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Shifting to a Counterargument However; On the other hand; Instead; In contrast; Nevertheless; Despite; Still; Yet; But

Concluding the Argument Therefore; Thus; In sum; Consequently; As a result; and Finally. 12

A word of caution about using“ therefore” or“ thus.” These words must be a bridge from“ prior ideas to a conclusion” about those ideas’ relatedness. 13 The following example includes a final sentence that nicely sums up the previous sentences’ ideas and reaches a conclusion( also note the repetition bridging throughout the paragraph):

Example 5: A material fact is one that“ might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” The governing law in this suit is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. That act requires plaintiffs to prove they received treatment different from other patients at that hospital with similar symptoms. Thus, facts about the treatment of both the plaintiff and other patients at that hospital are material. 14

1. Suzanne Rowe, Showing the Way from Here to There, 68-JUL OR. ST. B. BULL. 13( 2008). 2. Id. 3. Christine Coughlin, Joan Malmud Rocklin, & Sandy Patrick, A Lawyer Writes( 4th ed. 2024). 4. Id. 5. Suzanne Rowe, Connecting Islands of Ideas, 85-MAR OR. ST. B. BULL. 11( 2025). 6. Id. 7. Id. 8. Id. 9. Id. 10. Id. 11. Id. 12. Id.; Coughlin, supra note 3 at 292. 13. Rowe, supra note 5. 14. Id.

So, in the new year, resolve to do the work for your reader. Build reader-friendly transitions that easily lead your reader from one idea to another in complex legal arguments. Your reader will thank you for it.

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