Learn When & How to Use “i.e.” and “e.g.” [carousel]
Dear Legal Writer: My friend, Min Cho, suggested that I write about “i.e.” and “e.g.” To…
It’s Time to Blacklist “Prior to.”
Dear Legal Writer: “Prior to” is NOT a good synonym for “before” in legal…
How to Use an Em-Dash & Why You Should [carousel]
Dear Legal Writer: Before you use your next em-dash, make sure you know what…
Dear Legal Writer: “Since” is a bad word in legal writing. Don’t use it to mean “because.”
Dear Legal Writer: “Since” is a bad word in legal writing. Don’t use it…
Do You “Affect” or “Effect” Something?
For most of my life, I avoided “affect” as a verb. I would use…
Dear Legal Writer: When Discussing Cases, Always Specify Procedural Posture& Outcome
Dear Legal Writer: Every year in BigLaw (except perhaps 2009), there was a fresh…
Dear Legal Writer: Make Your Table of Contents a Priority
Dear Legal Writer: It’s a mistake to short shrift your Table of Contents (TOC)….
PERSONAL
For 20 years in BigLaw, I worked on every vacation I ever took. During…
Dear Legal Writer: Here’s a comma guide for clear, correct prose.
Dear Legal Writer, Follow this comma guide to help you write clear, correct prose:…
Dear Legal Writer: Please stop referring to the “company” as “they”
Please stop referring to the “company” as “they.” The “company” is an “it,” not…
Avoid Expletives in Legal Writing
Dear Legal Writer: If I told you to minimize “expletives” in your legal writing…
Dear Legal Writer: Punctuation with Quotations
Dear Legal Writer: Put a period or comma INSIDE the ending quotation marks, regardless…