Words Matter: Ways to Unmuddle Your Prose

In their written communications, lawyers need to use the right words and the right number of words in the right way. If you circumvent your content, malign your meaning, dangle your modifiers or otherwise mangle your sentences, you might very well alienate your partners, anger your clients or annoy the judge and jury. But let’s put this in positive terms. If you can write clearly, concisely and correctly, you can impress your partners, engage your clients and win over the judge and jury. Lawyer, writer and writing instructor Gary Kinder has taught more than 1,000 writing programs at law firms nationwide — to rave reviews. He knows the difference between clean, clear and crisp writing and muddled muck. Unfortunately, too often he sees the latter coming from lawyers, especially young attorneys. “Often first- and second-year associates try too hard to write like, well, lawyers,” Kinder says. ... READ THE REST

Originally published July 17, 2014 0 3