Andrew P. Connors

I have always wanted to write a book, and now I can say that I have done it along with a great co-author. My first book, Writing for the Bar Exam, is now available for sale in both print and eBook form.  It includes lots of tips and tricks that I learned from my experience of taking the Virginia Bar Exam in 2010, and my subsequent experience tutoring another person preparing for the exam. It includes a chapter on some various legal writing style and grammar tips, including a discussion of the elusive concept of passive voice, which I reviewed earlier on this site. Subsequent chapters go step-by-step through assessing a bar exam essay question and writing a complete answer.

To my surprise, I am glad I started by writing a relatively dry “how to” book.  It was a good way for me to cut my teeth on a very labor-intensive process. Because I also formatted and edited the book, I learned quite a lot about the subtle nuances of using word and creating PDF documents.  I will have more to say on these points regarding self-publishing.  Suffice it to say, Amazon is a fantastic company to work with if you would like to self-publish a book.

Of course, this was by no means a solo effort. First and foremost, I had a fantastic co-author who was easy to work with, was as hard-working as I was, and who made significant contributions to the book that I could not have made myself. Second, I had a couple of great friends who were willing to put a significant amount of time into editing the book and providing significant feedback. Finally, I had a tremendous wife, who put up with many late nights post law school.

I hope this book makes some small contribution to improving the quality of the bar. As I have commented before, many law graduates and attorneys need to improve their writing.

Update: I’ve added some thoughts about self-publishing in a separate post.