Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many participants can you accommodate?

I have presented to groups ranging from three participants to more than 200.

My programs provide a variety of interactive exercises and small-group activities; the hands-on activities and small-group discussions allow large groups to benefit as much as smaller ones.

2. What program is right for my group?

I offer programs for attorneys at all levels, in both law-firm and corporate settings. I also work occasionally with paralegals and law-firm managers.

• Compare Seminars

My Summer Associate Package and Start off Strong seminar help summer associates and new associates understand what supervisors want and provide participants with practical tips for achieving those goals.

Four Steps to Standout Legal Writing helps mid-level attorneys take their writing to the next level—giving them practical, proven techniques for editing their prose and structuring common documents.

My practice-specific workshops help mid-level and senior attorneys perfect the kinds of documents they frequently draft:

• Secrets of the Great Briefwriters
• Advanced Transactional Drafting
• Advanced Regulatory Writing

Winning Feedback gives partners and other supervisors new strategies for getting better work product from junior attorneys.

3. Can our partners or senior supervisors attend?

Yes.

4. When do you schedule workshops?

Most programs are in the morning or afternoon during the week. But I also schedule workshops on Saturday, in the evening, and at all-attorney retreats off-site.

5. Do you offer public programs?

Yes. Although much of my work is in-house, I conduct about twenty programs a year for state bars and other large CLE organizations.

6. Can your workshop really improve our attorneys’ writing?

Participants consistently say so, as do their supervisors and colleagues:

• Enthusiastic Feedback

7. Why is legal writing such a challenge?

I proposed some answers to that question in an article for PDQ:

• Why Johnny, Esq., Can’t Write: Ten Causes and Ten Solutions

8. What makes your programs stand out?

All my courses are interactive, short on generalities, and long on specific tips and examples. Participants spend at least half their time writing, editing, or otherwise interacting. I also work with my clients so that each program is tailored to their specific needs.

But the best answers come from thousands of program participants.

In surveys distributed at workshops all over the world, 99.7% of participants have said they would recommend the program to colleagues.

Here’s what they say about the Legal Writing Pro line-up: “empowering,” “practical,” “engaging,” “immediately applicable,” “extremely helpful,” “compelling,” “simply outstanding,” “fresh, timely,” “fun,” “fabulous,” “sophisticated.”

• More Endorsements

9. Can we get CLE credit?

Yes. All my workshops for attorneys have been approved for MCLE credit.

10. When should we book?

I book six months out for more than 200 programs a year. May, June, September, and October are exceptionally busy, though I have constant demand throughout the year. I do not schedule programs for August.

11. What are your fees?

My fees are at market for national legal-training consultants. I bill separately for reasonable travel expenses. Please contact me for details.

12. What do your fees cover?

All my core programs include the following features:

• Live, interactive workshop
• Optional survey of partner writing preferences
• License to reproduce materials and writing guide for all participants
• Guide to judges’ preferences
• Laminated tip sheets and bookmark
• Subscription to monthly writing newsletter
• Email follow-up for questions

13. Do you provide one-on-one coaching?

Yes. I suggest either my Writing Coaching Package for one attorney or my full-day Break the Cycle clinic that includes individual meetings with seven attorneys. I do not recommend informal arrangements that ask the attorney to contact me to “set something up.”

14. Can we record your programs?

Unfortunately, I cannot allow recording of my programs in any format.

I do realize that it can be difficult to coordinate attorney schedules. But in my experience, even with the best of intentions, attorneys are rarely able to view videotaped programs.

15. Can we do a simultaneous videoconference to other offices?

Although in the past I have agreed to videoconferenced programs among multiple offices, I've concluded that interactive, skills-based training needs to be live.

16. How should we set up the training room?

I can work with any seating arrangement.

I ask that you provide a flipchart and have my PowerPoint presentation loaded before I arrive. If you expect more than 25 participants, please provide me with a microphone. I don’t need a podium.