Litigation
Cal. Litig. 2015, Volume 28, Number 1
Content
- A Fond Vaarwel...
- Adr Update: Dealing with Ab 2617
- Be Prepared: Your Week in Legal London Jurisdiction is no bar - the English barrister is abroad
- Editor's Foreword Class Without Ostentation
- Employers Take Note: the U.S. Supreme Court Has Entered the Digital Age
- Forfeiture at the Pleading Stage: Ask Permission First, Don't Apologize Later
- "I Learned About Litigating from That" Adapt and Take Advantage of Opportunities
- Litigation Section Executive Committee Past Chairs
- Masthead
- McDermott On Demand: Pass the Scalpel, Please
- Past Editors-in-Chief
- Reclaiming Our Noble Profession: Civility in the Practice of Law
- Table of Contents
- The Disentitlement Doctrine: a Trap for Unwary Judgment Debtors in Civil Appeals
- The Fine Line Between Protected Demand Letters and Extortion
- The Litigator's Must-Know Lexicon of Idioms Used by Young Business Professionals
- Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame: Being a Trial Lawyer
- A Path to Writeousness: What the Seven Deadly Sins Might Teach Us About Written Advocacy
A Path to Writeousness: What the Seven Deadly Sins Might Teach Us About Written Advocacy
By Richard H. Nakamura Jr.
Richard H. Nakamura, Jr.
What does a sixth-century list of human foibles have to do with 21st century written advocacy? Everything. More than we realize, the written fare of practicing law today is rife with ancient temptations.
Circa 590 CE, the Roman Empire had fallen and the Vatican was emerging as the new "Big Government." But the faithful were going sideways, and Pope Gregory I desperately needed an advertising miracle — a catchy catechism to woo back the wayward. Enter the Seven Deadly Sins. As a call to virtue, the list of "don’ts" — Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Lust — has always been more honored in the breach than in the observance. As a literary device, however, the Seven Deadly Sins list has been a godsend for screenwriters, authors, and speakers looking for clever ways to frame their topics. So forgive me, reader, for I too am weak and cannot resist temptation.