A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting

really helpful in most situations. When I disagree with a given rule for a specific situation, it usually gives enough information for me to select and justify another format.

This book provides a good desk reference for best practices in contract drafting. Although focused primarily on commercial transactions, the tips are helpful for all areas of contracts. Highly Recommended.

Bought this book after reading some of the author's articles and the rave reviews here. It is more like a style guide (it focuses on tenses, font, grammar) than a substantive legal drafting guide. It is very nitpicky regarding the English language, to the level where if you adhered to every rule, you would be closer to a fuddy duddy phD candidate type than a practitioner. It reminds me of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. I much prefer Charles Fox's Working With Contracts - What Law School Doesn't Teach You, which is more practice-oriented and actually explains each clause, and its the purpose and meaning. Every junior associate should receive Fox's book as a present when they start their first year.

As a contract litigation attorney I'd be worried if more people were to buy this book. Luckily for me the vast majority of lawyers and people who draft agreements apparently have not. Thus, I'm not worried about my job. It was actually an enjoyable read, too.

Any attorney actively involved in the drafting of contracts must have this manual. I am general counsel for a product development and manufacturing firm and have been actively using the guidance of Ken Adams' book for several months now on a variety of contracts, including overhauling our standard contracts. Not only is it improving my efficiency, but the feedback from members of our company is very positive. I cannot state it any better than Ken does in his preface to this manual. If you agree with the premise of his preface, as I do, then you will find this to be an invaluable and indispensable tool.