Apr, 2020 alwd guide to legal citation by association of legal writing directors staff. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the united states. This guide introduces the bluebook and basic concepts of legal citation to new law students. Bluebook format is a uniform system of citation, commonly used in the legal documents or argumentative essays in law.
The white pages expand on the rules included in the bluepages. Thus far, this guide has described how to cite cases in long form, i. In your first year you will be writing legal memoranda and briefs, therefore you will follow the examples in the bluepages. Debate about two spaces after a period in legal writing. If you are writing a brief or memo, look at the blue pages, rule b10 or apply the citation rules of the jurisdiction. Bluebook citation is the most commonly used legal citation system for law students in the us. The bluebook style guide is used in the american legal profession for citation of all relevant sources. In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of the profession communicate important information to one another about the sources and legal authorities upon. Introduction bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. This relation can be supportive, comparative, or contradictory.
Court document abbreviations table 8 of 17th edition this table gives suggested abbreviations for citations of court documents and legal memoranda not in the other forms of legal writing for the words most commonly found in the titles of court documents. Presented by the academic achievement program october 25, 2011. Because you will often cite a case and other legal materials multiple times in a document, the bluebook has established a short form for use in subsequent citations. Authorities that support or contradict entire sentences in text are given in separate citation sentences that begin with capital letter and end with period. Paralegal career for dummies, 2nd edition for dummies careereducation. Bluebook citation to format legal documents and cases. I consider legal writing to be technical writing, however, so i suggest 80 yards, 14 miles and 97 degrees, even if you are writing out numbers to one hundred. Butterick is an advocate for improving the appearance of legal writing by adopting more attractive and modern typographical practices, rather. A uniform system of citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used. Expansive and trademark claims by the proprietors of the bluebook spawned the latest entry in the field, the indigo book, released in 2016. Welcome to the bluebook, the definitive style guide for legal citation in the united states.
This past summer, i worked for ten weeks interning with a civil legal defense attorney in new york, whereafter eight and a half months of law schooli immediately jumped into writing and arguing motions, interviewing clients and preparing affidavits, serving process on opposing counsel, writing appeals to successfully. Even when the word already ends in s, this is the rule i follow. Interactive citation workstation available online at lexisnexis. Law school bluebook basics one of the books that all 1l law students are required to purchase is the bluebook.
A uniform system of citation is apuss preferred citation format for legal writing. Presented by the academic achievement program october. Kelley blue book new and used car price values, expert. Within the bluebook are two related but slightly different styles. The bluebook is probably the only style guide that has other, smaller style guides explaining how to use it. As it can be derived from the history of the formation of the guide, major field of application of this style is among legal institutions, academic works and blue book essays, prepared and written by the law students. In documents submitted to kentucky courts, cite to ky. Additionally, the chicago manual of style recommends its use for all citation of legal material.
The central function of a legal citation is to allow the reader to efficiently locate the cited source. This chapter covers the use of common punctuation marks, such as. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law. A uniform system of citation, 20th edition 9788925598376. Traditional legal language tends to hide inconsistencies and ambiguities. Making the case for teaching law students the art of effective quotation in legal memoranda, 56 s. In some cases, it indicates that a word should not be abbreviated. Importantly, however, it documents the many respects in which contemporary legal writing, very often. The rules in the both parts of the bluebook are organized generally by the type of source cited.
Generations of law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks unique system of citation in their writing. Use cleaned up to make your legal writing easier to read. The scope of the indigo books coverage is roughly equivalent to the bluebooks bluepagesthat is, the indigo book covers legal citation for u. The white pages in the bluebook address academic citation. The current edition of the bluebook is the 20th edition, published in 2015 free 60day access keys for the bluebook. Llewellyn on how to write law materials for the yale law journal whatever the origin, however, today the bluebook is used by the majority of u.
By 2011, the bluebook was the main guide and source of authority on legal references for the past 90 years. Bluebook rule 10 covers how cases should be cited in legal documents. Legal writers must reveal all subsequent case history occurring in a higher court. How to cite the amendments in bluebook format legal beagle. Generally, the given differences may be described as the white pages vs. That is why youll hardly find some sample research paper in bluebook format they are mostly written in mla style. So if you plan to commit your future to lawrelated fields, knowing how to cite in bluebook format is a must for you.
Pink text information that you will need to find from. This book is a reference guide that, believe it or not, will be just about the only book you take from law school into your practice as a lawyer. By way of explanation, here are chapters in this book. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator. If you feel your legal writing could use some work, by all means, purchase this book. Removing legalese helps lay bare any oversights in the original. A logical question to ask is, what is blue book format. Check the bluebook for the rules on quotations they are pretty straightforward rule 5. For generations, law students, lawyers, scholars, judges, and other legal professionals have relied on the bluebooks uniform system of citation in their writing. Chapter 12 citation of kentucky legal materials kurt x. The bluebook is the resource all attorneys and legal scholars use to properly cite and format legal documents. The following information regarding the bluebook citation format is an adapted version of the style and formatting guidelines found in the bluebook, 20th ed. Bluebooking for court documents guide to legal writing.
The precise format of a case citation depends on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, court, and type of case. It has even been endorsed by bryan garner, universally recognized legal writing expert and author of blacks law dictionary. As men of law rely upon a great number of various sources, legal citation also covers the usage of signals that present citations and explain. Bluecolored practitioners notes for court documents and legal memoranda bluecolored tables pages. Use the bluebook citation tool, save your time and perform your perfect law paper with papersowl. Bluebook style is one of the less known systems of citations that is used majorly in the legal system to provide reference and citations for the literature and sources that are used in legal documents and that build the foundation for the current case. Recent studies, however, argue that the style was born in yale with the publication of karl n. Citing cases bluebook guide guides at georgetown law library. Butterick is an advocate for improving the appearance of legal writing by adopting more attractive and modern typographical practices, rather than clinging to the unattractive writing styles of the past. However, the basic format of a case citation is as follows. Even chicago sees the clarity of a 40watt bulb and a 32inch inseam, rather than the spelledout versions. Bluebook resources penn state law university park, pa. Make sure that you quote exactlythe editors will be checking.
In a diverse and rapidly changing legal profession, the bluebook continues to provide a systematic method by which members of. Bluebook citation for legal materials purdue writing lab. Errors are harder to find in dense and convoluted prose. Check car prices and values when buying and selling new or used vehicles. Bluebooking for court documents guide to legal writing and. The new rule brings kentucky practice more in line with the blue book and alwd styles, although citation to the lower appellate court is slightly at variance. Some of the debate is being driven by the publication of typography for lawyers, by matthew butterick. Citation practices and the bluebook cuny school of law.
Introductory signals appear at the beginning of citation sentences. Bearing a seemingly innocent name, which it owes to its blue colored cover and inchthick, the bluebook is a comprehensive guide on how to reference academic and legal documents in your legal papers. The rule that people should not ignore, but often do. A guide for students and practitioners legal citation, third edition. Authorities that support or contradict entire sentences in text are given in separate citation sentences. A bluebook citation generator is a simple way to save your time and format your references correctly. Attribution to identify the source of ideas expressed in the text, and. A uniform system of citation and the association of legal writing directors alwd citation manual supreme court ky. Jun 25, 2019 some of the debate is being driven by the publication of typography for lawyers, by matthew butterick. Signals are important because they indicate how a cited authority relates to the text. The main rule that describes the short form for cases is rule 10. A citation informs the reader where the writer obtained.
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