Dear 1L,

Today, I weep.

I almost want to open the phone lines right now to anyone who needs someone to talk to. I am here if you need to.

Write.

Are you ok?

Dear 1L,

I’m keeping a list of recurring mistakes in law-student writing samples.

This one is easy: make sure you know when to capitalize “court.”

*    *    *

🔷 CAPITALIZE SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States)

When working on a big writing project (e.g., a legal memo), we must rest our brains and exercise.

Movement clears the mind. It lets our thinking caps rest.

While the active mind rests, the Subconscious starts working. It starts to make connections.

Ideas come together.

Dear 1L,

Last fall, I received a flood of panicked calls from jobless 2Ls.

Don’t let that be you. Don’t wait till after OCI. Go all-in with networking NOW.  Here, some steps to start on LinkedIn.

✏️ STEP 1:  PERFECT YOUR PROFILE.

Your LI profile is often the 1st place prospective employers go.

*All quoted language below comes from past 2Ls. Some school-specific variations will occur.

* * *

🔷 A. PRE-INTERVIEWS

🔸 Step 1: Decide which firms are your top choices. “Your likelihood of securing an initial interview is much higher for the firms you formally designate at the start of the process.”

Dear 1L,

If you’re someone who routinely writes the phrase “in order to,” I suggest you reconsider.

Almost always, a simple “to” will do.

Try it when you edit your writing this summer.  Run a search for the phrase “in order to.”  Substitute the simple “to.”

🔷 Dear 1L - Summer Spotlight 🔷

This week, I introduce incoming 1L, Jonathan Koehler.

**

Jonathan grew up in a world marred by alcoholism and family failure. Corporal punishment, periodic homelessness, and a steady dose of tongue-lashings taught him to defend himself—with words.

Before On Campus Interviews (OCI) for law-firm recruiting heat up, invest some time networking with lawyers on this platform.

It may seem a daunting task. Here are some tips.

***

🔷 TIP 1: MAKE A PLAN.

As with most things, you’ll have greater success if you plan in advance.

Today, just thinking about it as I wake, dread starts. Sadness seeps in.

How is Father’s Day for you this year?

I hope the day is only filled with joy, and I obviously say a heartfelt happy day to all the wonderful dads who are reading this.

But if today is a tough one for you, or bittersweet—

or even if it means a dreaded call to one who is estranged—

Dear 1L,

Before you send in your resume, hold yours up to light.

Then assess. For OUR eyes, what’s the sight?

Is it just one wall of text?

Is there white space, for rest?

✏️  Is there any white space at all???

Dear 1L,

Please stop writing “they” when referring to “company.”

If you question that, below is a short explanation, along with a question for those across the pond:

**

In the U.S. English, and legal English, that I’ve always know:

Dear 1L,

If you write “prior to” instead of “before,” I am curious.  Why?

I promise that using “prior to” does not make your writing better.

Nor does it make you sound more intelligent or well-read. In any event, sounding that way should be a given. It will not impress your reader, and it should NOT be one of your goals for persuasive legal writing.

🔹 Dear 1L - Summer Spotlight 🔹

This week, I introduce rising 2L, Ali Slader.

Ali shares that she grew up on Cherokee reservation lands, amid the most meager of means.

Hers was a violent home of unspeakable abuse, in which Ali was “sister” to six brothers and the only “daughter” of an 8th-grade-educated father.

She describes the entire civil-litigation discovery process, step-by-step. It is fantastic.

If you have any inclination toward litigation, her posts should be a great resource for you. They also are helpful for new associates.

I am forwarding the third in the series, but all are very much worth reading.

Dear 1L,

When I look at drafts of your writing, I strike almost every “since.”

I substitute “because.”  Here’s why.

🔷 “SINCE” confuses the Reader.

“Since” means many things.