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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Services Of A Legal Writing Coach

By Essie Osborn


In many law firms, lawyers are needed to write some specialized forms of written communication. It is through this writings that the lawyers are able to express their analysis on various issues that they may be on and try to convince other people on behalf of their clients. These legal documents need to be clear, concise and in line with the objective standards which have set in the legal profession. A legal writing coach can therefore help in mastering the skill.

The writings are normally divided into two types. There is that which needs a balanced analysis of the legal problem being handled. It can therefore include letters being sent to the client and inter-office memoranda. In order to do it in the best way possible, the attorney has to take into consideration the level of interest, needs and background of the individuals being sent the document.

These two documents mentioned above will actually be written in a different way because the office memoranda is being addressed to a legal professional and the letter to someone who may not be understanding the law. For instance, when writing to a fellow colleague in the office, he/she cannot go on defining basic law terms used in the document as it would be expected of if when addressing the client. Otherwise, he may only be annoying the other lawyer.

The second type of legal writing common in the profession is the persuasive kind. Documents written for such purposes need to very clear and precise. The lawyer therefore needs to make sure that he has put his points straight forward without provoking the other party being addressed. Documents of this kind include appellate briefs and negotiation letters. It is also required of writings being presented to administrative agencies and the court to follow the right style.

Other legal documents that are normally drafted by lawyers include wills and contracts. If they are drafted in the wrong manner, then the interests of the client may end up being injured. Even though there are guides for lawyers on how to write these documents, there is a unique application of the form in regards to the facts that are required.

Training coaches help lawyers in mastering the concept of legal writing. Once one has undergone the training, their documents can be better understood by experienced readers as they are able to get the right information from them as well as evaluate any cited authorities in the document. A lawyer can therefore learn about the format of citations in line with court rules on how they are supposed to be done.

In most coaching sessions, the coach meets one-on-one with the clients while reviewing projects they have done before for structure, style and substance. These analyses are meant to make the client learn various techniques employed in self-editing. By this, they help to nature the legal talent of the clients.

Most coaches will ask their lawyer clients to submit their projects for review. They will then focus on the structure and substance of the argument as they edit it. Other will first do complete editing on a line-by-line basis. Thereafter, they review for structure, logic, tone, integrity, persuasiveness and balance. They then give their comments to the lawyers and work it out again with them so that they may learn the technique.




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