Effective Legal Writing (Including 1 Hour of Ethics)

Session I - Writing for Screens: Crafting Clear and Effective Legal Briefs – Chris Edwards

In this program, we delve into the evolving landscape of legal writing, particularly in response to the changing reading habits of judges who increasingly opt for screens over printed briefs. As legal professionals, acknowledging and adapting to this digital shift is crucial. The webinar provides valuable insights and practical tips for effective legal writing in the age of screen consumption. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clear structure and readability, utilizing whitespace strategically for visual appeal, and carefully selecting fonts to enhance legibility on screens.

Key topics to be discussed:

• Crafting Structured and Readable Legal Briefs
• Whitespace as a Visual Aid
• Choosing Fonts for Screen Legibility
• Adapting to Screen Reading Habits
• Embracing Technological Change in Legal Writing

Session II - Ethical and Effective Legal Writing – Veronica Finkelstein

Legal news has been rife with examples of the ways in which ethics and legal writing intersect. From high profile cases involving artificial intelligence to evolving standards on citing slave cases as good law, no effective attorney can ignore professional responsibility considerations that impact legal writing. In this one-hour program, approved for ethics CLE credit, explore some of the many ways in which the model rules of professional conduct should impact your legal writing process.

Key topics to be discussed:

• Handling adverse authority
• The use of technology, including artificial intelligence
• Incivility in legal writing
• Following court rules and procedures
• Ghostwriting/plagiarism

Closed-captioning available