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!
Stop saying “the same” in legal writing.
“The same” wreaks havoc.
To illustrate:
🔹 "She delivered the goods to the warehouse and then sold the same."
—Does "same" refer to the goods or the warehouse?
🔹 “The contract has a 30-day notice rule. Failure to comply with same will result in penalties."
Dear Legal Writer, “Don’t forget me when you write.” That was a note from your reader overnight.
I thought I’d pass it along.
It is good advice!
➡️ Because when you start to think about your reader as you’re writing, something really cool happens:
You realize it’s not just you sitting there alone,
banging at that keyboard.
Dear Legal Writer, “As such”: 95% of legal writers get this WRONG.
So please listen closely.
—> Most people think that “as such” means something like “therefore,” or “accordingly,” and they use it as a catch-all to stand for what they said in the preceding sentence.
For instance, many writers would use “As such” in sentence pairs like these:
Dear Sir Mark C. Fava,
Your book is ridiculously good. I got up through page xiv and 5 and then died. I had to stop reading and pen this note.
No. 1️⃣: Your book is exceptionally written. Let me say that again. Your book is exceptionally written.
That is the highest possible praise I, Amanda Dealy Haverstick, could possibly say to an author.
Here’s a story I can’t stop thinking about: A job posting lists 10 qualifications.
A woman sees it & checks 9 of 10.
“I’m not qualified. I’ll never get it,” she tells herself.
—She slinks away and doesn’t apply.
A man comes across the same job listing.
He reads the 10 qualifications & checks off 3.
Should you start an email newsletter?
Perhaps you prefer the hand-written letter by snail mail.
We sure don’t get them often enough these days.
A good one can really make your day.
The email newsletter?
We get too many of them these days.
Dear Legal Writer, A company is an “it,” not a “they.”
Do you question what I say?
Let’s do a little play—
1/ Recall the concept, “collective noun.”
A “company” is one.
Others are are:
Lawyers—You tell me you want to “leverage” LinkedIn.
You’re making 3 big mistakes.
Here’s why, how you can fix them, and
some cool follow suggestions:
1️⃣ MISTAKE No. 1: You post with a FIREWALL.
You post an article you’ve written.
We can’t read it.
As the junior associate staffed on several firm matters, YOU are expected to know everything—often off the top of your head.
The last thing you want to do is confuse a witness, fact, or document from one case with that of another.
So you really need a good organization system.
👉 Enter the 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁 & 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻
Legal writing is the opposite of purple prose.
I’m working on slides for my prelaw writing course, and I learned 2 new terms:
“purple prose” & “minimalist writing”
The photo is my sketch of the SWITCH from 🟣 purple to 🟡 yellow.
Students must make this switch when going from college to law school.
I’d spend weeks toiling over a long, hard brief.
All I’d hear back from the partner was a “Thx.”
And today, the associates who come to me for legal writing support feel at their wits end.
So here’s my premise:
⬇️
Legal writing causes depression.
Dear Legal Writer, If you mean “because, say “because”!
The word “since” is a bad synonym for “because.”
True, “since”
—is a full syllable shorter;
—is two fewer letters.
It also can sound better than “because.”
But still.
I’m about to get 50K followers—
but I can barely make 50K a year.
So is there cause for celebration?
As a solopreneur, I don’t know.
It is so hard, and it feels like a constant climb.
Some days you are on a really high high.
You think you are living the dream.
Being an associate at a big law firm is hard.
-You feel like you have to be perfect.
-You get scared to let your guard down.
-You strive not to let them see the tears, the struggle, the sweat.
That makes for a stressful existence, and it can really take a toll.
Over time, I developed a practice of keeping 3 folders in my office that really helped me feel less daunted and more in control.
Dear Legal Writer, We all get writer’s block. Try this powerful cure—It helps Warren Buffett, Jasmin Alic, and me, and I bet it will work for you, too.
♥️ Put your 1st draft in a letter to a loved one.
▪️ Billionaire investor Warren Buffett authors a report to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway every year. His annual letter has become a highly anticipated event in the investment world that’s been widely celebrated for its wisdom, clarity, and insight.