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Five Ways to Write Like Justice Kagan
Are you a lawyer or a judge? Or do you just seek a writing muse? Look no further than Justice Elena Kagan’s majority opinion in Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools. Writing for a near-unanimous…
Five Ways to Write Like Warren Buffett
Each year, the world awaits Warren Buffett’s letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. Investment insights and macroeconomic musings? Check. But the letter also showcases Corporate American writing at its best. On my new editing tool…
A BigLaw Paragraph Meets BriefCatch: A Case Study
“Throat-clearing”—starting sentences with phrases like “it is inconceivable that”—is a big problem in briefs filed by even the best firms. Take this paragraph from a recent emergency petition for stay of a Pennsylvania redistricting…
A BriefCatch Case Study: A BigLaw Client Alert
Let’s see BriefCatch in action on a non-legal document. Take this Gibson Dunn client alert on non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements, a hot white-collar topic these days. We’ll start with the lay of the…
Ten New Year’s Resolutions: BriefCatch Takes on Two Supreme Court Clerks
Here’s to finessing our writing in 2018! To show that we can all improve, I uploaded to BriefCatch a motion for Facebook filed by two litigation partners who are former Supreme Court clerks (for…
25 Ways to Write Like John Roberts
In the market for New Year’s writing resolutions? Consider Chief Justice Roberts’s 2017 opinion in Buck v. Davis as a source. Brief Catch can help you make all these edits and many more. Here…
Judges Speak Out Behind Closed Doors: How Your Briefs Might Bug Them, and How You Can Make Them Smile Instead
To help lawyers write better briefs, I recently surveyed thousands of judges, ranging from state trial-court judges to U.S. Supreme Court justices. Their anonymous responses showed surprising candor and consistency. My questions touched on…
Judge Gorsuch is a gifted writer. He’s a great writer. But is he a “Great Writer”? Part Two: Five weak spots
Judge Gorsuch might be caught in the political crosshairs right now, but the hagiography of his writing style continues apace. I’ve even joined the Gorsuch-is-great bandwagon myself in a recent post lauding four of…
Judge Gorsuch’s Writing Style: A Cheat Sheet
I have longer pieces about the major strengths and minor weaknesses of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s opinion writing style. But if you’re one of those many people who really want to know whether Judge Gorsuch uses an Oxford…
Judge Gorsuch is a gifted writer. He’s a great writer. But is he a “Great Writer”? Part One: Four gifts
Ever since President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court, the judge’s writing style has prompted almost as much talk as his presumed views on Roe v. Wade. For Gorsuch’s supporters, many of…