Writing for Lawyers:

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

As a legal writer, whether you are writing to a client, judge, or colleague, your goal is to convey your points clearly and efficiently. To achieve that goal, you must provide your reader with a clear understanding of the big picture – what are the issues and why do they matter? If you don’t lay out your big picture clearly and completely, your readers won’t be able to make sense of your writing - no matter how beautifully written your sentences are.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

By reviewing examples taken from typical legal documents, participants in this program will learn practical strategies for eliminating the most common organizational weaknesses in legal writing, including buried main points, inconsistent headings, and weak paragraph structure.

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• Draft effective introductions to memos, briefs, letters, and emails
• Provide useful roadmaps of facts and legal analysis
• Structure paragraphs to reinforce overall organization

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This program covers strategies that apply to legal writing generally, including memoranda, briefs, letters, and emails. The program is geared toward junior attorneys but provides a useful review for attorneys at all levels.

TIMED AGENDA

1. Document organization in legal writing: Client memos, briefs and emails (30 minutes)
   

   • Start with your legal conclusions or main point
   • Provide a clear roadmap
   • Use signposts to guide reader
   • Use headings to organize information




2. Paragraph construction in legal writing: Structuring analysis or argument (30 minutes)
   

   • Limit each paragraph to one point
   • State the point or holding in a topic sentence
   • Use transitions to link paragraphs
   • Use IRAC structure: Issue, Rule of Law, Analysis, Conclusion
   • Provide internal roadmaps
   • When quoting legal authorities, lead in with a preview
   
   (Speaker: Dianne Rosky)

FACULTY

Dianne Rosky
Principal
Rosky Legal Education
16 West 23rd Street, 4th Floor, New York 10010 973-670-9969 dianne.rosky@roskylegaled.com