Karin Ciano, The Daily Record Newswire
This is the column traditionally dedicated to welcoming law students to their summer jobs. Summer positions can be daunting - in a few short weeks you must master law practice's basic moves. And then there's choosing what to wear, remembering everyone's name, and figuring out how much (not) to drink.
Lots to think about, little time. So, summer law clerks, here's my pitch for why your writing should top your priority list - with some tips on how to improve it.
Let's start with why. Besides what you'll hear at the office, five minutes' Internet surfing will reveal plenty of unsolicited career advice from senior lawyers and businesspeople. In a world of deep divisions, this is a point upon which nearly everyone agrees: Competence (at least for lawyers in the United States) equals clear communication in written English. Writing well helps you advance your career. Fair? Maybe not, but it's a fact we all live with.
You may think, well heck, didn't I just spend a year (or two) taking legal writing classes? Yes, but. You've invested in your legal education - and like a home, or a car, or a boat, it's an asset that needs maintaining. The evidence of your legal education that people will see first, its "curb appeal" if you will, is your writing. It's also the last impression you leave: Your writing will remain in the file and circulate to new people long after everyone's forgotten what happened at the golf course or on the booze cruise. In my opinion, you can't invest too much time in doing it well.
So how can you leverage this summer to build on the substantial investment you've already made in your writing? I offer three suggestions - any of which will help, and a combination of which will work best of all.
First, get the books. There is no shame, and much honor, in looking things up to be sure you get them right. You will do this with the law all the time, and the same habits will improve your writing. You probably already have access to a Bluebook and a law dictionary - a great start. Now's the perfect time to get proficient in using three other critical tools of the trade: a usage guide, a style manual, and a regular dictionary.
Usage guides (such as Garner's Modern American Usage) answer questions about grammar, word choice, and sentence structure. They are writing's troubleshooting manuals - if a reader suggests a phrase is awkward, a usage guide will explain why and show you how to fix it. Style manuals are a subset of usage guides, often developed by a particular publication or press (think Chicago Manual of Style) for the purpose of enforcing consistency in-house. They include usage tips but focus heavily on the design elements of writing such as formatting and punctuation. If you're wondering whether to capitalize a word, or whether to use a numeral or symbol, don't guess - consult a style guide. (Incidentally, your office may have its own style guide - be sure to ask.)
If you invest in only one book this summer, I would suggest Professor Garner's The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style. It's organized like a style manual (numbered chapters and headings, rather than alphabetical listings), addresses common usage questions, and includes model legal documents (including emails, letters, and most of the obvious targets you might be asked to draft over the summer).
A regular dictionary is the easiest book to find, but the hardest to get in the habit of using. What it does: give you the correct spelling and meaning of a word, every time. When you need it: every time you are using an unfamiliar word or expression. And I encourage you to interpret "unfamiliar" broadly. My everyday speech is littered with phrases that feel familiar to say, yet whose true meaning I may not know. What, for example, is "a tough row to hoe"? What does it mean to "play fast and loose"? And what's with "enormity," which always seems to prompt someone nearby to start snorting and giggling? Trust me - a regular dictionary is a vital tool to avoid cliché, malapropism, and the kind of hilarious double meanings that make pleadings go viral. (I'm also a fan of a thesaurus, which offers a menu of better words when you need to make a swap.)
OK, so those are the books you need. Next up: Meet the people. Wherever you're working this summer, there are bound to be good writers. Learn who they are, and seek them out. Ask what they read and how they improve their writing. Ask if they will refer you to well-written examples of pleadings, memos, or contracts. Look for opportunities to work with them and seek their feedback on your writing. Feedback from a skilled writer is often the best way to diagnose exactly what you need to improve.
Finally, find a writing buddy or set up a student writing group in your office. You've undoubtedly learned from your school's legal writing program that the recipe for good writing includes a healthy dose of editing, proofreading and feedback - ideally from someone with a bit of detachment. What you may not realize is that lawyers who work together routinely read each other's work and offer feedback; it's a great way to improve a draft, and once you're not being graded on an end product that you're supposed to produce alone, there's nothing to stop you. So find another law student working in your office, and offer to be their second pair of eyes. Even better, consider setting up a regular writing workshop where you can give each other feedback on drafts that are not yet ready for prime time (wait, what does that mean? Look it up - or ask someone over 40).
Two added benefits of writing partnerships or groups: You learn essential organizational skills (self-assessment, giving feedback that will motivate others to improve), and you get to know (and ideally like and trust) your peer lawyers. Those skills are essential to success in any organization, and that knowledge happens to be the foundation upon which referrals are built. The legal community is a river, and you and your classmates will be tubing down that river together for the rest of your careers. This summer can be a great opportunity to get to know each other, and to learn from each other.
May your summer job connect you with interesting people, challenging work, and great stories.
Bonus track: Looking for cheat sheets and checklists to help you get started on summer writing projects? Check out Ross Guberman's website.
-----
Karin Ciano practices civil rights and employment law, and helps other lawyers with their writing. She welcomes your questions and feedback.
Published: Thu, Jun 04, 2015
