Writing Boot Camp for Legal Professionals (4-Part Series)

Clarity in Legal Writing

September 15th at 3 PM ET

In Part 1 of this 4-Part practical webinar series, you will learn strategies for writing in a reader-friendly style. By applying these strategies, you will be able to avoid misunderstandings in your emails and documents – even when your subject matter is highly technical. Throughout the webinar, you will review samples of legal writing that demonstrate the strategies in action.

This webinar is concrete, rather than theoretical. It is not a rehash of law school.

Upon course completion, you will be able to:

• Write unambiguously
• Put yourself in the shoes of your readers
• Describe legal concepts using simple language
• Decide when to repeat a term and when to use a synonym
• Determine when to use (and when not to use) the word “and”
• Draft emails and documents that are easy to read – even for non-lawyers

Conciseness and Attention to Detail in Legal Writing

September 16th at 3 PM ET

Clients and colleagues prefer brevity over verbosity. In Part 2 of this 4-Part practical webinar series, you will receive tips on how to use fewer words in your legal writing. By writing concisely, you will reduce the amount of time it takes for readers to review your emails and documents.

After covering conciseness, you will then shift your focus to attention to detail. When clients detect attention to detail, they gain trust in their lawyer’s ability to provide legal services. However, when clients detect sloppiness, they doubt whether a lawyer has the competency to meet their needs. You will also learn about the most common grammar and spelling mistakes made by lawyers to ensure you prevent these errors in your writing.

Upon course completion, you will be able to:

• Omit unnecessary words
• Condense verbose phrases
• Write in the active voice – but also, determine when the passive voice is more appropriate
• Steer clear of costly grammar mistakes
• Feel confident about whether to use the Oxford comma (a.k.a. the serial comma)
• Avoid the traps of technological aids, such as “spell-check”

Email Etiquette for Lawyers

September 17th at 3 PM ET

In Part 3 of this 4-Part practical webinar series, you will learn about important topics concerning email communication for lawyers, including:

• Email length
• Response time
• Subject lines
• Tone
• Formality, and
• The phrase “I hope all is well.”

Among other things, you will examine:

• The rules for writing outside of business hours
• How often to Cc (and Bcc)
• Out-of-office messages
• Marking emails urgent
• Drafting with an empty “To” field
• Forwarding long email chains
• Remembering your attachments
• Using “you” instead of “I”
• Email greetings and sign-offs

Upon course completion, you will be able to:

• Follow the etiquette of email communication
• Adopt a writing style for emails that is friendly, yet professional
• Conceptualize how your readers want your messages to look
• Increase the percentage of your emails that receive a reply

Readability in Legal Writing

September 18th at 3 PM ET

In Part 4 of this 4-Part practical webinar series, you will learn about the different ways that readers absorb information today. Whether you are writing to your clients or your colleagues, it is guaranteed that they are juggling emails, instant messages, and social media. Therefore, your readers will prefer to receive correspondence that is easy for them to review.

You will learn 7 strategies to make your emails and documents user-friendly.

Upon course completion, you will be able to:

• Determine the optimal length for your sentences
• Lay out information in an effective order
• Acknowledge the limits of a reader’s working memory
• Identify how a reader’s knowledge of your subject matter impacts his or her ability to absorb your writing
• Choose whether to refer to individuals and corporations by their names or with legal terms, such as “plaintiff”, “transferor”, and “trustee”