Should Lawyers Write with Contractions?

We all want to do the job properly and comprehensively, but at what point should you draw the line when it comes to chasing down the answer to every thought you have in a given task?

It's a common issue for young lawyers - it just seems like everything takes much longer than it "should". So how can we be working towards more efficiency in our practice?

In "legal writing" (whatever that means) should we be using contractions? Some seem to be firmly against, and others much more casual about it all.

Many young lawyers come out of law school with a lot of knowledge and the ability to put together a sound legal opinion on a given topic.But when it comes to communicating that to the client... it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

During law school you developed some tactics, habits and strategies designed to work within the system and maximise your results.Some of them aren't going to translate well into legal practice.Listen to find out more!

Should you take advice from people who haven't themselves thrived in the legal profession?

I get it – bad things do happen in a legal career, and there are certainly some aspects that need “fixing”. But the truth is, even if we fix everything we can, a legal career is still going to be challenging at intellectual, emotional and spiritual levels. So if you’re not up for that, or […]

Your letters are too long. Time to fix it. Your letters are too long. Time to fix it.

And, more importantly, does it have to be that way? By applying a simple change in the way you perceive your decisions, you can start to ensure that you are working towards being a more valuable contributor to your firm every day. And, more importantly, does it have to be that way? By applying a […]

Audience, Purpose, Tone and Brevity – you’ve heard me say it before, and you probably will again. These are the key elements of excellent legal drafting. So how can we ensure that the purpose of our legal drafting is well defined, and that what we produce achieves that purpose? Let’s chat about that in this […]