Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates

Point Made offers legal writing guidance for attorneys seeking to improve their persuasive prose. The book addresses key questions about legal writing: how to craft strong openings for motions and briefs, how to write effective headings, and how to construct persuasive narratives from complex records. Guberman takes an empirical approach, analyzing arguments by the nation's 50 most influential lawyers—including Barack Obama, John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Ted Olson, and David Boies—to extract learnable techniques and strategies. Each chapter tackles a specific writing challenge and provides strategic guidance with annotated examples from real trial and appellate briefs. The book demonstrates techniques through concrete cases, such as Kathleen Sullivan's argument in FCC v. Fox, where she illustrates potential unintended consequences of the opposing position. Short explanations with memorable titles like "Brass Tacks," "Talk to Yourself," and "Russian Doll" present complex material in accessible language. The Second Edition expands the original examples and introduces eight additional prominent lawyers, including Solicitor General Don Verrilli.