Garner's Coursebook on Drafting and Editing Contracts
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eBook - Digital access to the eBook, with the ability to highlight and take notes.Description
Garner’s Coursebook on Drafting and Editing Contracts sets an unsurpassed standard among contract drafting guides, distinguished by its rigor, authority, and pedagogical clarity. Drawing on more than three decades of teaching, research, and contract consulting, Bryan Garner distills 150 “blackletter principles” that systematically address common drafting pitfalls and guide readers toward contracts that are not merely correct, but lucid and enforceable. Unlike competitors, which often focus on forms or reproduce boilerplate, Garner’s work methodically explains why contract prose fails and how to fix it, consistently emphasizing clarity, precision, and legal sufficiency.
The prose is not just practical but engaging—Garner uses before-and-after examples, annotated sample provisions, and memorable “Not This/But This” illustrations to reinforce best practices. The book’s structure is logical, moving from general conventions and structure to specific syntax, word usage, and the nuances of legal drafting. Exercises and real-world scenarios challenge readers at every level, bridging the gap between classroom learning and transactional reality. Advance praise from leading academics and practitioners—such as David Sokolow of UT Austin and Luke Dauchot of Kirkland & Ellis—repeatedly highlight the volume’s transformative impact, noting that it should be “essential reading for any lawyer who writes” and “the only book on contract drafting you will ever need”.
Garner’s approach takes contract language off “dusty cowpaths” and onto a “fresh, crisp, and direct road easy for lawyer and layperson alike to follow and understand,” standing apart from guides that merely reproduce the status quo. The book’s depth in addressing ambiguity, party intent, error checking, and negotiation proofing gives practitioners not just tools, but confidence in their drafting. Its lucid, elegant explanations, thorough organization, and robust collection of expert quotations offer a one-volume benchmark that outpaces competitors in both scope and depth. Ignore Garner’s advice, many experts warn, “at your own risk.”
Praise for Garner’s Coursebook on Drafting and Editing Contracts
The prose is not just practical but engaging—Garner uses before-and-after examples, annotated sample provisions, and memorable “Not This/But This” illustrations to reinforce best practices. The book’s structure is logical, moving from general conventions and structure to specific syntax, word usage, and the nuances of legal drafting. Exercises and real-world scenarios challenge readers at every level, bridging the gap between classroom learning and transactional reality. Advance praise from leading academics and practitioners—such as David Sokolow of UT Austin and Luke Dauchot of Kirkland & Ellis—repeatedly highlight the volume’s transformative impact, noting that it should be “essential reading for any lawyer who writes” and “the only book on contract drafting you will ever need”.
Garner’s approach takes contract language off “dusty cowpaths” and onto a “fresh, crisp, and direct road easy for lawyer and layperson alike to follow and understand,” standing apart from guides that merely reproduce the status quo. The book’s depth in addressing ambiguity, party intent, error checking, and negotiation proofing gives practitioners not just tools, but confidence in their drafting. Its lucid, elegant explanations, thorough organization, and robust collection of expert quotations offer a one-volume benchmark that outpaces competitors in both scope and depth. Ignore Garner’s advice, many experts warn, “at your own risk.”
Praise for Garner’s Coursebook on Drafting and Editing Contracts