Reading List - Legal Writing, Advocacy

[C] Legal Writing

Appellate Briefs

Paul Tan, 'Writing a Persuasive Appellate Brief' (2007) 19 Singapore Academy of Law Journal 337 <https://journalsonline.academypublishing.org.sg/Journals/Singapore-Academy-of-Law-Journal/e-Archive/ctl/eFirstSALPDFJournalView/mid/495/ArticleId/678/Citation/JournalsOnlinePDF> 

Andrew H Baida, 'Writing a Better Brief: The Civil Appeals Style Manual of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General' (2001) 3(2) Journal of Appellate Practice and Process 685 <https://lawrepository.ualr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1180&context=appellatepracticeprocess>. 

See also, adoption of this article as resource for AAT Moots: Peter Billings, 'Evaluating the Pedagogic Value of Mooting and 'Nooting' at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Cth)' (2017) 43(3) Monash University Law Review 687, 711 (n 99) <https://www8.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MonashULawRw/2017/21.pdf> 

Re Lord Goldsmith Peter Henry PC QC [2013] SGHC 181[27]-[38], [57]-[58] (VK Rajah JA) <https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2013_SGHC_181> 

Justice Jennifer Davies, 'Effective and Persuasive Written Advocacy: Conducting a Commercial Trial - Handy Guide' (Federal Court of Australia, Speech. 7 August 2013) <https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/digital-law-library/judges-speeches/justice-davies/davies-j-20130807>. 

Justice K M Hayne, 'Written Advocacy' (High Court of Australia, Paper, 5 and 26 March 2007) <https://www.hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/current-justices/haynej/haynej_05mar07.pdf>. 

Justice Stephen Estcourt, 'Use of Written Submission' (Supreme Court of Tasmania, Legalwise 10 Points in One Day Seminar, 28 February 2014) <https://www.supremecourt.tas.gov.au/publications/speeches-articles/legalwise-10-points-one-day-seminar-use-written-submissions/>. 

Justice M J Beazley, 'Advocacy: a view from the bench' (2013) NSWJudSchol 5 <http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/NSWJSchol/2013/5.pdf>.

Justice McMurdo, 'Advocacy and the Written Word' (Paper, 5 March 2005) <https://archive.sclqld.org.au/judgepub/2005/mcmurdo050305.pdf>. 

Skeletal Arguments

Practice Note [1983] 2 All ER 34, [1983] 1 WLR 1055, CA (Sir John Donaldson MR)

Practice Note (Presentation of Appeals) [1983] 2 AR 34.

Pleadings

Peter Young and Hugh Selby, Rose's Pleadings Without Tears in Australia (Federation Press, 1997).

[D] Trial Advocacy

Iain Morley QC, The Devil's Advocate: A Spry Polemic on How to be Seriously Good in Court (Sweet & Maxwell, 3rd ed, 2015).

[E] Judgment Writing

• Justice Michael Kirby, 'On the Writing of Judgements' (Speech) <https://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/1980s/vol21/829-Aus_Conf_on_Literature_and_the_Law_-_On_the_Writing_of_Judgments.pdf>. 

• Judicial Decisions: Crafting Clear Reasons (National Judicial College of Australia, 2008) <https://web.archive.org/web/20231102013755/https://www.njca.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Judicial-Decisions-Publication-Crafting-Clear-Reasons-NJCA-2011.pdf>, archived at <https://perma.cc/ZTE3-YXWY>. 

• Theo Tsavdaridis, 'Oral Decisions in the Real World' (National Judicial College of Australia, Oral Judgments Course, 30 June 2022) <https://localcourt.nsw.gov.au/documents/judicial-speeches/Presentation_-_Oral_Decisions_in_the_Real_World_-_National_Judicial_College_of_Australia_-_Oral_Judgments_Course_-_Deputy_Chief_Magistrate_Tsavdaridis_30.6.2022.pdf>, archived at <https://perma.cc/8TLP-UW2S>. 

• *** 'Judgment Writing' (Judicial College of Victoria) <https://judicialcollege.vic.edu.au/resources/judgment-writing>, archived at <https://archive.is/Xnmjv>. 

• Kim Hargrave, 'Some Judgment Writing Essentials' (Judicial College of Victoria, Paper) <https://judicialcollege.vic.edu.au/resources/some-judgment-writing-essentials>, archived at <https://perma.cc/E7JX-MCLS>. 

• David Tedham, 'Judgment Writing Guide' (Judicial College of Victoria, Paper) <https://judicialcollege.vic.edu.au/resources/judgment-writing-guide>, archived at <https://perma.cc/4SX5-PHNL>. 

• "... 34. I do note, however, for the guidance of Magistrates in hearings of this kind, that the delivery of ex tempore reasons such as these could be better organised than in this case. The reasons were, as in CF v KT, somewhat discursive. A better approach would be to organise such remarks under headings, such as, for example: the nature of the application; the legislative framework; a summary of the evidence; a summary of the submissions; relevant factual findings and the reasons therefor; and the conclusion. Approaching the matter in this way would have the benefits of imposing the discipline of fleshing out the reasoning process in the mind of the judicial officer, and at the same time exposing the reasons, and necessarily making it easier for the losing party to understand. It may also make the judgment both easier for an appellate court to understand, and possibly more difficult to attack on appeal. I offer this not as a counsel of perfection but hopefully as a practical guide.": HEG v Queensland Police Service & UHB [2024] QDC 134, [34] (Kent KC DCJ). 

[F] Award Writing

• ** Murray Gleeson, 'Writing Awards in International Commercial Arbitrations' (Paper, 2014) <https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ANZRIArbMedr/2014/16.pdf>. -- structure of an award discussed; See also <https://kluwerlawonline.com/journalarticle/Arbitration:+The+International+Journal+of+Arbitration,+Mediation+and+Dispute+Management/81.1/AMDM2015010>. 

• * 'Drafting Arbitral Awards - Part 1 - General' in International Arbitration Practice Guideline (Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2016) <https://acica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guideline-10-drafting-arbitral-awards-part-i-general-2016.pdf>. 

• Karen Akinci, 'How to .. Write an Arbitral Award' (2021) 1 The Resolver 30 <https://kluwerlawonline.com/journalarticle/The+Resolver:+The+Quarterly+Magazine+of+The+Chartered+Institute+of+Arbitrators/2021.1/RLVR2021016>. 

• Toolkit for Award Writing: IBA Arb40 Subcommittee (International Bar Association, Sept 2016) <https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=Arb-toolkit-for-writing>. 

• 'Elements of an Award' (JusMundi, Feb 2025) <https://jusmundi.com/en/document/publication/en-elements-of-an-award>, archived at <https://archive.is/ABgbI>. 

• Venus V Wong and Dalibor Valincic, 'The Arbitral Award: Form, Content, Effect' (Global Arbitration Review, 17 May 2023) <https://globalarbitrationreview.com/guide/the-guide-challenging-and-enforcing-arbitration-awards/3rd-edition/article/the-arbitral-award-form-content-effect>, archived at <https://archive.is/Nypb1>.   

• * John Allen Chalk, 'Award Writing: Clear, Concise, and Complete' (Paper, 2019) <https://www.whitakerchalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Chalk-Award-Writing-Clear-Concise-Complete.pdf>, archived at <https://perma.cc/SAY6-XCFV>. 

• ** Danubia Files 2: Lessons from the Vis Moot (JusMudi, 2024) <https://jusmundi.com/en/document/pdf/publication/en-danubia-files-2-lessons-from-the-vis-moot>, archived at <https://perma.cc/L3MS-T87U>:   

> Louise Barrington, 'How to Draft an International Arbitration Award' 47 <https://jusmundi.com/en/document/publication/en-how-to-draft-an-international-arbitration-award?content-open=true>, archived at <https://archive.md/HgFEL>. 

> 'International Awards Checklist' 59 <https://jusmundi.com/en/document/publication/en-international-awards-checklist>, archived at <https://archive.md/zmArc>. 

> Pierre A Karrer, 'How to Write Awards - ICC Awards, Anyway' 62 <https://jusmundi.com/en/document/publication/en-how-to-write-awards-icc-awards-anyway>, archived at <https://archive.md/7tGJJ>.   

• Sophie Nappert, 'Drafting Enforceable Awards: Ten Practical Tips' (IBA, Oct 2020) <https://www.ibanet.org/MediaHandler?id=F1ACE97F-D2E4-48CB-85BB-0FE6F65096D7>. 

• Steven Hooten and Richard Bales. '"Reasoned" Arbitration Awards' (2020) 12 Arbitration Law Review 81 <https://elibrary.law.psu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1282&context=arbitrationlawreview>. 

• S I Strong, 'Reasoned Awards in International Commercial Arbitration: Embracing and Exceeding the Common Law-Civil Law Dichotomy' (2015) 37 Michigan Journal of International Law 1 <https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/mjil/article/1086/&path_info=>. 

• * Pinchus Feldman and Yosef Feldman v Corey Stephen Tayar [2021] VSCA 185, [20]-[23], [53], [57]-[68], [77]-[84] <https://aucc.sirsidynix.net.au/Judgments/VSCA/2021/A0185.pdf>. 

• 'Award Writing Blog' (davidyek) <https://www.davidyek.com/award-writing-blog>, archived at <https://archive.md/a9AYk>. 

• 'Commentary - No. XIV.4.2 - Form and contents of award' (Translex, Webpage) <https://www.trans-lex.org/970050/_/form-and-contents-of-award/>, archived at <https://archive.is/TCvdt>. 

• 'How to Help Write an Arbitral Award' (Conventus Law, 10 April 2015) <https://conventuslaw.com/report/how-to-help-write-an-arbitral-award-2/>, archived at <https://archive.md/eUWjk>. 

• Adelson, Bassler, Sussman, “Expert Insights on Drafting Awards That Will Stick,” <https://nysba.org/NYSBA/Sections/Coursebooks/Dispute%20Resolution/2019%20Fall%20Meeting/_Panel%204.pdf>. 

• Robert E Bartkus, “Improving Attorneys’ Fees and Interest Awards,” ABA Dispute Resolution Section, Just Resolutions Newsletter (May 2021) Mhttps://acllp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/aba-improving-attorneys-fees-and-interest-awards-may2021.pdf>, archived at <https://perma.cc/24DL-UFFP>. 

• Robert E Bartkus, “A Multiplicity of Procedures for Enforcing or Challenging an Award,” ABA Dispute Resolution Section, Just Resolutions Newsletter (Apr 2020) <https://acllp.com/a-multiplicity-of-procedures-for-enforcing-or-challenging-an-award/>, archived at <https://archive.md/aQ0A5>. 

• Steven Lesser and Jonathan Silver, “Drafting a Bulletproof Reasoned Award,” Dispute Resol. J., Vol. 85, No. 2, at 81 (Nov 2020) <https://beckerlawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DRJ2020-Drafting-a-Bulletproof-Reasoned-Award.pdf>, archived at <https://perma.cc/25UW-P7RR>. 

• Meacham, “Thoughts on Building an Unassailable Arbitration Award,” ABA Litigation Section, Articles (May 17, 2017).

• Storrow, Turner & Romero-Valedn, “Key Considerations in Writing Final Arbitration Awards,” ABA Dispute Resolution Section, Just Resolutions Newsletter (Apr 2020).

• S I Strong, “What Qualifies as a Reasoned Award,” ABA Litigation Section, Practice Points (July 29, 2020).

• Turner, “Arbitration Awards: A Practical Approach” (Wiley-Blackwell 2005). 

• 'Awards & Judgements' (Lord Hacking, Webpage) <https://www.lordhacking.com/sampleAwards.html>, archived at <https://archive.is/LW3Jt> -- see links to sample international and domestic awards within. 

© Jing Zhi Wong, 2023-2025