A reader recently asked:
You mentioned in your review of Point Made that there are a number of legal writing blogs you follow: what legal writing blogs do you follow?
I thought I’d put it up for everyone to see. Note, I follow a number of writing blogs that are about writing well generally, and not specific to the legal field. Legal writing is often insular, stilted, and laden with jargon – essentially not good writing. It’s important to expose yourself to a wide variety of writing resources if you really want to improve your writing (Although when drafting pleadings, know your audience). Also, I titled this post “11 Writing Blogs I Follow” and not “11 Resource to Improve Your Legal Writing!!!” or whatever because A) While I find them useful, you may not & B) the proliferation of LISTS online is:
- Annoying
- Banal
- Trite
And of course, the best thing you can do to improve your writing is to do just that – write.
The List
CopyBlogger – (Group Blog) Developing marketing copy that leads to conversions. Translation: Writing so well and persuasively that the incessantly-clicking, ADHD, driven-to-distraction masses will actually purchase something.
Legal Skills Prof Blog – (Group Blog) Often about general legal skills and news related to the profession, but features writing specific posts on occasion.
Legal Writing Prof Blog – (Group Blog) General tips on writing from a law professor perspective. Often links to Law Review articles (pdfs) on writing.
LegalWritingPro.com (Twitter link, doesn’t blog) Ross Guberman, George Washington University Law Prof. Runs LegalWritingPro consulting group. List of useful legal writing articles from his site.
LegalWriting.net – Wayne Scheiss, Texas School of Law prof. 4 published books on legal writing. Posts sporadically but almost always good reading.
Manage Your Writing – Ken Davis, former English prof turned biz writing consultant. Focused on business writing, but provides useful general writing tips.
Simple Justice – Scott Greenfield, NYC criminal lawyer. Not writing focused at all. But, a good example of the value of consistency in writing. Cranks out substantive posts regularly. “Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” —Aristotle
The Appellate Record – Kendall Gray, Texas appellate lawyer. Often focused on Texas, but provides insights on appellate writing on occasion.
The (new) Legal Writer – Raymond Ward, Louisiana appellate lawyer. Posts infrequently, but always good advice.
What About Clients? – Dan Hull, biz litigator. Posts on life, the universe, and everything. Focus on client service and the benefits of studying the Classics. Semi-regularly addresses writing.
Writing Clear and Simple – Roy Jacobsen, writing consultant. General posts on developing simple (easy to read and understand) writing.
Lastly, if you’re concerned you don’t have the time to improve your writing skills, see below:
Any great writing (legal or otherwise) blog I’m missing?
