Posts tagged as:

writing

Market When Not Billing Time

December 28, 2009

Whether you work at a big firm or have a solo law practice, there are always times when things are slow and staying productive can be tricky. My boss always tells me that when things are slow, the goal is to market, market, and market more. Marketing comes in various forms, so try out a [...]

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Keep Your Blog Up-To-Date

December 25, 2009

Using a blog as part of your social media strategy can help attract potential clients, but just like your website, your blog should be frequently updated and contain information that is relevant to your audience.

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Make Time for Outlines

December 22, 2009

Considering lawyers tendencies to procrastinate on most tasks, outlines are seemingly never an option. But whether you draft an outline weeks before, or just prior to drafting a memorandum, it is worth your time.

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Judge Orders You to Stop Writing Stupidly

December 10, 2009

Minnesota bankrupcty court judge Robert Kressel just sent out guidelines for lawyers submitting proposed orders to him.  It is a catalog of and prohibition against every bad legal writing practice. And it makes sense, since he eventually has to sign those badly-drafted orders.
Guideline No. 6 – Capitalization

Lawyers apparently love to capitalize words. Pleadings, including proposed [...]

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How to Channel Your Professor

December 2, 2009

Increase your chances of success on law school exams by learning to ”channel your professor.”  At the most basic level, this simply means that you should write for your audience, i.e., your professor. Consider what your professor wants.
First, your professor wants you to demonstrate your knowledge and fluency of course concepts . Second, your professor wants exams to [...]

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10 Steps To Writing a Great Law School Final Paper

November 13, 2009

This week I have offered study and test-taking tips for the common law school exam formats. Today I cover the last common evaluation method, the final paper. In prior posts, I wrote as a recent graduate. This post I also
write as an adjunct professor of law who will grade final papers in the coming weeks. [...]

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Important Contract Elements for the Freelance Legal Writer

November 6, 2009

Many successful attorneys make extra money by drafting briefs for other attorneys. It can be a great way to get your name out there and net some nice cash, but there are a couple clauses you must have in your contract.

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Brevity is the Soul of Blogging

November 2, 2009

Lawyers tend to be long-winded, but long-winded bloggers tend to be unpopular. The longer a post goes, the more likely a reader will click away, so it pays to keep blog posts short, sweet, and pithy.
The most important thing is to consider your audience. If you are writing for other lawyers, you may be able [...]

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What Is A “Blawg,” And Why Does It Matter?

October 27, 2009

A blog is a website that contains “regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.” Blawgs are simply a subset of blogs. Webopedia defines blawg rather broadly:
Slang term used to describe an online blog that is written by lawyers, or one [...]

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Make Your Practice Grow

October 12, 2009

Stuck in a rut trying to grow your law practice? Try a couple of these tips and reap the benefits.

Volunteer. Give some of your time to a worthwhile cause. It will make you feel good, it will help someone, and you never know who you will meet. Doing something good for someone else can reignite [...]

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