Good legal writing is “organized, transparent to the reader and easy to understand.” (Julie Schrager) After all, good legal writing is “definitely a teachable skill,” according to Ed Good. Like everything else, practice makes perfect. Julie Schrager repeats, “You should write a lot to find out what works for you and what doesn`t.” Point by Ross Guberman. “It collects excerpts from some of the biggest briefings,” says Schrager. « The best way to be a good writer is to read a lot of good legal texts. » Plain English for Lawyers by Richard C. Wydick, founder of the Clear Legal Writing Movement “Ben Glass and GLM were extremely committed and supported my efforts to develop my own office marketing plan. Ben coached me with step-by-step instructions and went through my very original plans and made recommendations for better structure and content. I am very grateful that he took the time to talk to me personally, give me feedback and constructive criticism to keep me on track.
If you want to do legal marketing but (like me) don`t know how to do it, GLM is the way to go. The annual trial advocacy program brings a nationally recognized litigator to the FIU Law to engage our students in a presentation on the arts, science, and the importance of great legal storytelling. Inspired by Cicero, the great legal storyteller, our famous guest litigators spend the afternoon with our students, first in our ceremonial courtroom for their main presentation, and then in our small courtroom, where they lead a private advocacy workshop offered specifically to our trial team and trial students. “Ben Glass is a name the legal marketing world knows very well. I recently had the pleasure of talking to Ben; He gave me extremely valuable insights and advice on how to grow an online law firm. If you`re a lawyer looking to excel and take your firm to the next level, Ben is your man. Very, highly recommended. “Our firm has had extensive experience working with Great Legal Marketing. They offer excellent service.
Excellent legal marketing has helped our firm take it to the next level. It is the best legal marketing company of its kind. Do you suffer from this “disease” but don`t even realize it? One might think that one is writing sophisticated prose that “sounds” legally. You can consciously cultivate your own distinctive style. Perhaps you think subjective literary taste comes into play? All of these things may help your novel win a Pulitzer Prize, but they probably won`t help you shine as a lawyer. Julie Schrager, legal writing coach at Schiff Hardin, is persistent: “Legal writing is a skill anyone can master – it`s a science, not an art. Young lawyers often complain that partners` preferences are idiosyncratic. False! Over the years of teaching, I have heard partners express more unanimity than disagreement about what they like. “Clarity and precision. Everyone should be able to understand what you write after reading it once.
We are lawyers, not physicists. To help your readers, write short sentences and write short paragraphs. Some court documents have a word count, but none limit the number of sentences or paragraphs. Neurological data shows that readers die out when a sentence contains more than 25 words. And don`t be afraid to use certain legal words if you must, but don`t use legal language. “Don`t get overwhelmed by all the great marketing ideas that GLM and its members generate every month. Instead, take an idea and work on it without being distracted by all the other ideas. Focus on the correct implementation and use of the marketing article before moving on to the next thing.
Then, pay attention to the performance of the piece when working on subsequent ideas so you can modify them as needed. “I have been a member for 3 months and I have already seen a dramatic improvement in my legal marketing. Ben and his staff are a pleasure to deal with them and very responsive. I highly recommend GLM. “When law students open their first casebook, they read cases that are usually horribly written, full of legal language,” says Finnegan`s writer-in-residence, Ed Good. “I call it `powdered wig prose`, like an old English lawyer. Students think, “This is how you do it!” Then the disease is passed on to the next generation. Good also stresses the importance of short, clear sentences: “Many legal writers rely on traditional legal language – old phrases like `according to`, `before`, `after`, `here`, `here`. All this jargon. Finally, “before” means “before”; `after`, `after`. The use of terribly outdated vocabulary often goes hand in hand with the common mistake of writing sentences that seem endless. Free yourself from legal language.
Schrager adds: “Even partners can get bogged down in the details of their case and lose perspective. When I read briefings as a foreigner, I ask, `Are you communicating effectively?` Follow the “rule of one reading.” Every sentence that needs to be read twice is not enough. Other lawyers live extraordinary lives and their success can be discovered and modeled! Who wants to spend 60 to 70 hours a week in the office? What lawyer would love nothing more than to be available to his clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Great legal marketing shows you how to incorporate proven strategies into your marketing campaign so that your ideal clients knock on your door. “Good legal marketing” will drastically change the way you view your law firm`s marketing. Ben Glass illustrates in an easy-to-understand format how to: – Improve your mindset on marketing and its purpose – Create a valuable database of past, present and future customers – Cultivate a group of followers who send offers your way – Create a system that puts your marketing on autopilot – Follow in the footsteps of other successful lawyers, who “figured it out” – Incorporate different marketing techniques into your practice. Today – Avoid Common Lawyer Marketing Pitfalls “Great Legal Marketing” includes not only Ben`s valuable advice, but also chapters written by people who stand in the trenches of marketing on a daily basis.