Welcome to my LinkedIn archive.
Categories: Dear 1L, Dear 2L, Legal Writing
By Year: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021
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Search by word to find what I’ve written on the topic of your choosing!
There’s a growing problem in the legal industry:
New lawyers “don’t know how to write.”
▪️ The law firms blame the law schools.
▪️ The law schools blame the colleges.
Law-school recruiting is in crisis.
I’m trying to create a timeline to give current 1Ls some perspective. I hope it will ease some anxiety.
Please tell me what you’re hearing and seeing so I can modify and recirculate:
What a fabulous afternoon walking in Central Park, chatting w/ a dear friend from LinkedIn!
Thank you for such a lovely visit, Erin Dunn
I knew I’d love you in person, too—
💌 Amanda
My LinkedIn tagline says “legal writing coach,” but wait—
Instead, should it say, “legal-writing coach”?
Hmmm. Let’s look at the 3 rules on “phrasal adjectives”:
1️⃣
DO HYPHENATE
Dear Legal Writer, Some experts advise, “Keep most sentences short.”
Others say, “Aim for about 14 words per sentence.”
Others say, “Aim for an average of 20 words.”
And still others propose, “Aim 26 words or less.”
Dear 1L, I’m not too good at this making-movies-of-myself thing, but I got up a little courage yesterday and made this for you.
🔹 Tips for the Brief
Often I would understand an analysis in my head, but I couldn’t get it down into words on the page. The tips I share in the video helped me, and I thought they might help you, too.
Dear Legal Writer, “3 Bullets.”
That’s the name of a new newsletter you should check out.
It is monthly (to start), and it will (big surprise) contain 3 bullets.
▪️ 1 tip for legal writers,
▪️ 1 tip for law-student writers,
▪️ 1 tip for LinkedIn writers.
Dear 1L, These are some words and phrases I used to use as transitions between the different parts of CREAC:
A: Transition from your legal rule/explanation section to your discussion of court decisions:
-Under these legal standards,
-Applying these rules,
-When considering these factors,
Cover Letters: 5 Tips for Law Students
I don’t give out model cover letters for a reason. A “model” is the antithesis of what any cover letter should be. Instead, the letter should scream:
“I'm different; I’m better; you want me; you want only me.”
Be careful how you define a term in a brief—a joint post with Lindsey Lawton.
Dear Legal Writer, I was reviewing a few 1L fall memos this week, and I came across a problem that I also see regularly in litigators’ briefs:
▪️ The response to ABC Corp.'s ("ABC") motion is due on __.
Why do we self-sabotage?
I’ve been scared to talk about my book on LinkedIn:
—What if it isn’t good?
—What if it isn’t successful?
—What if it is really nothing at all?
I’ve always been a downplayer.
—I don’t like to create expectations.
If no one in your family went to law school, and if you didn’t grow up around lawyers,
it can be hard to decide if law school’s right for you.
But there’s at least one student like that who’s determined to get the inside scoop.
No, he is not reading ‘getting to maybe’ or any of the other, usual suspects.
Dear 1L, Hi. I am going to try to start trying to write to you on Friday afternoons.
This is unscripted, so please excuse the format, and I literally just thought of this now, but wow, this has got to be a low part of the year.
-you’ve sent in a million applications for summer internships
-you have no idea where you’re going to be over the summer
Dear Legal Writer, No one enjoys receiving negative feedback, but no one enjoys giving it, either (—unless they’re just a jack*ss).
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.
“Should I accept a LinkedIn connection request from someone I don’t know?”
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.