Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates by Ross Guberman

Author:Ross Guberman
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: legal studies, writing
ISBN: 9780199943852
Publisher: OUP USA
Published: 2011-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

30. Lead ’Em On: Introduce block quotations by

explaining how the language supports your

argument

The most important thing to remember when block-quoting is to avoid introducing the language with such throw-away lines as “The court held the following” or “The witness testified as follows.” If you use flat, bland language like that, you’re acknowledging what many judges already suspect: that you’re taking the lazy way out by plopping in copied language that forces the judge to figure out how the quoted language relates to why you should win and the other side should lose. “Here are some more puzzle pieces, Your Honor. Enjoy!”

Introduce the quotation instead with language that ties it to the client’s cause. In other words, the block quote is just an insurance policy; it’s there to back up your point, not to make it for you.

Let’s start with an example of what must be one of the few times the ACLU has quoted Justice Clarence Thomas as an authority:

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