Abstract
This article proposes that new legal writers can improve their work by “thinking like teachers.” I assert that legal writing is fundamentally educative. Good writing thus requires good teaching. The article discusses the “curse of knowledge,” which makes it difficult for a writer who fully understands her topic to remember how a reader who is less knowledgeable about the topic will approach the material. It then explores three concepts from the science of learning — context, chunking, and connections — and discusses how a writer can use these concepts to effectively teach her readers.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2017
Recommended Citation
Laura A. Webb, Why Legal Writers Should Think like Teachers, 67 J. Legal Educ. 315 (2017).