Bryan A Garner - The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style

THIRD EDITION

Mat #4188330

THIRD EDITION

Bryan A. Garner

with

Jeff Newman
Tiger Jackson

This publication was created to provide you with accurate and authoritative information concerning the subject matter covered; however, this publication was not necessarily prepared by persons licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and this publication is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. If you require legal or other expert advice, you should seek the services of a competent attorney or other professional.

Nothing contained herein is intended or written to be used for the purpose of 1) avoiding penalties imposed under the federal Internal Revenue Code, or 2) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

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2006 Thomson/West
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West, West Academic Publishing, and West Academic are trademarks of West Publishing Corporation, used under license.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 9780314289018

In memory of
Charles Alan Wright
19272000

Blacks Law Dictionary

(all recent editions)

Garners Modern American Usage

Garners Dictionary of Legal Usage

Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts

with Justice Antonin Scalia

Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges

with Justice Antonin Scalia

Garner on Language and Writing

Foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The Elements of Legal Style

The Winning Brief

The Winning Oral Argument

Legal Writing in Plain English

Securities Disclosure in Plain English

Ethical Communications for Lawyers

Guidelines for Drafting and Editing Court Rules

The Chicago Manual of Style

Grammar and Usage (ch. 5)

The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style

A Handbook of Basic Law Terms

A Handbook of Business Law Terms

A Handbook of Criminal Law Terms

A Handbook of Family Law Terms

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing

The Rules of Golf in Plain English

with Jeffrey S. Kuhn

A New Miscellany-at-Law

by Sir Robert Megarry

Texas, Our Texas: Reminiscences of The University

David A. Anderson

University of Texas School of Law
Austin, Texas

Owen L. Anderson

University of Oklahoma College of Law
Norman, Oklahoma

Pamela J. Armstrong

Albany Law School
Albany, New York

Tammy Brown Asher

Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan

Gary M. Bishop

New England Law School
Boston, Massachusetts

Josh Blackman

South Texas College of Law
Houston, Texas

Brooke J. Bowman

Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, Florida

Mary Nicol Bowman

Seattle University School of Law
Seattle, Washington

D. Ruth Buck

University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, Virginia

J. Dean Carro

University of Akron School of Law
Akron, Ohio

Bradley G. Clary

University of Minnesota Law School
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Beth D. Cohen

Western New England School of Law
Springfield, Massachusetts

Charles Dewey Cole Jr.

Newman Myers Kreines Gross Harris, P.C.
New York, New York

Cara L. Cunningham

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Detroit, Michigan

Richard A. Danner

Duke Law School
Durham, North Carolina

Edward C. Dawson

Louisiana State University Law Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Ward Farnsworth

University of Texas School of Law
Austin, Texas

Kelly M. Feeley

Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, Florida

Monroe H. Freedman

Hofstra University School of Law
Hempstead, New York

Willa E. Gibson

University of Akron School of Law
Akron, Ohio

Stephen Gillers

New York University School of Law
New York, New York

Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.

U.C. Hastings College of the Law
San Francisco, California

Kevin L. Hopkins

John Marshall Law School
Chicago, Illinois

Elisabeth Keller

Boston College Law School
Newton Centre, Massachusetts

H. Dennis Kelly

Texas Wesleyan University
School of Law
Fort Worth, Texas

Sandra J. Kerber

Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland, Ohio

Joseph Kimble

Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan

Kenneth S. Klein

California Western School of Law
San Diego, California

Susan M. Lauer

Perkins Coie
San Francisco, California

Pamela Lysaght

University of Detroit Mercy
School of Law
Detroit, Michigan

Ruth Ann McKinney

UNC School of Law
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Brian Melendez

Faegre Baker Daniels
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kathryn S. Mercer

Case Western Reserve School of Law
Cleveland, Ohio

Jane Moul

Washington University School of Law
St. Louis, Missouri

Teresa Godwin Phelps

American University
Washington College of Law
Washington, D.C.

Norman E. Plate

Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan

Diana V. Pratt

Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Leslie Rose

Golden Gate University School of Law
San Francisco, California

Judith A. Rosenbaum

Northwestern University
School of Law
Chicago, Illinois

Wayne Schiess

University of Texas School of Law
Austin, Texas

Stephen M. Sheppard

University of Arkansas School of Law
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Roger Simon

Texas Wesleyan University
School of Law
Fort Worth, Texas

Steven R. Smith

California Western School of Law
San Diego, California

Sophie M. Sparrow

University of New Hampshire
School of Law
Concord, New Hampshire

Michael L. Spekter

University of Baltimore School of Law
Baltimore, Maryland

Mary Rose Strubbe

Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Chicago, Illinois

Julian C. Swearengin

Bessemer Trust
New York, New York

Heidi Thompson

Louisiana State University Law Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Judith B. Tracy

Boston College Law School
Newton Centre, Massachusetts

Henry T. Wihnyk

University of Florida Levin College of Law
Gainesville, Florida

F. Georgann Wing

Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan

Mark E. Wojcik

John Marshall Law School
Chicago, Illinois

Frederick E. Woods

Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.

Richard C. Wydick

U.C. Davis School of Law
Davis, California

This book had its genesis in repeated requests from law firms for me to prepare a style manual for thembut of course such an undertaking proved uneconomical. Hence the thought: Why not prepare a style manual for the profession as a whole? Such guides are commonplace within specialties: book publishers have The Chicago Manual of Style ; newspapers have the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law ; dissertation writers have The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing ; and so on.