I was diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder in law school, and January was always so especially bleak. And so, dear 1L, I thought of you as I woke today.
A still-dark scene on my window bay.Forever it took for the sun to rise,And…
Dear Legal Writer, Hello to you, and DO-SI-DO. Today you become a 3-dash pro:
the hyphen (-),the en-dash (–),the em-dash (that’s 3!) Check out below, and an expert…
- 2026 | Dear 1L | Legal Writing
Dear 1L, Expel “regard” from your legal writing.
And while you’re at it, cut “regard” from your vocabulary altogether: 👎 “Regarding”👎👎 “In…
Dear 1L, Justice Elena Kagan apparently didn’t rush to “write home about” her 1L fall grades, either
She only received two, according to reports, and they came as a shock: a…
- 2026 | Dear 1L | Legal Writing
Dear Legal Writer: Stop writing “the court found”!
“Find” and “hold” mean very different things. ▪️ “Find” refers to determining facts—what actually…
- 2026 | Dear 1L | Legal Writing
Dear 1L, “To be sure” is a genteel expression that lawyers use a lot. Perhaps you’ve noticed.
Well, here’s why we use it and how you can do so effectively in…
Dear Legal Writer, If I had a dollar for every time someone on The Bachelor used “myself” incorrectly . . .
— “The date was amazing for Brad and myself.”— “Sarah and myself have a…
Dear 1L, Hi. I hope you are OK. Everyone seems to be in some state of reeling right now, with fall grades coming in.
Please, if you didn’t get what you’d hoped for, please know there’s nothing wrong…
Dear 1L, They say, “Those who get A’s end up teaching. Those who get B’s end up practicing, but they are taking orders from the C’s (who are out on the golf course).”
I’ve heard the expression articulated in a number of different ways over the years,…
- 2026 | Dear 1L | Dear 2L | Legal Writing
In 2020, I was a washed-out, unemployed lawyer with zero presence (anywhere).
I hadn’t worked a “real job” in 5 years;I’d let my lawyering skills lapse;I’d…
Dear Legal Writer: Never put a comma before beginning parentheses.
It’s unnecessary, and it’s considered redundant. WRONG: The teacher said “hi” to only one…
12 resolutions for eager-to-be-better legal writers:
In 2026, I will: Put more verbs in the active voice (1)& use “that,”…