Welcome to the BriefCatch Content Library, a brand-new repository of insight and innovation for legal professionals, scholars, and enthusiasts. In this Library, we are excited to present a comprehensive collection of articles authored by the renowned legal writing expert, Ross Guberman.
The articles included in the BriefCatch Content Library span across an array of topics, including persuasive legal writing, strategic argument structure, and innovative rhetoric. These pieces are not just theoretical discussions, but practical guides that are infused with illustrative examples, tips, and tricks that have proven successful in practice. Every piece is a potential masterclass in legal writing.
Browse our articles below. Happy reading, learning, and growing with BriefCatch!
Kickstart Internal Initiatives with ChatGPT
With the ever-changing legal landscape before us, law firms face an unprecedented demand for innovation and efficiency. But how can you get the internal buy-in necessary for these programs? ChatGPT can help get you started! Check out this short exercise…
“Potshots and hyperbole”?
Did you hear about the federal judge who called out the “potshots and hyperbole” in a motion and asked counsel to refile? BriefCatch and I spent about an hour trying to help. Here’s the result if you simply cut hyperbole,…
Justice Ginsburg the Writer: Something in Between
“Delighted to see the Supreme Court is interested in beer drinkers,” wrote Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then the 42-year-old head of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project and a professor at Columbia Law. Her correspondent: Fred Gilbert, counsel for Oklahoma college student…
Five Ways to Write Like Justice Scalia
Who are the best writers in Supreme Court history? Poll a hundred lawyers, and just about all of them will put the late Justice Antonin Scalia in their top five. Some may quibble with his judicial philosophy, but no one…
Five Ways to Write Like D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett
I often tell lawyers to purge their writing of Latinisms: why say “inter alia” when “among other things” would do, or “assuming arguendo” when you mean “even if”? But there are exceptions to every rule, as Judge Patricia Millett of…
Force Majeure and Coronavirus: A Checklist
I skimmed hundreds of pages of client alerts and other publications. Here’s a distillation. What is force majeure? A contract defense allowing you to (1) delay performance, (2) excuse performance, or (3) limit liability from nonperformance. You invoke force majeure over an event…
Hyphen Nation
What’s the difference between a “little used car” and a “little-used car”? Between “more critical attacks” and “more-critical attacks”? Or, for that matter, between “toxic tort litigation” and “toxic-tort litigation”? Friends don’t let friends worry about what modifies what. That’s…
The Best Briefs: What AI Reveals
Curious what top brief-writers do differently from the rest of us? This AI-powered study shares concrete, practical solutions. View on FlippingBook.com.
Lighten Up: John Roberts the Brief-Writer
An easy way to make your brief-writing more appealing? Shun deadweight openers—however, additionally, consequently, accordingly. That technique has worked wonders for the Chief Justice, who Justice Ginsburg once said was the greatest appellate advocate of his generation. Back in his…
What Makes for “Brilliant” Writing?
Democratic stalwarts Seth Waxman and Lloyd Cutler, along with 156 prominent lawyers, signed a letter attesting to John Roberts’s reputation as a “brilliant writer.” Thanks to Roberts’s recent confirmation, many people now know about the letter. But what is it…