Tag Archives: Ross Guberman

What Judges Want.

16 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by in Bad Legal Writing, Legal Argument, Legal Writing, Persuasive Writing, Readability

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Judges Speak Out Behind Closed Doors: How Your Briefs Might Bug Them, and How You Can Make Them Smile Instead, by Ross Guberman, Legal Writing Pro (with hat tip to William P. Statsky)

https://www.legalwritingpro.com/blog/judges-speak-out/

Ross Guberman is one of my favorite legal writing experts. Mr. Guberman conducted an anonymous and broad survey of judges’ likes and dislikes on legal writing. If you are serious about winning, then you care whether your judge not only reads and understands what you write, but also likes it. -CCE

Legal Writing Tips Honey Pot.

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Bad Legal Writing, Business Memorandums, Contract Law, Editing, Grammar, Legal Writing, Punctuation

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Writing Cheat Sheets for Your Summer at the Screen, by Ross Guberman, Legal Writing Tips for Attorneys and Judges

http://legalwritingpro.com/blog/writing-cheat-sheets-for-your-summer-at-the-screen/

There is something here for everyone – student, newbie, or seasoned professional. Writing tips for memos, grammar, punctuation, biggest partner complaints, checklist for drafting contracts, and more. Many thanks, Mr. Guberman! -CCE

As a writing trainer for many of the nation’s top law firms with about 500 summer-associate workshops under my belt, I’ve learned first-hand where summer associates go wrong and how to help them succeed.

Here are some questions that will likely come up over the summer, along with links to some free online resources. . . .

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Ever Wanted To Know How To Write Like Chief Justice John Roberts?

21 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Brief Writing, Editing, Legal Argument, Legal Writing, Readability

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Five Ways to Write Like John Roberts, by Ross Guberman, Legal writing tips for attorneys and judges

http://legalwritingpro.com/blog/five-ways-to-write-like-john-roberts/#comment-56

What I really like about this post is how it about using “show, don’t tell.” It is one of the most under-used persuasive writing tools, which I do not understand. When used correctly, you can hit it out of the park. -CCE

When Chief Justice John Roberts was a lawyer, he once wrote that determining the ‘best’ available technology for controlling air pollution is like asking people to pick the ‘best’ car: . . . .

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Judge’s Benchslap Orders Parties To Rewrite Their Acronym-Loaded Briefs.

20 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by in Acronyms, Bad Legal Writing, Brief Writing, District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, Legal Writing, Readability, Style Manuals

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Alphabet Attack, by Ross Guberman, Legal Writing Tips for Attorneys and Judges

http://legalwritingpro.com/blog/alphabet-attack/

I wonder how many judges have wanted to do this? -CCE

It wouldn’t be spring in America without some federal judges publicly criticizing attorneys in a genre now known as ‘benchslap.’

The offended court this time: the D.C. Circuit. The court’s target: acronyms in briefs filed in a complex telecom dispute. The benchslap: ‘It is ordered . . . that the parties submit new briefs that eliminate uncommon acronyms used in their previously filed final briefs.’ The court even cited its own practice handbook for good measure: ‘[i]n briefs the use of acronyms other that those that are widely known should be avoided.’ . . .

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The Art of Well Written Judicial Opinions.

17 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by in Judges, Legal Analysis, Legal Writing, Legalese, Plain Language, Readability

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The Seven Writing Strategies of Highly Effective Trial Judges, by Ross Guberman, Legal Writing Pro Blog

http://legalwritingpro.com/blog/the-seven-writing-strategies-of-highly-effective-trial-judges/

Asked to name the world’s best opinion writers, traditionalists might rattle off Lord Denning, Learned Hand, or Oliver Wendell Holmes. Modernists often prefer Antonin Scalia or Richard Posner. And the trendy might cite new kids on the block like Lord Sumption or Elena Kagan.

Those august names all deserve heaps of praise. But the fame that these judges enjoy raises questions of its own: Can you write a ‘great’ opinion if you’re a judge who’s not a household name, or even especially influential? And can you write a ‘great’ opinion in a case that’s not a high-profile constitutional crisis, but just another run-of-the-mill dispute in an overflowing docket?

I say ‘yes’ on both counts. No matter how routine a case, and no matter how little time you have, you can write a great opinion. It may not be ‘great’ for the ages, but it can offer readers a clear, accessible, and easy-to-follow analysis of your reasoning, with even a bit of flair or personality for good measure. . . .

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Ross Guberman’s Eight Comma Commandments.

22 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by in Editing, Legal Writing, Proofreading, Punctuation

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Avoid the Most Common Comma Crimes Committed by Counsel: Eight Commandments, by Ross Guberman, Legal Writing Pro

http://www.legalwritingpro.com/articles/H76-comma-crimes.php

From the loftiest law firms to the grandest judicial chambers, I see the same comma errors time and time again. In the name of consistency, and perhaps even sanity, consider committing to these Eight Comma Commandments. . . .

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Benchslap Open Season on Acronyms.

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Acronyms, Appellate Law, Bad Legal Writing, District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, Legal Writing, Legalese, Readability

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Alphabet Attack, by Ross Guberman’s Legal Writing Blog

http://legalwritingpro.com/blog/alphabet-attack/

It wouldn’t be spring in America without some federal judges publicly criticizing attorneys in a genre now known as ‘benchslap.’

The offended court this time: the D.C. Circuit. The court’s target: acronyms in briefs filed in a complex telecom dispute. The benchslap: “’It is ordered . . . that the parties submit new briefs that eliminate uncommon acronyms used in their previously filed final briefs.’ The court even cited its own practice handbook for good measure: ‘[i]n briefs the use of acronyms other that those that are widely known should be avoided.’ . . .

Key Elements of Great Legal Writing.

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in Appellate Judges, Brief Writing, Federal Judges, Judges, Legal Analysis, Legal Argument, Legal Writing

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The Seven Writing Strategies of Highly Effective Trial Judges, by Ross Guberman Blog (with hat tip to Raymond Ward, the (new) legal writer blog!)

http://tinyurl.com/ov446wn

This post hits on all of the key elements of great, not just good, legal writing. It is rarely explained better than this. Pay attention . . . . -CCE

Asked to name the world’s best opinion writers, traditionalists might rattle off Lord Denning, Learned Hand, or Oliver Wendell Holmes. Modernists often prefer Antonin Scalia or Richard Posner. And the trendy might cite new kids on the block like Lord Sumption or Elena Kagan.

Those august names all deserve heaps of praise. But the fame that these judges enjoy raises questions of its own: Can you write a “great” opinion if you’re a judge who’s not a household name, or even especially influential? And can you write a “great” opinion in a case that’s not a high-profile constitutional crisis, but just another run-of-the-mill dispute in an overflowing docket?

I say “yes” on both counts. No matter how routine a case, and no matter how little time you have, you can write a great opinion. It may not be “great” for the ages, but it can offer readers a clear, accessible, and easy-to-follow analysis of your reasoning, with even a bit of flair or personality for good measure. . . .