A “Statement of Facts” should not read like a rap sheet.

Dear 1L,

Let’s talk about the “Statement of Facts” for the brief you’re writing this spring. It needs to
be much more than a list of events:

Your goal is to relay a compelling narrative that engages your reader and elicits sympathy
for your client.

To achieve that goal, you need to make your writing “flow.” Try these 5 techniques for
better flow between sentences:

1️⃣ Repeat a word from the end of sentence 1 at the start of sentence 2.

ORIG: John went to the store. He bought bread.
REVISED: John went to the store. At the store, he bought bread.

—This technique bridges the gap between the two sentences for your reader, providing a
smoother passage from one sentence to the next.

2️⃣ Start sentence 2 with a catch-all word or phrase that represents an idea from sentence

1.
ORIG: John went to the store to buy bread. John failed because the store was closed.
REVISED: John went to the store to buy bread. His mission failed because the store was
closed.

—The word “mission” at the start of sentence 2 is a catch-all that represents the entire
idea from sentence 1 and carries it forward, providing a bridge into sentence 2.

3️⃣ Start sentence 2 with a “this” or “that” in front of either:

A: a repeated word from sentence 1 (method no. 1), or

B: a catch-all that stands for an idea in Sentence 1 (method no 2).

E.g.
A: John went to the store to buy bread. This bread would be a key part of the delicious
brunch he was planning.

B: John went to the store to buy bread. That mission was unsuccessful because the store
was closed.

—“This bread” and “that mission” both link the idea from sentence 1 into the idea of
sentence 2.

4️⃣ Start sentence 2 with a standalone “this” or “that,” where the context makes clear what
“this” or “that” refers to.

E.g. John went to the store to buy bread. That was his only mission for the morning.

—Here, “that” can stand alone to represent the entirety of sentence 1, in that the “that”
refers to the whole idea of going to the store to buy bread. By using the “that,” you carry
the whole idea of sentence 1 into sentence 2.

5️⃣ Finally, it’s also fine if you simply add an express linking or transitional word at the start
of sentence 2 to show its relationship with sentence 1. “However” and “But” are two such
transition words.

ORIG: John went to the store to buy bread. He ended up buying milk in addition to bread.
REVISED: John went to the store to buy bread. But he ended up buying milk, too.

Don’t just write facts. Tell a story.

Fondly,
Amanda

#Dear1L
#DearLegalWriter