Dear 1L,

Create an exam ritual to stamp out nerves on test day.

Here’s what worked for me.

Quickly, but methodically, I skimmed the entire exam to assess:

I hope you start!

Giving a TL to someone means relaying a compliment about them that came from another person (i.e., from a complimenter you heard or overheard.)

Here’s an example:

I hear a senior partner say that your brief was particularly well-written.

1️⃣ Brainstorm and outline your answer before you start to write.

If I had allotted 1 hr. for a question, I’d typically spend at least 15 minutes thinking about, planning, and organizing my essay before starting to write.

The more disciplined you can be about this pre-writing work, the more organized and thorough your final product will be.

Dear Legal Writer:

“Prior to” is NOT a good synonym for “before” in legal writing.

It’s stiff.
It’s stilted.
It’s stuffy.

🔻 “Prior to” will not make you sound smarter than “before.”

Dear Matt,

Marrying you was the best decision I ever made.

What an extraordinary life journey we’ve had together.

Happy, happy 25th Anniversary—

I am so excited for another 25, and more!

Here are book recommendations contributed by hundreds of lawyers & law students for pre-law summer.

🗳️ If you could pick only 1 or 2, which would you choose & why?

1. 1L of A Ride (Andrew McClung)

2. Getting to Maybe (Richard Fishl)

Dear 1L, I was an associate at two firms. Both were BigLaw.

♦️ FIRM A

Associates were not allowed to send department-wide emails, such as emails seeking models or asking if anyone had faced an issue before.

I believe the theory was that receiving associate emails was annoying for partners; it wasted their valuable time.

Dear Legal Writer:

Before you use your next em-dash, make sure you know what you’re doing.

📍 Apparently, almost no 1Ls have been taught how to use an em-dash.

📍 I haven’t seen a law student use an em-dash properly in any of the writing samples I’ve reviewed these past 3 years.

I had to take the NY-state bar exam lying on the floor of a private office, about a mile from the main test site. Here’s the backstory.

Things all started going downhill for me during 3L spring. On the outside, it looked like I had it all together:

—grades that put me atop the class;
—a BigLaw job set for fall; and
—a law-review Note ready to publish.

Dear Legal Writer: I once had a BigLaw partner wave an imaginary assault rifle and simulate a scene from “The Terminator” when imparting feedback on my writing:

“Who are you, the Terminator?” she asked.

The partner was very senior, and she was also rather rotund, wearing a floral house dress & ballet flats at the time—all of which made her act quite amusing.

Dear 1L,

Last year, you had to write a personal statement to persuade a law school to admit you.

You may have been told to aspire for an essay that would be “a pleasure to read.”

If so, you got some very good advice.

Dear 1L,

I just heard this memorable motto by Motown Records founder, Berry Gordy Jr., and I want you to say it over and again when getting ready for your oral argument.

If you can say only ONE thing to the panel, what will it be?

Don’t get caught stammering.

Have ONE refrain on the tip of your tongue.

Dear Legal Writer,

Some writers spin their wheels trying to create the perfect opening for the Introduction to their brief. You know, that catchy one-liner that seemingly encapsulates the gist of the whole case at once, often using analogy, metaphor, or other literary device to drive home the writer’s point?

I used to try that too.

Many of you will stop reading my letters soon, too, because you’re swearing off social media until after exams (I predict).

But before you think of doing that, please tell me: What are you struggling with? On what topics should I write? Tell me what’s on your mind. I love hearing from you & want to be helpful.

— Wait, what’s that you say?

🔺 “Since” has been a good synonym for “because” since time immemorial?

🔺 And “since” is a full syllable shorter, it has 2 fewer letters, and it sounds so much better than “because,” so you love to use it?