legal writing

/Tag: legal writing
28 Dec, 2022

Pro Se Basics

2022-12-28T10:26:38-06:00December 28th, 2022|Tags: , , , |

 Are Pro Se Filers Treated Differently Than Lawyers? In general, pro se filers (individuals who represent themselves in a legal proceeding without the assistance of an attorney) are not treated differently than lawyers by the court. However, there are some differences in the way that pro se filers are expected to present their cases. For [...]

7 May, 2020

Writing Your Question Presented

2020-05-07T13:06:30-05:00May 7th, 2020|Tags: , , , |

  “I have always been much better at asking questions than knowing what the answers were.” – Bill James, baseball historian There may be no more daunting task in all Supreme Court practice than distilling a 9,000-word cert. petition down to one or two questions presented. This level of difficulty should come as no surprise—only the [...]

19 Sep, 2017

Appellate Writing Style: An In-Depth Study

2019-03-18T18:47:15-05:00September 19th, 2017|Tags: , , |

  “Voiceless, passive, complex writing is a liability.” -- John Campbell, associate professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and co-director of the Denver Empirical Justice Institute. A recent study published at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law finds a strong correlation between attorneys who win cases and attorneys who [...]

25 May, 2016

Resources Every Pro Se Litigant Needs

2019-03-18T18:47:21-05:00May 25th, 2016|Tags: , , , |

When a litigant proceeds without legal counsel, they are said to be proceeding "pro se” or “on one’s own behalf.”  While the task of representing one’s own interests can be daunting, advancements in technology and transparency have made legal research easier than ever.  Much of the pertinent information, once only available to legal professionals from [...]

19 Jul, 2011

An Interview with the Legal Writing Pro: Ross Guberman on Writing Style, the Supreme Court, and the Next Project

2019-03-18T18:47:56-05:00July 19th, 2011|Tags: , , , , , |

Ross Guberman is President of Legal Writing Pro, Adjunct Professor at George Washington University Law School, and author of Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates. I learned of Ross’s work after reading an essay entitled “Five Ways to Write Like John Roberts.” In the essay, Ross distills five [...]

7 Jul, 2011

The Winning Wal-Mart Brief: More Tips from the Legal Writing Pro

2019-03-18T18:47:56-05:00July 7th, 2011|Tags: , , , , , , |

I don’t normally get excited about receiving subscription email newsletters. The one exception is when I see a Legal Writing Pro newsletter in my inbox. The newsletter is prepared by Ross Guberman and you can subscribe to it here. Guberman is a genuis at explaining the art of writing because his explanations are clear [...]