Dear 1L

Dear 1L,

I’m reviewing dozens of writing samples in advance of law-firm OCI (On Campus Interviews). Many of you are making the same, silly error.

🚫 Starting right now, I want you to ban “judgement” from your writing.

🔸 In fact, set your autocorrect settings to make “judgement” a typo.

“But the dictionary says that spelling is accepted,” you might retort.

You are correct. But in the legal context, “judgment” alone is accepted.

* * *

I know your legal writing professors taught you this and corrected it in earlier drafts of your memos and briefs, but . . .

❓ what about the cover pages to your writing sample, where you describe what the sample is about???

Too many of you are starting your cover pages with words to the effect of:

🚫 “This writing sample is a summary judgement motion I wrote for my first-year legal writing class.”

⭐️ This misspelling will be the FIRST thing a law-firm reviewer sees!

* * *

What a shame to have spent so much time polishing and perfecting your writing samples, only to have your efforts foiled at the starting gate.

Make sure your cover pages are error-free.

Use only “judgment.”

Fondly,

💌 Amanda