Authored by: Shmuel Wyckoff
As the semester winds down and dreaded final exams draw closer, law students all over the country must begin thinking about their summers. While some are lucky enough to have already landed a job, many are still searching. In fact, most students don’t find their summer position until mid-spring semester. One skill that law students can develop to improve their job prospects is to strengthen their legal research and writing skills.
Legal research and writing is the one practical skill law school teaches students that will be paramount after graduation. First-year law students are immediately immersed in an environment to learn to brief cases, think about how and why courts have decided cases the way they did, and garner a basic understanding of foundational subjects in the law. But there are many other skills a young lawyer needs to develop that are not taught in law school. Skills like client communication, oral advocacy in court, negotiations, and practical procedure are, for many, learned on the job. Legal writing is one exception to this rule. With legal writing, law students have the opportunity in law school to cultivate a skill that can be essential to their careers.
All lawyers must write, and the best lawyers are great writers. As one of my professors emphasized, most cases are won or lost due to a brief and many resolutions are reached through written communication. It follows, then, that lawyers who are fantastic writers give their clients the best shot at prevailing in their cases. For this reason, solid legal research and writing skills, and specific concrete examples of activities that develop these skills, can set a law student apart from the competition when applying for jobs. Below are three practical things law students can do immediately to improve their legal research and writing skills:
- Read books on legal writing
My favorite legal writing books are Point Made, by Ross Guberman, and Elegant Legal Writing, by Ryan McCarl. Point Made guides a reader through the different components of a legal brief, demonstrating how the best advocates use language to their advantage in crafting their arguments. Elegant Legal Writing provides excellent advice on improving readability, a skill that is extremely important to judges and supervisors with very limited time. These books do not need to be read straight through, in fact, the authors encourage readers to proceed one section at a time in order to best understand the skill. Implementing even a few tips from these books can drastically improve any brief.
- Read briefs and opinions from the nation’s best writers.
One way to strengthen one’s writing skills is to read other writers’ works. In Illinois, the Supreme Court’s website posts all briefs by the Attorney General’s Office and State Appellate Defender. Both offices employ excellent writers and reading their briefs can help law students learn how arguments are crafted in real cases. The current Solicitor General of the United States, Elizabeth Prelogar, is also a prolific writer- Ms. Prelogar and her team’s briefs are available on the Solicitor General’s website. Finally, closely reading opinions by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan can help any legal writer improve their work product. Justice Kagan’s sentence structure, use of language, and flow are unmatched, and any law student or attorney would benefit greatly to learn legal writing from her.
- Seek out legal writing opportunities outside of class.
Hard work in legal writing courses and independent study of legal writing are certainly good ways to become a better writer. However, putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) is the best way to improve. Although it can be time consuming, a solid legal writing experience can be great for a resume and a great talking point in an interview.
There are numerous opportunities for law students to write outside of their standard legal writing courses, including (but certainly not limited to) the below:
- Legal writing competitions. There are legal writing competitions across the country on a plethora of topics. Even if you don’t win, you can still talk about your research and how you crafted your argument in an interview.
- Moot court competitions. A variety of organizations and law schools hold moot court competitions throughout the year.
- Part-time work for a solo practitioner or small firm. It can be difficult to get jobs with big firms during the school year, and it can be even harder to find a firm that will accommodate your class schedule. However, solo practitioners and small firms are often happy to have all the help from law students they can get. Additionally, solo practitioners and small firms often have many substantive writing projects for law students to work on. Finding the right one for you is important, but if you can find a solo practitioner or small firm you fit with, then it can turn into a fantastic opportunity to improve your legal writing skills.
- Local Bar Association. Many bar associations have sections dedicated to young attorneys and law students. Contacting your local bar association to inquire about potential open writing positions can benefit any legal student or young attorney actively trying to better their writing skills.
Law students who exhibit excellent legal research and writing skills can set themselves apart in job applications processes. Employers look for candidates who they believe can be successful lawyers and legal research and writing skills is an important tool in any successful lawyer’s repertoire.
About the Author
Shmuel Wyckoff is a dedicated law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law with a passion for exploring issues in criminal law, constitutional law, and municipal law. Shmuel’s goal is to provide readers with engaging discussions of current issues in the law while also empowering readers with practical legal information. While not immersed in classes and externship work, Shmuel enjoys watching football and baseball, cooking, reading, and hiking.