I used to dread it. I used to play out conversations in my mind over and over again. I’d try
—to script my message with just the right words
—to encourage + inspire without putting down,
—to get my explanations clear so they’d learn.

Dear 1L,

Yes and no.

To start, the reason most people don’t send notes with their connection requests is that they want you to accept.

When you find a case with facts and issues similar to those in your spring LRW assignment:

Pull the underlying briefs from the real-life lawyers from the cases.

These lawyers were discussing the EXACT SAME issues you have to write about in your brief.

Today’s message is inspired by a (Nick Bullard) post from last week and a new book called Elegant Legal Writing out tomorrow by (Ryan McCarl).

Nick’s post said: “Friends don’t let friends use TNR in legal briefs.”

Most 1Ls do this:

- they read the question,
- try to figure out the answer, and
- then write an essay to justify that answer.

Instead, do this:

Dear 1L,

Let’s talk about the “Statement of Facts” for the brief you’re writing this spring. It needs to be much more than a list of events:

Your goal is to relay a compelling narrative that engages your reader and elicits sympathy for your client.

When I first showed up on LinkedIn in Sept 2021, the name Laura Frederick was one of the first I heard. So much of what I have done in terms of content creation, personal branding, and starting my own business can be traced back to Laura’s path.

Fast forward to this past December, Laura and I spoke on the phone for the first time.

I learned this rule the hard way. I hope to save you a similar day.

My mistake actually got a BigLaw partner to aim an assault rifle at me!

(Ok, it was an imaginary one, but I was just a first-year associate, and the experience had a big
effect on me.)

In fact, don’t use “since” to mean “because.”

❗️ But Amanda, every thesaurus says ‘since’ & ‘because’ are synonyms.
❗️ ‘Since’ is also 1 syllable & 2 letters shorter than ‘because.’
❗️ And ‘since’ is MUCH smoother 7 sleeker than ‘because.’

Well, I agree with you on all points. But here’s the thing:

I confess, I’m a bit of a Latin geek, but most people aren’t, and i.e. & e.g. routinely cause mixups. In fact, it’s one of the top 5 mistakes Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) says she sees when editing technical documents. (GrammarGirl .com).

Both abbreviations are really common in legal writing, too.

AND it’s got helpful advice on interview prep for you!

Start in the comments.
Practice post ideas in comments.
You can warm up to it.

But START!!

I don’t care: whatever your class rank, your post-law-school-job plan, or the numbers in your GPA. If you’re prone to anxiety & depression like me, the specter of law school ending may seem NOT A-OK.

As I’ve written about before, my anxiety got so debilitating during my 3L spring that I ended up lying flat on my back at home.

Dear 1L, Justice Elena Kagan apparently didn’t rush to “write home about” her 1L fall grades, either. She only received two, according to reports, and they came as a shock:

a B in Crim;
a B- in Torts.

What’s your first move?

Try my P-E-N approach. It kills the culprits behind 3 biggies behind empty words:

— A handful of top schools are entirely pass/fail, and at the T14s I’m aware of, no one really gets below a B.

— Yet at many other schools, a large % of students fail or lose scholarships after 1L fall. The “average” is B- or even a C.