A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage

About the Book

With double the length and coverage of the original, this new edition of A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage marshals and analyzesthe modern legal vocabulary more thoroughly than any other contemporary reference work can claim to do. Since the 1987 first edition, Bryan A. Garner has drawn on his unrivaled experience as a legal editor to refine his positions on legal usage and to add a wealth of new material. Here's how Garner's revision makes DMLU, Second Edition indispensable: - Updates every existing entry, making this a second edition in the fullest sense - adds hundreds of new entries - adds hundreds of new sections within existing entries - adds over 3,000 new illustrative quotations from judicial opinions and leading lawbooks by prominent legal commentators - Reconsiders previously held positions, now saying, for example, that contractions are sometimes permissible in legal writing - Fully elaborates ideas only hinted at in the first edition - Takes into account numerous comments received from first edition users - Expands and updates cross-references to guide readers quickly and easily Features Functions both as a style guide and as a law dictionary Guides writers to distinguish between true terms of law and mere jargon Illustrates recommended forms of expression as well as common blunders with thousands of quotations and citations Explains the origins of expressions lawyers regularly use, such as "Know all men by these presents", or "party of the first part" Records and evaluates more than 100 twentieth-century neologisms, from "conclusory" to "farminor" Distinguishes American from British usage and refers to current practice among Australian, Canadian, and Scottish legal writers Solves editorial problems by dealing with practical writing issues Offers wit and erudition reminiscent of H.W. Fowler, author of the first so-called usage dictionary In short, in its Second Edition, DMLU remains, as one reviewer hailed it in 1987, "truly unique in the literature of law". It is an essential resource for practising lawyers, scholars of the law, and libraries of all sizes and types.

Review :
"Even law libraries that already own the first edition should benefit from Garner's new edition."--Law Library Journal

"Assiduous use of the newly revised Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage will improve mediocre legal writing and enhance good documents. Libraries that serve the legal community and people who read what lawyers write should add this work to their reference collections."--RQ

"The first edition of this book has been praised around the world as both the most reliable guide to legal usage and the most fascinating to read. The second edition outdoes even its predecessor, with more depth, more illustrative quotations, and more proof of Garner's lively literary style. He has surely established himself as the world's leading authority on the language of the law."--Charles Alan Wright

"The well-received Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage has been updated in this superior second edition....Even libraries that have the first edition should consider this new one, which is highly recommended for any law collection in public or academic libraries."--RBB/Booklist

"This dictionary sets the standard for legal usage. It is absolutely indispensable for law libraries, lawyers, and judges, and a wonderful addition to all academic and public library reference collections."--Library Journal