You have been assigned to draft your first internal legal memorandum for a particular partner. What approach should you take? How much detail should you include? What aspects of the legal issue should you cover? It’s your job to find out. The... Read More

You’ve been making progress at the firm, and now you’re drafting pre-trial motions. Are you ready to work on a motion for summary judgment? Why Firms Seek Summary Judgment When the material facts of a controversy are not in dispute... Read More

Although most graduating law students and new attorneys understand the need to gain experience in the substantive areas of law, most feel relatively confident about their writing skills. Such confidence may be misplaced, however, as the requirements for... Read More

It strikes everyone as an extreme case of the evils of jargon when a man is tried by a law he can't read, in a court which uses a language he can't understand. --A.P. Rossiter, Our Living Language p. 86 (1953) (quoted in J. Kimble, Lifting... Read More

You need to initiate a legal action on behalf of one of your firm’s clients. Of course your overall objective is to put the opponent on notice. But whether the action involves personal injury, breach of contract, wrongful death, or any other issue... Read More

An open memo discusses preliminary research on an issue, presents recommendations, and suggests additional research and inquiry that a senior attorney may wish to pursue to form his or her own conclusions and determine a specific course of action. ... Read More

If you’re reading this, you’re interested in improving your writing skills and you have internet access. Lucky you! Blogs on improving legal writing skills abound. Here are a few that I’ve found to be helpful: The (new) Legal Writer... Read More

In most ABA-approved law schools, “Legal Research and Writing” is a class that gives far more work than credits and is typically a law student’s first exposure to one of the most important skills they will need as an attorney: writing... Read More

In most movies and television shows, lawyers are shown interviewing clients, investigating the facts, and making witty, barbed comments when examining a witness on the witness stand. However, for most attorneys, document preparation is one of the most... Read More

While you might be tempted to submit a pleading or brief without proofreading it because of time limitations, you might want to think twice about that. As Shannon P. Duffy reported in the Legal Intelligencer , one attorney had his requested attorney fees... Read More

By the time that you graduate from law school, you probably feel that you have a pretty good concept of legal writing, especially if you have an undergrad degree that concentrated heavily in drafting. Before you get too confident, I’ll share a story... Read More