We’ve all heard how important good writing skills are, and yet it can be difficult as a law student to understand exactly what that means for your career in the law. How much writing will you really do? The fact is, as a lawyer, you’ll most likely do quite a bit of writing. You may write briefs for other attorneys in your firm or for a judge if you choose to complete a clerkship. You may write memorandums for colleagues. You may write engagement letters for your clients or cease and desist letters on behalf of clients. If you work for a small firm in a small town as I did, you may even end up working on marketing pieces and blog posts.
Legal writing can inform, persuade, argue, intimidate, notify, and serve all kinds of other functions. Fortunately, the mechanics of legal writing are mostly the same regardless of what kind of document you are producing. Here are a few tips to help all of your legal writing stand out.