What are the rules on initial capitals? ANSWER: Most of the first letters of words in the titles of books, articles, songs, etc. are capitalized. The exceptions are articles or prepositions of four or fewer letters (unless they begin the title). So The Great Escape and Much Ado About Nothing, but Hope Is the Thing with Feathers. Proper names are always capitalized. People’s titles and ranks are usually treated as ordinary nouns and capitalized as proper nouns only when they accompany a person’s name (Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) or are used as a direct form of address (“If I may say so, Judge, my opponent’s statement is misleading“). Other proper nouns and adjectives are used in those of businesses (Purity Bakery, Inc.), trademarked business products (Kleenex; Mountain Dew); educational institutions (Matlock High School; the University of Arizona); government bodies and agencies (Department of Motor Vehicles; Homeland Security); public or private organizations (Peoria Chamber of Commerce; Lowell Street Coffee Klatch). Adjectives derived from proper nouns, such as nationalities, languages, or religions, are also capitalized (Australian-rules football; Hindi songbook; Jewish holiday). Legal writers follow some additional rules. Constitution is capitalized when referring to the United States Constitution or even to a particular state constitution (but the adjective constitutional is lowercase). So revered is our Constitution that its parts, when written out in full, are capitalized: Article, Section, and Amendment (as well as Due Process Clause). But when abbreviated, such terms usually aren’t capitalized (eg., art. III); consult the Bluebook or your local style guide. A prosecuting entity’s name such as State or People is capitalized when used as part of or as a shortened form of a full name: State of New Mexico, People of New York. When referring to a prosecuting entity, State or People may be used as the short form of reference, e.g.: “The State claimed that Martin was driving the car”; “Livingston objected that the People’s evidence was insufficient.” Source: The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style (2d ed. 2006). |
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Bryan Garner’s seminars teach the habits of effective legal writers: how you can write about law using the same techniques that professional writers of nonfiction use. You’ll need an arresting opener, a clean narrative line, and polish throughout. How many lawyers are effective legal writers? “Not many,” Garner says. “But I like helping more lawyers move into the upper echelons.” Let Garner help you become not just a better writer but a better thinker. The two go hand in hand. Make a difference in your career: join us for a day to sharpen your legal-writing and advocacy skills. Learn techniques vital to the effective lawyer’s arsenal. |
LawProse Lesson # 88
Live seminars this year with Professor Bryan A. Garner: Advanced Legal Writing & Editing
Attend the most popular CLE seminar of all time. More than 215,000 people—including lawyers, judges, law clerks, and paralegals—have benefited since the early 1990s. You'll learn the keys to professional writing and acquire no-nonsense techniques to make your letters, memos, and briefs more powerful.
You'll also learn what doesn't work and why—know-how gathered through Professor Garner's unique experience in training lawyers at the country's top law firms, state and federal courts, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.
Professor Garner gives you the keys to make the most of your writing aptitude—in letters, memos, briefs, and more. The seminar covers five essential skills for persuasive writing:
- framing issues that arrest the readers' attention;
- cutting wordiness that wastes readers' time;
- using transitions deftly to make your argument flow;
- quoting authority more effectively; and
- tackling your writing projects more efficiently.
He teaches dozens of techniques that make a big difference. Most important, he shows you what doesn't work—and why—and how to cultivate skillfulness.
Register to reserve your spot today.
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