10 legal writing mistakes to avoid
When it comes to legal writing the stakes are high. Hard-to-read court filings can harm cases. What are the most common mistakes and how can you avoid them?
18 legal writing tools and software that will simplify your life
Our jobs are so word-intensive that you really can’t make it all that far in law if you aren’t a natural wordsmith. The good news is there’s an app for that! Here are some legal writing tools to simplify your life and improve your writing.
Explaining fonts in California courts
Learn the importance of using the right fonts in California courts. Discover which fonts are recommended to ensure your legal documents are clear, professional, and compliant with court requirements.
What does redacted mean in law?
Uncover why redaction matters and how you can avoid ever making headlines with sloppy practices when dealing with sensitive documents.
Can non-lawyers and paralegals draft contracts?
Can non-lawyers draft legal documents? Delegation is key to what makes a firm work, but attorneys should know where they stand on contracts.
4 ways to enhance your practice with legal research
Having the right tools is critical to building a successful law practice. In this guest post, One Legal’s newest Marketplace partner, UniCourt, highlights some quick ways to boost your practice while saving time and money.
Baby steps for automating your law firm
For those of you who have dragged your feet into the age of automation, here are a few baby steps to help you remove the everyday redundancies.
How to answer the question, “outsource or in-house?”
Want to outsource, but don’t know where to start? If done properly, outsourcing can result in both lower costs for the client and increased profits for the firm.
Does my law firm really need PDF editing software?
The Portable Document Format (PDF) has been around since the 1990s and has long been since considered the “gold standard” of document types, independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. While some have believed the PDF to be “a format that causes headaches for the average person,” the truth is that much of the […]
How to create templates in Microsoft Word for legal documents
In just about every role in a legal office, you’ll find yourself creating multiple documents for clients, cases, and financial purposes. Each type of document will often require the same format with headings, logos, font types, spacing, and more. Create templates and save for company-wide use to keep specific designs and stylings in place and […]
6 legal support skills to be proud of wherever you go
As a paralegal or legal secretary, you have highly specialized experience in submitting court filings, managing case files, planning presentations for trial, and other tasks that usually happen only in a law firm or legal department. But working in legal support gives you skills beyond the day to day technical duties. In fact, the work […]
eFiling terms legal professionals should know [slideshow]
So you’re getting ready to electronically file court documents? Do you have the vocabulary you need to succeed? Check out the top eFiling terms that all legal professionals need to know. eFiling tech terms every legal professional should know, originally posted on Slideshare. What are some other new things you’ve learned since technology has begun to take on […]
The best books, blogs, and resources for legal writing
The vast majority of legal jobs require the deployment of legal writing skills. In fact, your writing, along with your interpersonal abilities, will almost certainly be the most important elements on which you are professionally judged. However, because of the sheer volume of written material produced by legal professionals — wills, leases, contracts, pleadings, briefs, […]
Why typography should matter to lawyers
“Typography matters because it helps conserve the most valuable resource you have as a writer — reader attention.” So says Matthew Butterick, a graphic designer-turned-lawyer who has authored a book called “Typography for Lawyers”, which seeks to bust a lot of presentational myths that persist in the legal profession, and suggest ways legal documents can […]
5 legal writing tips from leading legal authorities
A career in the law means a career spent writing. Almost all legal work, in one way or another, boils down to some form of writing: submissions to the court, emails to clients, memos for colleagues. Yet, despite this, clear, useful, and actionable advice for improving legal writing skills is hard to come by. There […]