This inaugural edition of the Short & Happy Guide to Legal Writing provides a full concept of the history and practice of legal writing in the briefest of formats. The author recounts the theory of written laws from our British roots to the present American legal court system. The guide then transitions into teaching the framework and construction of written legal communication, explaining the underlying theory of citation and how to read precedent opinions. Complete with samples of case briefing, a useful paradigm for organizing predictive and persuasive analyses, complete interoffice and e-memos, annotated examples of real appellate briefs, and more, this book packs a big punch in a small footprint.