To badly hijack a quote from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, good legal writing style, like pornography, is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Attorneys start developing a legal writing style in law school. For most of us, it is awkward at first. Remember IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion)? Not to …
So, What Is Off the Clock?
Save the date Greg is back from Italy, so we’re returning to our regularly-scheduled monthly Thursday happy hours. Save the date for Off the Clock #6 on Thursday, February 25, 3:00-6:00 at Common Roots Cafe in Minneapolis. What is Off the Clock? Prompted by discussions on the MSBA’s solosmall listserv, we’ve been having get-togethers with …
Commas, Exposed
Exasperated, I finally forbade one of my first year law students from using any commas in a writing assignment. We’d gone down the road of attempting restraint. Reviewed the comma rules. But she just couldn’t help herself, it was as if every time she paused on the keyboard, her finger reached out and jabbed a …
Free Adobe Webinars and Tutorials
For last Friday’s Off the Clock we participated in an Adobe webinar concerning Acrobat 9 for Legal Professionals. There are a few more free Acrobat webinars coming up in January and February. You can sign up and watch from your home or office. Many legal professionals use Adobe Acrobat or Professional to maintain a paperless office …
Read Aloud
I’ve heard attorneys disparaged: “He just likes listening to himself talk.” Good, that means you will proofread well. Today’s two minute tip takes two seconds to explain and a little longer to implement. But it is essential. Here it is: Good proofreaders read their drafts aloud. Reading aloud tells you what is there and what is …
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