I.e. and e.g. are everywhere in legal writing, and too many people mix them up.

In fact, it’s one of the top 5 mistakes Grammar Girl (Mignon Fogarty) says she sees when editing technical documents. (GrammarGirl .com).

You should just learn them now so you don’t have to look them up or guess every time.

When I started helping law students 4 years ago I tried to read everything I could to learn. My daughter was applying to law school at the time, too, so I was really motivated. I asked for advice from lawyers on LinkedIn: what should she do to prepare?

Here are the top 7 tips I’ve distilled for you:

1️⃣ Enjoy it!

Stop switching back and forth indiscriminately.

Choosing between the two words comes up a lot when you need to describe the other side’s argument before explaining why it is wrong. You’ll then want to refer back to that argument without having to repeat the full description again.

Should you refer to it as “this” argument or “that” argument?

(And would that be good or bad?)

👉 Only 24% of 1Ls got their summer job offers through OCI last year!

That’s per a new report from the National Ass’n for Law Placement (NALP).

The report says instead of OCI, it’s been these 3 routes by which most 1Ls (56%) got offers:

It’s unnecessary and considered redundant.

❌ The teacher said hi to only one boy, (whose name was Charlie).

❌ The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff, (who had a strong case).

So what about after the ending parentheses? Well, that depends on whether the sentence otherwise calls for one, and it’s often within your discretion.

Here’s two examples showing why:

 ❌ “While the stove is off, the toaster works.”

What does the writer mean, A or B?

A: “Although (=whereas) the stove is off, the toaster works.”
 
B: “When (=only when) the stove is off, the toaster works.”

Dear 1L,

I created a new IRAC template for you.

(FYI: This is NOT in my book.)

The template shows how I structured my exam essays for EVERY course.

It worked on 3 winning bar exams, too.

It was in the 1L legal writing course, and it was devastating to both my confidence and my GPA.

—I wasn’t prepared.
—I had no guide or mentor to help me.
—I experienced the worst academic time of my life.

I never want anyone else to have to endure the same.

“They don’t teach students the practical skills to be a ‘real’ lawyer.”

Well, that is true in part, but I’ve got a different take when it comes to one skill:

That skill is legal analysis.

Here, it’s the law schools getting it right, and, too often, the “real” lawyers getting it wrong.

Do not use it to describe a court’s holdings in your brief this spring. “Find” and “hold” mean very different things.

“But Amanda,” you say, “many lawyers—even judges—use ‘find’ generically all the time to describe the actions courts take.”

 —I know. You are right about that. But that does not make using “find” right.

What’s that you say? “I would never use expletives in legal writing.”

Yeah, I hear that. But you do.

Here’s what I mean:

🔹 Definition:

On the outside, I seemed to have it all together:
—a top GPA,
—a job lined up for fall, and
—a law review Note ready to publish.

What could I be stressed about?

As it turned out, a lot.

Truth is: I’ve been scared to write about it before.

And please don’t say, “ just follow the easy ‘he/him’ rule.”
I know that “easy rule.”
The topic is more nuanced.

So here I go.

By the time you’re a mid-level associate, you’ve put in some tough time—

You’ve endured the early years of 0% control over your schedule.

—You’ve canceled social plans;
—you’ve sacrificed umpteen weekends; and

Judges hate surprises.

Like “surprise facts.”

Those are ones you didn’t describe neutrally in your Facts section.

Yet increasingly, I’m seeing briefwriters get sloppy.