BriefCatch Blog
Writing Tips & Legal Writing Articles
Who doesn’t need some inspiration these days? On the writing front, consider Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion in Buck v. Davis. Here are 25 ways to write like him. Or do so automatically. A Sense of Time 1. Replace full dates with phrases. Two months later, Buck returned to federal court . . . Within days, the Texas…
Read MoreLooking to start a fight between two corporate attorneys? Ask whether an agreement is made between Tom, Dick, and Harry—or among Tom, Dick, and Harry. Many lawyers cling to junior-high grammar rules, which would dictate agreements between two parties and among three or more. Think metaphorically instead: Is a multi-party agreement more like “sand between the toes” or a “disagreement among friends”? It’s…
Read MoreGood feedback does more than just boost morale. It can make you a magnet for better work product. To inspire change, recast your feedback as something the writer could do on the screen the next time, not something you want a draft to be. That means getting beyond squishy mantras and circular adjectives. What does…
Read MoreThe Wall Street Journal put adverbs on trial some time ago. Witnesses for the prosecution: Stephen King (“The adverb is not your friend,” says he), a slew of anti-adverb judges, and legions of legal writing teachers. Witnesses for the defense: famed adverb lover Justice Scalia, an academic “legal anthropologist,” and the author of the article,…
Read MoreI often work with attorneys who are several years into their careers. They’ve received lots of feedback, but why hasn’t it generated the results their supervisors intended? Attorneys often resist feedback because they don’t understand what’s behind it. Explain your advice so they’ll more likely heed your suggestions. You say: “Be more concise.” They think:…
Read MoreThis summer, we’re going to run a nationwide contest to recognize summer associates who write the best client alerts or similar articles aimed at the public. The final round will be judged by a panel of three. Here’s how the contest will work: The topic can be something you’re assigned during the summer or an…
Read MoreHello! We hope your summer is off to a great start. We’ve designed an assessment to help tailor your personalized e-learning later in the summer. When you have 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted time, please click here to log in using your law firm email. Once you start the assessment, you must finish it. Here are…
Read MoreSo many people yearn to understand regulations right now. If you want to help, think of yourself as an interpreter. Less “copy and paste” and more “streamline and clarify.” Here’s an underused tip: Make it all about “You.” Let’s take the IRS’s attempt to explain a complex scheme involving inherited individual retirement accounts, or IRAs.…
Read MoreMany Legal Writing Pro clients and BigLaw friends are scrambling right now to transform their summer associate programs on the fly. At the top of the list: How will my firm find substantive work for our summer associates in the face of a truncated season, remote participation, dwindling transactions, stalled litigation, and distracted supervisors and…
Read MoreSo many are clamoring for guidance from lawyers right now. And so many lawyers are clamoring to be trusted advisors. Time pressure, high stakes, and ever-evolving rules make clear writing invaluable these days. But are we doing all we can? Let’s apply some clarity tips to a typical BigLaw client alert I found randomly. The…
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