Deborah Borman, assistant professor of law at UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, has written “A Short and Happy Guide to Legal Writing,” part of West Academic Publishing’s  Short & Happy Guides series.

The book provides a full concept of the history and practice of legal writing in the briefest of formats – a style that should accelerate the learning process by leaving out extraneous subject material.

Borman spent four years writing the guide, since “It takes a long time to decide what to omit.” The topics are broken into simple and memorable structures that jumpstart readers’ critical thinking process. Instead of being a list of rules on legal style, the guide is organized to tell the story of legal advocacy.

“Advocacy is supposed to be compelling,” Borman said. “A list of rules isn’t compelling.”

Beginning with the documents that shaped the American legal system, the guide explains how those documents affect the current framework and context of U.S. law.

“I’d like students to understand there’s a connection between what exists, what they’re learning, and what they will be adding to advocacy for future generations,” she said. “Legal writing isn’t done in a vacuum. Everything they write becomes part of that history.”

The book also includes a chapter with quick tips, a primer on legal writing, and a brief chapter on grammar and structure. Designed to be useful for pre-law college students and paralegals, im addition to law students, Borman hopes the book will help future lawyers communicate more effectively through legal writing.

“I wanted to create a honed-in, useful guide for formulating legal analyses and fostering better advocacy,” Borman said. “Lawyers are responsible to their clients, to the legal community, and to society as a whole. We must be clear communicators and advocates, not only for our clients but for the legal system. If you don’t understand the theory behind legal analysis, you won’t be able to do it well.”