Lawyer Skills

Jay Harrington | Persuasive writing follows a path laid thousands of years ago by Aristotle, the original master of persuasion.

What if it sucks? What if a Senior Partner hates it? Is this the right word? Is it? Oh God, I don’t know if that’s the right word! WHAT WORDS ARE? WHO THEY WRITE STUFF!

Mediation has its own vocabulary. Lawyers who know it can best manage the process to produce the optimum result. Tips from Teddy Snyder.

Its or it’s? Its, it’s the word that trips up many writers, the word that doesn’t follow the rules. The problem is the apostrophe. Apostrophes are most often used two ways: in a contraction or to show possession. Some names have apostrophes, too.

Teddy Snyder | Your job is to persuade. Avoid condescending phrases that are more likely to repel the listener.

"Get to the Point!" is a huge fan of working the heck out of your dictionary to improve your writing. But is Google better?

Zana Tomich | Before you become an expert in the practice of law, you can (and should) become an expert in client service.

Analog Attorney | Beautiful personalized notecards from moderately priced to obscenely expensive.

Of course you use a dictionary when you don’t know the meaning of a word. But you might have to pay attention to context to figure out which definition applies and whether it’s the right word to use. That’s why the dictionary is the traitor ...

Teddy Snyder | Make sure every pronoun or pro-form reference is clear.