpful in grouping your thoughts and ideas. Do not disregard this stage of the process.

Start with an introduction and then proceed to the main part where you support your argument with the existing evidence. Start every new idea with a new paragraph so that the transition between your main arguments seems smooth.

The conclusion in a law paper is usually more condensed compared to a regular essay. It just states the final thoughts and justifies the argument (or not).

Work on the Introduction

An ideal introduction of a law paper is short and precise. If you manage to set the right tone from the very beginning, it can shape your entire essay.

Thus, do not make it too long and rambling. Make sure you start by giving the context. A reader must understand what it is all about. Then, present your argument and explain what you are going to do within the next paragraphs to grab the attention. That’s all.

Research Collectively

Law students are known to complain about the tons of information they should study or read. That’s true, a good lawyer is somebody who knows a lot, but most importantly, they know where to look for the information they need.

Law students indeed should read lots of stuff to write a good paper. However, they forget that no one forbids them from creating a group to help each other prepare. You can share reading and highlight those parts that are important to help your peers. It both saves your time and helps you write a better paper.

Rely on International Legal Sources

International legal sources are easier to find compared to the domestic ones. At the same time, if your topic is not narrow, no one would object to you using these sources.

For example, you can rely on international treaties, the domestic law of other countries, case studies, international court decisions, and so on to back your opinion. There are lots of databases where you can find relevant information free of charge. Moreover, a global approach makes writing very interesting and, surprisingly, a lot easier.

Make Correct References

No matter how good your paper is, if it has some percentage of plagiarized content, it will not end well for you. As a future lawyer, you should refrain from plagiarism by all means. Therefore, look carefully for the required referencing style and make sure you understand how proper referencing should be done.

If you need help with it, you can try using online citation generators or even pay for professional help. We want to stress the importance of correct referencing as per all stated requirements. Your final grade for the paper really depends on it.

Final Words

Writing skills and attention to detail are essential for those working with laws and regulations. You need to master legal writing while at school to be able to practice it later at work.

For a lawyer, attorney, notary, and other law professionals, writing is a critical skill. Thus, learn to write impeccable law papers from the very beginning. Make sure you know where to find the information you need whenever you need it and use it logically.

 

Image Source