But no law student wants to have to work at a firm only to find out it’s a mismatch.

You really need to do some detective work first.

Here are 6 markers of firm culture to look for & some ideas for how you might go about uncovering them:

I received a comment on my recent “5 Hacks” post from someone I don’t know. She seemed quite exasperated by it all:

“Writing great fiction is the antithesis of documenting complex transactions. . . . How can I restore the creative skill I possessed prior to becoming a legal writer?”

Today I aim to help lawyers & law students network on LinkedIn.

🟢 BONUS for law-related content creators & others who post: 
  —>  Drop a link to one of your recent posts. I will reciprocate by engaging with it, and I bet others will, too!

🔵 LAW STUDENTS:  I know that LinkedIn can seem scary sometimes. I still find that today.

Use these 5 hacks to make your brief fit the page limit—without cutting substance.

🔷 1: Convert sentences to active voice.

“The boy hit the ball.” (Active)

—is shorter than—

It started with a cold DM on LinkedIn.

And that DM started unremarkably:
It was a pre-law college student seeking experience in the legal world who wanted to know if I was aware of any internship openings or had any ideas, advice, etc.

Standard fare.

What’s the most important comma for clear legal writing? It’s beyond dispute. Follow this Rule:

Two

Independent

Clauses

Take

A

Dear Rising 2L,

Until now, you likely have not experienced many, if any, formal job interviews with BigLaw lawyers. Here’s what to expect and 5 suggestions to help prepare.

IN ADVANCE

When I review your writing, one of the first things I do is reword almost all sentences that start, “However, . . .”

“But starting sentences that way is grammatically correct,” you might protest.

And you’d be right. Even so, I suggest you limit your use of this sentence-starter.

Dear Rising 2L: If you use your 1L memo or brief as a writing sample for job applications, you have some work to do. Here are 7 key steps:

1️⃣ Incorporate the final corrections and edits from your TA & professor.

Dear Rising 2L: It’s best to include a short, concise cover memo with the writing sample you send to prospective employers.

Why? Because it’s a golden opportunity to set the stage and to start “making friends” with your Reader.

Learn this lawyer lingo:

IN-HOUSE COUNSEL:

This term refers to lawyers whose employer is an entity (such as a corporation or organization) that is not “in the business” of providing legal services to clients. In-house counsel typically serve one and only one client: their employer.

I must have seen more than 100 law-student resumes over the past year. Often I see them after a law-school career office has reviewed, and after everyone thinks the resume is “final.” Here’s the problem:

I still catch formatting errors and see other obvious areas for improvement.

Here are 3 fixes for every legal resume:

Every year when law-firm recruiting season starts, law students start buzzing about the enormous starting salaries at Big Law firms. (It’s $215,000+ in NYC now, I understand.)

A heavy dose of reality is needed.

At my 10-year high school reunion, I spoke with a classmate who’d gone straight from college to a T14 law school, and then to a top-ten, “white shoe” firm in NYC. He’d just finished three full years as an associate there.

Dear Rising 2L,

👉 You know LinkedIn is the first place any prospective employer will look you up. (And they will look you up.)

You’ve got early OCI* coming up (*on-campus interviews).

Don’t make it hard for law firms to find you.

Dear Legal Writer,

As a junior legal writer, you likely tend to use “Therefore” and “Thus” too often. And you probably always put them at the start of sentences, followed by a comma.

That can make for some pretty plodding prose.  👎