Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Why Lawyers May Need 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.

In the legal field, there are two kinds of writings which are common to attorneys. The first kind includes those documents sent to fellow legal professionals in the office and letters addressed to the client. It is required of these writings to create a balance on the stated problem. Therefore, the background of the recipient has to be given some consideration as well as his/her interests.

If for example one is sending a memorandum to a fellow lawyer in the firm, he/she needs not to define basic law definitions or otherwise the whole thing would be totally inefficient and may even lead to annoyance. However, this is not the same when the person being addressed is a client who does not understand much about law. If he/she is sent the same writing as the other lawyer, then he would only remain confused.

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.

As seen, coaches use past writings of their clients to teach them. There are those who will first check out for the English used in the document before analyzing the structure, tone, logic, integrity, persuasiveness and balance of the document. They will then give their comments and go through it once again with the student.




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