Dear 1L: Notes to Nurture a New Legal Writer

by Amanda Dealy Haverstick

Legal writing is hard. Learning about it shouldn’t be.

In Dear 1L, a collection of nurturing letters, tactical how-to’s, and advanced legal-writing tips, legal-writing coach Amanda Haverstick answers all the questions you didn’t know you need to know.

How do you avoid a dicta trap when writing the fall memo? What’s the winning formula for an IRAC essay? A legal brief? A lawyer’s resume? And what’s the “TICTAC comma,” anyway? Get the cheat codes on these topics and more that still trip up 1Ls every year.

Dear 1L gives you a witty, insightful preview of what to expect during 1L. What’s more, the writing tips you’ll learn come from decades of BigLaw-litigation experience, and they’ve been “blessed” by thousands of lawyers and law students online. This book is a trusted supplement you’ll refer to throughout law school and beyond.

Genres: Law

440 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2024

Reviews

[Hunter McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple.. extremely helpful and prepares you for law school without terrifying you like everyone else does

[Noell Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was written in a way that I found easy to understand. Amanda doesn't use big legalese words or boring "textbook talk" to get her points across. This is written to sound like a friend giving you advice. I highlighted a lot of important information that I wanted to remember and I post-it tagged pages that I'll likely refer back to throughout my law school career. I highly recommend this book!

[Carsen Codel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful guide I’m sure I’ll return to during 1L, especially during revision periods. The writing is succinct, at times to a fault; while concision and clarity is praised, I often wished certain sections were more flushed out in comparison to their original LinkedIn Post text. Still, Haverstick provides some great additional resources to check out, and the appendices are helpful.

Another great way to continue the hype train towards August!

[Payton Doyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and comprehensive guide on legal writing for incoming first year law students. Definitely worth the read. Good to reference back to throughout the academic year.