Write Like the Best – Eight Top Legal Writing Tips: Webinar Recap

On September 10, 2024, BriefCatch hosted an engaging webinar, Write Like the Best: Eight Top Legal Writing Tips, led by Ross Guberman, Founder and CEO of BriefCatch. With over 100 attendees, the session provided actionable strategies for sharpening legal writing, whether for briefs, memos, or emails.

Opening Remarks

Lydia Flocchini, BriefCatch’s CMO, opened the webinar by welcoming attendees and highlighting the increasing demand for innovative tools that enhance legal writing, like BriefCatch. She emphasized the company’s mission to help legal professionals elevate their writing, ensuring that every document meets the highest standards of clarity, precision, and persuasion. After setting the stage, Lydia introduced Ross Guberman, noting his global reputation for demystifying legal writing. With that, Ross took the virtual stage, ready to dive into his top legal writing tips.

Eight Essential Writing Tips

Ross began by sharing his top eight tips for improving legal documents. He emphasized practical, quick wins that can polish and tighten any draft under pressure. Here’s a snapshot of the main strategies:

1. Use Vivid Verbs: Replace weak verbs and noun-based phrases with strong, evocative verbs to sharpen your narrative.
2. Lightning Transitions: Shorten transitions for smoother, more confident prose.
3. Fix Common Usage Errors: Watch out for frequent mistakes like misplaced modifiers or faulty comparisons (e.g., “like” vs. “as”).
4. Catch Tone Glitches: Avoid overly casual or self-righteous tones, and cut down on clichés.
5. Revise Weak Sentence Starters: Eliminate phrases like “there is” and “it was” to get to the point faster.
6. Tighten Flabby Phrases: Streamline wordy constructions for clarity and precision.
7. Spot Typos & Citation Errors: Use tools and techniques like reading a printed draft backward to catch small but significant mistakes.
8. Modernize Word Choice: Swap out heavy-handed, formal language for more concise, confident alternatives.

Practical Examples

Ross shared real-world legal examples to demonstrate how applying these techniques can transform your writing. He used BriefCatch software to illustrate the impact of editing suggestions in action, showing how minor tweaks can lead to major improvements.

Q&A Session

The webinar concluded with a lively Q&A session where Ross fielded questions about formatting, handling opposing arguments, and avoiding boilerplate language. Attendees also shared their favorite tips and strategies for improving their drafts.

Watch the Recording

Missed the webinar? You can read the full recap and watch the recording here.

Additional Resources

• eBook: Eight Ways to Write a Superb Brief: Download Ross Guberman’s exclusive guide, based on Kannon Shanmugam’s merits brief in Walker v. United States.
• Blog: Harnessing Gen AI for Legal Excellence: Learn how Judge Kevin Newsom uses AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard to enhance legal writing.