Subjects:

Legal Skills and Method, Practice & Procedure

Contents:

The nature of judgment

How to read a judgment

The use of language in judicial opinion

Argument and legal logic

Fair criticism

Writing judgments

How judges decide

The appellate judgment

Problems with law reporting

Judicial style

This unique book offers a practical guide to deconstructing judgments for the purpose of fair criticism and appeal. It shows how judgments are written and examines the style and language of judges expressing judicial opinion.

The work is founded upon independent research in the form of interviews conducted with judges at every level from deputy district judge to Lords of Appeal in ordinary, and the practical application of existing academic material more usually devoted to the structure and analysis of wider prose writing. It is illustrated by reference to reported judgments, both well-known and obscure, of the past 100 years.