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• Legal writing tips from the pros

Legal writing pros share their top writing tips

After graduating law school and passing the bar, “professional writer” was likely not the role you were envisioning for your career. While that wasn’t the plan, and it isn’t your literal title, you may spend your days crafting complaints, motions, and pleadings. You know you can do it, but if you had your choice, you might not spend so much time on writing. But as an attorney, what you create can’t be mediocre – it needs to be remarkable.

While some attorneys find that writing comes naturally, others find it to be more of an obligation than an art. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, there’s one common denominator: You can make it easier on yourself. Whether writing is your friend or foe, there are methods you can implement to make the process smoother, more efficient, and ultimately, less laborious.

And exactly how do you do that?

Writing is like many other aptitudes – a skill you can hone. Consider it continuing legal education requirement. Take a few minutes on a regular basis to read up on it. Then retain the tips and tricks you read in blog posts like this and implement them into your drafts.

Start by just paying attention to how you write. Whether you’re aware of it, you probably have a process. A way that you start, a way that you think, and a way that you know it’s done. Are you an outliner? Are you the antithesis of an outliner? Do you just get everything out of your head onto the paper as quickly as possible and revise later? Or is every sentence deliberately and carefully constructed?

Knowing how you work best gives you the ability to recreate those environments and situations rather than experimenting each time. Even elite performers don’t simply rely on their innate talents. They are in tune with how they do what they do so well.

Listen to the advice of others

If you’re constantly striving for betterment, even if you have a tried-and-true routine, learning from others is a good place to begin.

We asked some of our own attorneys, attorney editors, and legal writing experts to share their best writing tips. They each have reflected on their writing process and are aware of what works best for them. Their suggestions may be just what you need to alleviate any writing-related tension you feel when drafting a discovery request.

“ Conduct your research before drafting your brief or memorandum. Having an overview of the law as well as the specific authorities necessary to support your arguments prior to writing is more effective and less time-consuming than drafting the memo and then attempting to locate the necessary cases.

Not only is it easier to mold your facts into the existing law, but you are spared the possibility of having to desperately search for authority to support a proposition which, if it does not exist, may require rewriting of the paragraph(s) or worse, jettisoning the entire argument. ”

“ My leading tip would be: Drown out the outside world and be alone with your document. We live in a world of distractions, and distraction is the enemy of good writing.

My distraction-mitigation method is, I shut down any extraneous apps and programs, then don my headphones and crank up loud music to be alone with the words. It’s noisy, and it involves hammering out my research findings into crude bullet points until every key piece of the puzzle  fits into one bullet point or another. Next, I drag the bullet points into a logical order.

Then, I walk away from the document and stew a little while. It gives me time to think of any angles I’ve left out. Once things have simmered appropriately and I’m satisfied that I’ve covered the angles, the headphones go back on, the music gets loud, and I refine the bullets into sentences and paragraphs. ”

“ Know your audience and their objective. A memo drafted for a partner who needs to set litigation strategy is a very different document than an appellate brief arguing your client’s position to the court. Understanding how each will be used is critical to making sure that you produce the best product. The most effective documents are the ones that make it easy for the audience to act. Tailoring your writing to that end will make your document stand out and, when appropriate, make your position more persuasive. ”

“ Legal persuasive writing is as much about storytelling as it is about using the facts and relevant law to persuade the fact finder. Develop a theme or storyline with a clear beginning (outline of the facts, both good and bad) middle (why your facts support a certain legal finding) and end (the action you want the fact finder to take).

You can’t change the facts of your case. Acknowledge the weaknesses (every case has them) and then persuade the fact finder that they either don’t or shouldn’t affect the outcome. Strive to be a good storyteller with both your good  and bad  facts. ”

“ Spend as much (or more) time proofreading and revising your document as you spent drafting it. Proofing your own work product is immensely challenging because after you’ve written something, your brain usually thinks it knows what the document says. This causes you to skim, and read what you  think  is there rather than what’s  actually  on the page.

Starting from the end of a document and working backwards will help catch some errors, and taking time away from what you’ve written so you can revisit it later with fresh eyes is also effective. There’s no substitute, however, for impartial and disinterested review.

Whether you use an electronic proofing tool or ask a colleague, this form of revision removes the pride of authorship and memory-bias inherent in you, the drafter. Proofing cannot be rushed; take it seriously and your documents will shine. ”

“ Enhance your credibility with the court by being objectively persuasive in your writing. Write in short, clean sentences using an active voice.

This may seem obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Resist the urge to call your opponent names or otherwise get unnecessarily emotional in your writing. Instead, explain why your opponent’s arguments are unavailing by appealing to reason and fairness. 

A judge wants to be able to evaluate arguments impartially to get to the correct conclusion under the applicable law. Help the judge who reads your writing do so by being as objectively persuasive as possible while advocating for your client. ”

“ Write your introduction last. After you’ve written the body, review it and write the conclusion. Then use your outline and your conclusion to make sure your introduction presents each of your issues (in the same order) and the conclusion you are supporting.

This has two purposes: 1) It makes sure your introduction is reflective of the entire document, and 2) It keeps you from staring at your computer in frustration because you can’t think of how to start. ”

“ Use prior firm work product cautiously. Firm work product can be a helpful source to start your legal research. The problem, though, is that law is fluid and it changes constantly. Don’t begin drafting your arguments without first  Keyciting  the authority cited within the referenced firm work product. You may find that the authority relied on is no longer valid.

The last thing that you want is to submit a brief or memorandum to a partner for them to find out you didn’t do your due diligence. Firm work product should be a starting point for legal research, but not a substitution. ”

“ When writing any piece, my first step is creating an outline. I think about what overall question I’m trying to answer and create bullet points to answer that question. Under each bullet point, I add in any supporting information. This could be quotes, statutory materials, caselaw or anything I have discovered in my research. This creates a detailed outline and a solid path to begin writing. 

Editing is also a huge part of any writing project, large or small. I firmly believe that no author can adequately edit their own work. It is too easy to read what you intended to say, which is often not what is written on the page. ”

Make writing a manageable task

Learning from yourself and others may be the smartest way to demystify the process of writing. Be aware of what you do well and the struggles you often encounter. This self-awareness can be the difference between feeling that writing your next pleading is a burden or merely another item on your to-do list. In turn, you will be more efficient and productive, leaving you additional time to spend on the things that will best grow your practice. 

Related content

How to prepare to write a legal brief | westlaw, how to write a legal brief.

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How to Write Law/Legal Articles (Structure & Format to Use)

• Post author: Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC
• Post published: April 9, 2022
• Post category: Legal Articles

How to Write Law Articles : Writing law article is a very demanding undertaking. Law is not a general field; therefore there are some peculiarities ascribable to it. A writer who seeks to write law article must be well grounded in law, particularly on the topic or area intended to be written on. Just like every other article, a law article must have purpose and direction. It must as well have a target audience. These two preliminaries are the crossways to a good law article.

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Table of Contents

How to Write a Legal/Law Article (Structure and Format to Follow)

The Preliminaries: A writer is usually motivated to write on a particular topic by a reason or reasons. These reasons constitute the purpose and direction of the article. This raises the question as to what exactly the writer intends to achieve by the writing. The writer may have been motivated to develop an appraisal on a particular topic, and this is usually the case, because an appraisal permits the writer to assess the totality an applicability of the intended principles and then develop their personal opinion on them, after which the writer recommends solutions or alternatives if any.

All these are firstly considered in the preliminary stage. Another important consideration in the preliminary stage is the audience. Every piece of writing has a targeted audience. It is the category of audience borne in mind by the writer that inspires the language of the article and sometimes the purpose and direction too.

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Abstract: An abstract is an abridgement or summary of a longer publication. A proper law article must have an abstract. The abstract should come immediately after the title. It is under the abstract that the writer gives a brief overview of the content and purpose of the article. The abstract must bear the readers in mind in such a way that after perusing through the abstract, the reader should have a clue of the article’s purpose and direction.

An abstract must not be long. It is necessary to draft an abstract before writing the rest of the article. The draft abstract can always be reviewed from time to time before publication. Some writers may however find it more preferable to complete the article first before writing the abstract. This is also not a bad practice.

Here is an example of what an abstract should look like. – “ In this article the writer considered the relevance of adoption laws in protecting the interest of the adopted child. The article went further to highlight areas which though may have been intended by the legislature to sanctify the adoption procedures, actually occasions in justice against the adoptive parents. Relevant case laws and statutory authorities were cited to juxtapose the positions, and finally, the writer thereon proffers solutions which stand a better practice in the contemporary human existence” .

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The body/content of the article: In a law article, an abstract do not qualify as an introduction. The introduction should come first under the body of the article. It is under the introductory stage that the writer lays adequate foundation on the topic being written on. The introduction may include definition of terms, prior and present positions of the law, identification of issues, etc.

After the introductory stage, the analysis stage follows. It is under this stage that the writer begins to tackle the issues raised during the introduction. The analysis must be presented smoothly, systematically and logically in order to carry the audience along. The analysis stage should discuss the relevant principles of the law in details. The analysis stage can as well include statistics gathered by the writer which can be used to illustrate the practicality of principles or for any purpose relevant to the article.

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The use of Authorities: in law, it is the practice that salient principles of law must be backed up with authorities. A law principle not supported by an authority is viewed as a mere opinion and as such, weight is attached to it at the discretion of the reader. In the order of strength and precedence, legal authorities include; the provisions of any domestic or domesticated enactment, case laws, law dictionaries, foreign laws and cases, obiter dictum and comments by legal authors.

These authorities can be employed by the writer in any stage of writing; whether the introductory stage, analysis stage or conclusion. Every legal article must be backed up with authorities. Where authorities are cited by the writer, their citations must be provided correctly and positioned appropriately. For the case laws, the proper citation should include the case’s citation in the law report (the report name, volume, and year).

Comments made by legal authors should be cited with the name of the author together with the occasion or the piece where the comment was made, and also the year or edition. The authorities cited must wear a different body from other contents of the article. Authorities are to be specifically highlighted either by Capitalization, italics, bold, or the combination of any.

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Conclusion: Having shown full working in the analysis stage, the conclusion stage warps up the entire piece of work. At the conclusion stage, the writer provides the answer to the issues raised in the introductory stage. It is under this stage that the writer proffer solutions to the problems identified.  Also it is under this stage that the writer makes clear his own view or position on the topic discussed.

This stage must as well resolve the questions raised in the mind of the readers in the course of their reading the article. The conclusion stage need not necessarily be long. At the conclusion stage, readers will always refer back to the title of the article to observe whether the purpose and direction of the article was actually achieved. The conclusion stage is not optional for a law article; it is compulsory.

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Other contemporary issues

Language : it is best for the language of a law article to be simple. This is especially if the target audience includes the larger society. Simplicity in language enhances readability and clarity, and the attainment of the purpose and direction of the article.

Simplicity of language does not extinguish the use of legal jargons. When legal jargons are used, it should be specifically highlighted by the use of italics. Where the jargon employed is not a regular one, it may be necessary to add its meaning to the footnote. In all, it would be a very stressful task for your readers to frequently consult the dictionary while reading your article.

Paragraphing: a law article must observe the rule of paragraphing. Proper paragraphing is very important in law writing. Paragraphing improves the readability of the work, makes the work neat, and also steers and sustains the interest of the reader. In law articles, the writer’s main points are highlighted in paragraphs.

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Plagiarism: just like in every other academic piece, plagiarism must be totally avoided. Plagiarism is an academic offence of copying another’s work or ideas and presenting them as one’s own without acknowledging the original owner or source.

To avoid plagiarism, all the writer is required to do is to properly cite the source of the information presented.

Review: a law article must undergo several revisions before publication. The review should relate to the general context, grammar, choice of words, professionalism, citation, structure, readability, purpose attainment actualization of the target audience and perception.

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Writing a legal article is a tedious exercise. It demands intensive and extensive research, and then several drafts upon drafts of the article’s compilation. Purpose and direction is very much emphasized on in a law article because its relevance is a sustenance technique which permeates through all of the stages.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.

This Post Has One Comment

Thank you very much for this. It really is easy to understand and full of knowledge.

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Teaching & Learning

Legal writing in focus.

As a lawyer, teacher, and director for the past 14 years of Harvard Law School’s First-Year Legal Research and Writing Program, Susannah Barton Tobin ’04 sees a lot of legal writing, some good, some less good. But she doesn’t entirely agree with the framing of a recent article in The Economist titled, “Why legal writing is so awful,” discussing a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in which the authors blamed the continuing use of “arcane” and “archaic” legal lingo, in part, on what they perceived as lawyers’ tendency to imitate their predecessors’ poor prose.  

Armed with two degrees in classics, a J.D. from Harvard Law, and years of writing and teaching experience, Tobin recently spoke to Harvard Law Today about the study and offered a few tips for new law students, long-time legal practitioners, and aspiring writers of all stripes. Above all, she says, before you open your laptop or pick up your pen, know your audience and what you are trying to achieve.

Harvard Law Today: Is legal writing as bad as The Economist and the study argue, or does it get a bad rap?

Susannah Barton Tobin: Legal writing has had a bad rap for as long as I can remember being involved in it, as a reader, as a student, and as a practitioner. But as a teacher, I think legal writing is writing. There’s good writing, and there’s bad writing, and there’s middling writing. And what we’re trying to do when we teach students how to write is to help them communicate as effectively as possible with the audience they’re trying to reach and with the particular purpose they have in mind.

I agree with the hypothesis that there’s path dependency bound up in legal writing, and particularly in the United States, where our common law tradition makes us want to stick with what has worked. But a simpler reason why some legal writing is bad is the same reason why some non-legal writing is bad: Writing well takes a lot of time and patience, particularly when you’re trying to explain complicated ideas, which lawyers almost always are trying to do.

HLT: Does it matter if legal writing is good writing ?

Tobin: I teach legal writing, so of course I think it matters. It is advantageous for students and young attorneys to be known as good legal writers. Being able to explain what the law says and how it works in a clear and honest way is an essential skill to being a good lawyer and a good citizen in the democracy. From a professional perspective, you advance further, faster if you’re known to be a reliably strong legal writer.

HLT: Where do you see bad legal writing the most?

Tobin: The two categories the study emphasized were contracts and statutory language. And it makes sense why those would be where you would start. They’re both notably long and complicated. A lot of cooks are involved, particularly with legislation, where you have lawmakers and lobbyists and all kinds of feedback and last-minute changes. There’s a great quote from [former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin] Russ Feingold ’79, after he was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. When they asked him why he had voted no, he said “Because I read it.” That was a particularly political point. But it speaks to the fact that nobody’s able to sit down and read these legislative documents start to finish. Is Congress trying to create something that people are going to read and be able to understand? I’m not sure that’s really what is happening anymore with legislation. So, is that a feature or a bug? It may be a feature for the people trying to pass the law, but it’s a huge bug for people who are trying to figure out what’s going on.

HLT: Where do you see the best legal writing?

Tobin: Brief writing, particularly at the highest levels of the federal courts, is where you see some of the best writing, partially because the stakes of the disputes are so high and so publicly salient. When my students are looking for good legal writing, I encourage them to read briefs that are coming out of the Office of the Solicitor General, briefs that are coming out of nonprofits and firms that practice regularly before the Supreme Court.

HLT: So, it sounds like a lot of this comes down to, as most writing does, a question of audience?

Tobin: I think that’s exactly right. And that’s why I’m not a big fan of the idea that legal writing is a totally separate animal from any other writing. If you haven’t thought about your audience, then why are you doing the writing? A former editorial writer for The New York Times, Verlyn Klinkenborg, wrote this really helpful book called “Several Short Sentences About Writing.” And he’s got this particularly memorable point about composing a sentence: Once you write a sentence, it’s an orphan that you send out into the world and you can’t accompany it to help explain it, or to say “This is what I meant. You didn’t understand what I meant. But here’s what I meant.” And that’s the conversation I regularly have with students.

HLT: Has the amount of writing that practicing lawyers do changed over time?

Tobin: That’s an empirical question. I had a conversation with a judge I clerked for in the early 2000s, who wondered why opinions were getting so long: “Why can’t we write an Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. style short opinion?” Part of it is the common law tradition, in which we’re always accumulating more precedent, more statutory language, new sources, and more context for any dispute that arises. If you want to be thorough, you have to trace that evolution. So perhaps there’s more writing being done. On the other hand, lawyers are writing shorter pieces, maybe less formal contributions, than they did 30 or 40 years ago. What used to be a formal memo might now be a quick email with bullets outlining the most important points. So, I’m not sure that there is more or less writing being done, but the form of it and the speed with which it’s being requested may be changing.

HLT: Does the law still need to use Latin, which is a dead language, other than in the Vatican? Or does it just serve as a barrier to entry for non-Latin speakers?

Tobin: This is a fraught topic for me because I was fortunate to study Latin at the Vatican with the papal Latin secretary, the late Father Reginald Foster. So, I’ll have to fight the premise that Latin is bad as an absolute matter. Good writing often comes from a deep understanding of etymology, which comes in large part from a deep understanding of the Latin origins of English and of Latin rhetoric. We have learned a great deal, for example, from Cicero’s powerfully persuasive writing, including his legal arguments, or from the sharp clarity of Seneca. Of course, Latin is not the only influence on English language and law.

One of my favorite quotes on writing is from George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”: ”What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word and not the other way about.” One of the reasons writing takes time is that word choice matters. It’s good advice to remind students not to use $10 words when a 50-cent word will do. I don’t want my students going out of their way to use a polysyllabic word to show that they are smart. I know that they are smart. But I think the advice also runs the risk of proving too much, because English is a phenomenally rich language, influenced by Latin and other languages. And some words thought to be synonyms don’t mean exactly the same thing as other words. So sometimes, if you’re looking for a synonym, or you’re trying to be simple and direct, you can run the risk of losing nuance, and you run the risk of losing precision. And — maybe this is going too far — losing the chance for poetry in your writing, if you keep the vocabulary too narrow. And so, I guess I would have a plea for a middle ground, as Orwell suggests — choose the right word for the meaning you want.

But I also think Latin is used less today than it used to be in legal writing. Some Latin terms of art are, from our common law tradition, embedded in the law. Our students need to know what those words mean, so they can appreciate the meaning of a judicial opinion or the way a statute is constructed. But if you’re going to use Latin, you need to explain what it means. You don’t use it just as a bomb that you throw in the middle of a sentence to impress people or confuse readers.

So, should we be using Latin to gatekeep, to make it harder for people to understand? Absolutely not. But should we get rid of it entirely? Also no.

HLT: Do you have any legal writing tips for new students, upper-level students, or even practicing lawyers?

Tobin: My best advice for good writing is to read good writing. And so, even though they have many, many pages of required reading for class, I recommend to my students that they also keep reading narrative nonfiction, like articles in The New Yorker, because it’s like listening to music. If you have good rhythmic sentences in your head, if you hear the way someone puts together varied lengths of sentences and uses transitions well, and explains complicated concepts well, that sound will stay with you. I don’t know that I’ve convinced everybody to carry Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joan Didion, John McPhee, or Toni Morrison (not just her novels but essays) around with them, but I wish they would. I will give a shout-out to Chief Justice John Roberts ‘79 and Justice Elena Kagan ‘86, two of the best practitioners of legal writing.  Their sentence-level writing is superb. Bryan Garner’s “ Legal Writing in Plain English ,” Third Edition is a particularly helpful guide. And if you’re having trouble figuring out what’s good legal writing, ask your faculty what they recommend.

HLT: So, improve your writing by reading good writing. Any other tips?

Barton Tobin: Justice Kagan likes to say that good writing is hard. It takes a lot of time. It takes multiple drafts. I think that advice can be frustrating to hear when time is limited. But it’s profoundly true. Certainly, when you’re learning a new genre, your work is not going to come out perfectly the first time. But sadly, or perhaps encouragingly, as a practitioner of legal writing, you’re never going to be done practicing. You’re always going to be working to get better. And so, we do drafts and revisions, and we receive feedback, from peers and from instructors. On the peer editing point, sometimes my students will say to me, “Well, we’re not lawyers yet. So how can we possibly give good advice to our peers about their drafts?” I say, “But you are readers, and you know how to respond to something if it doesn’t make sense. And the fact that it doesn’t make sense, actually isn’t your problem. It’s the writer’s problem. It’s not that you’re confused, but that the writing is confusing.” And so, being able to give constructive feedback, and to feel justified in giving that feedback, I think helps you become a good reader of your own prose and a good editor. You’re ultimately your own editor. At the end of the day, you’re responsible for what you submit. Whatever feedback you get, you’re developing the skill of incorporating multiple suggestions and making judgments about which changes you’re going to accept.

Finally, as a lawyer, and particularly as a litigator, you are a professional writer. And there is pleasure to be taken in crafting prose that is powerful and persuasive. As busy as lawyers are, the benefits of taking care with your words is professionally and psychologically huge. And so, I hope people remember that truth.

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Whether or not you’re a confident writer, legal writing is an important skill for any lawyer, in any practice area. From court documents like motions, discovery documents, briefs, and memoranda, to in-office communication like letters, client emails, internal memos, and more—there’s a whole lot of writing.

Lawyers also need to ensure their writing style, tone, and voice in legal documents and communication are appropriate for a wide range of audiences such as courts, judges, and clients.

Documents filed at court, including briefs and memoranda, involve researching facts and cases, analyzing situations, presenting information, and making an argument. To be a skilled legal writer, lawyers need to be authoritative, credible, and persuasive in their writing. The following legal writing tips will help you improve your writing.

What is legal writing?

Legal writing involves crafting documents related to legal affairs, including briefs, contracts, memorandums, and motions. Its primary aim is persuasion, adapting tone and style according to the audience, whether for a judge with specialized legal language or a client with clear, understandable prose.

Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, legal writing is a necessary and important skill required for all legal professionals. From paralegals to lawyers to secretaries, legal writing is applicable to every legal professional (see, for example, our guide on communication and writing for paralegals ). 

Legal writing tips to help you get started

Tip 1: Understand your purpose

What is the first and arguably most important legal writing tip? Understand the purpose of your writing. 

Ask yourself: Why are you writing this? What are you hoping to accomplish? What is the outcome you wish to achieve?

Writing a contract may serve to inform, while court documentation may serve to persuade, and client intake documentation may serve to evaluate. The structure, tone, and voice of the document will change depending on the purpose of your legal writing. Understanding that purpose will help you write better.

Tip 2: Understand your audience

Knowing who you’re writing for will help shape the structure and tone of your piece. A judge, another attorney (including an opposing attorney), or client will have different experiences and expectations that inform how they read your work.

When it comes to your audience, keep the following in mind: their role and relationship to you, age, income, economic status, level of education, values, and how much they already know about what you’re writing about. This will help you determine the tone, style, and level of detail to include in your writing.

Tip 3: Do your research

Good legal writing requires researching and incorporating relevant legal precedents into your documents. Before you start writing, thoroughly read any material provided to better understand the legal issues. 

Every case and document is different, but keeping some basic rules for legal research in mind will set you up for success. Some helpful legal research tools include FastCase , Legal Information Institute (LII), and CourtListener .

Depending on the piece you’re writing, you may also find secondary sources such as legal dictionaries , law reports, and academic journals helpful in your research. For example, you’ll need both the primary and secondary sources to establish mandatory and persuasive authority .

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One of the most helpful legal writing tips to improve your legal writing skills is organizing your research into an outline. Starting with an outline will help keep your writing organized and focused.

A good outline starts by detailing the topic, putting the most important information at the top. Then, flush out the main points with the supporting details while making sure the transitions between points make sense.

Legal writing becomes much easier and less intimidating once you have an outline to help organize your ideas and guide your writing process.

Tip 5: Put words on the page

Even with a detailed outline, getting started can be difficult. Writer’s block is a real thing that even the most seasoned legal writers suffer from. But don’t worry about getting it perfect on the first try—that’s what editing and proofing are for.

On your first draft, focus on capturing the right information. Make sure the information is complete and sufficient, and the content flows nicely from one section to the next. Give yourself as many drafts as you need before your deadline. Also, give your writing some room to breathe by taking a break and coming back to it with fresh eyes.

Always remember that you can clean your writing up in the editing stage—you don’t have to get the formatting perfect on your first try.

Tip 6: Be aware of content structure

The best way to structure any piece is by writing from the top down. Start by showing the reader what you’re writing about and why, then provide the arguments to support your case.

Pick your best or most persuasive arguments to focus your writing on, then filter additional, supporting arguments thereafter. Use headings to break up sections and transition from one argument to the next, and start new sections with summary sentences. Where appropriate, it also may be helpful to use lists and bullets to make your writing scannable for the reader.

Tips to help you write better

Tip 7: Be clear

When writing any type of legal document, state your point directly and clearly within the first few sentences to help guide the reader along. Assume the reader has very little time or patience, that they hate to read, and that they’re only going to read the first 200 words. What you say in those 200 words will help them decide to continue reading.

A few other legal writing tips to keep in mind:

• Active voice: The subject did something, rather than something was done to them. E.g., “Wendy consulted with her lawyer” is an example of active voice, whereas “The lawyer was consulted by Wendy” is an example of passive voice.
• Avoid double-negatives: For example, “This is not, not the best way to write.”
• The Oxford comma : When listing items like judges, magistrates, and clients.
• Use adverbs and adjectives sparingly: Clearly, this is an exaggerated example.
• Consistent tenses: Past tense is most commonly used but sometimes present tense makes the most sense.
• Avoid split infinitives : For example, Gently push vs. push gently.
• Avoid gender-specific terminology: When in doubt, “they” is universal.
• No slang and hyperbole : This is inappropriate and unnecessary.
• Be accurate and specific: For example, use a specific date instead of “recently.”

Tip 8: Use jargon only when appropriate

Using jargon, including legal terms, is only appropriate in some contexts. For example, using too much “legalese” with a client who is not well-versed in specific legal matters may end up confusing them and muddling the conversation with unnecessary questions. 

While in court documents, it’s completely appropriate (and sometimes even necessary) to use the correct jargon and terminology, since another attorney, judge, or magistrate will be your reader.

When appropriate, strive to use plain language in your legal writing while showing that you understand jargon and can present it in easy-to-understand ways for the reader.

Tip 9: Edit and proofread

The legal writing process doesn’t just stop when the piece is finished. One of the most common mistakes writers make is not budgeting for the editing phase—a thorough editing and review process takes time.

It’s always helpful to have somebody else edit and proofread your work, but you should be able to take care of the basics yourself. Master spelling and grammar basics—lawyers who present documents with spelling and grammatical errors will be seen as less credible and lacking in attention to detail.

Understandably, it can be difficult to catch spelling and grammatical errors immediately. Once you’ve read your document several times, you’ll usually glaze over your own mistakes. Some other helpful legal writing tips for the editing process include reading your writing aloud or reading it backward to help hone your focus and spot errors you’d otherwise miss.

Tips to level up your legal writing

Tip 10: use helpful tools and apps.

No matter what medium or document you’re writing, all good writers should always use spell check at a minimum. Advances in writing technology have also made legal writing much easier. For example, writing apps like Grammarly and Ginger can help you catch grammar, spelling, and other language mistakes.

If you don’t have an editor always available to help proofread your legal writing (which most usually don’t), text-to-speech apps such as Natural Reader can help read your documents out loud. This will help spot errors and awkward passages.

While some of these services are free, many of them will have a paid version to unlock extra features. Consider investing in some of these paid versions if your job requires a lot of writing—it’s worth it to bring your legal writing skills to the next level.

Tip 11: Read other writers’ work

The most common piece of advice writers give to those looking to improve their writing skills is to read—this rings true for any kind of writing. To improve your legal writing skills specifically, find good legal and business writers and read their work. This could be legal documents, but also books , blogs , and articles . 

By studying and understanding how others write and structure their pieces, you’ll get a feel for the general format of a legal document. You can then incorporate your unique ideas and writing style. You could also ask colleagues for examples of their work or join communities and forums .

Routinely review legal writing examples

Beyond reviewing others’ work, you can further your legal writing skills by reading writing examples. Below are some legal writing examples to support you: 

• Closing letter  
• Engagement letter
• Demand letter examples
• Non-engagement letter

Utilizing a legal document template is another way to maintain consistency and have a blueprint for your writing.   

Legal writing is an ongoing journey

As you embark on this legal content writing journey , remember, no one becomes a great legal writer overnight. Like with any craft, good legal writing is a skill and ongoing process that you build the foundation for and improve on. 

The writing process is complex and extends beyond just putting words to paper. Researching, writing, and editing are all important skills for good legal writing. The more you practice writing, the easier it gets and the better your work will be over time.

Use the above writing tips as your starting point. Remember, always be open to and use feedback and constructive criticism.

What makes a good legal writer?

The best legal writers know their audience and craft their words for the reader. Sometimes, the reader is a judge; other times, it’s your client. Understanding your audience and striving to write in their preferred style will serve one well in their career.

What are the three steps of legal writing?

In its most basic form, legal writing involves three steps: drafting, rewriting, and revising. Though, it’s common to add additional editing and revision stages depending on the document and writer’s experience/preferred working style.

We published this blog post in April 2021. Last updated: April 24, 2024 .

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31-point checklist to write an award-winning legal article or blog

• Career Guide
• Aishwarya Agrawal
• January 25, 2023

Writing a legal article or blog can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can be done effectively. This brief will provide tips and guidelines for drafting a legal article or blog, including how to select a topic, conduct research, use clear and concise language, and format your work for publication.

Here you go!

Selecting a topic for the research

Selecting topics for law articles can be challenging, but with a little bit of thought and planning, you can find a topic that is both interesting and relevant to your audience. Here are some tips for selecting topics for law articles:

Consider your audience. Your topic should be of interest to your readers and relevant to their needs. Think about the types of people who will be reading your article and what they might be interested in learning more about.

Stay current. Legal issues are constantly changing, so it’s important to choose a topic that is timely and relevant to current events. This will help keep your readers engaged and ensure that your article is providing them with the most up-to-date information.

Think about your area of expertise. If you have a specific area of expertise, it can be helpful to focus on topics that are related to your field of study. This will help you provide your readers with valuable insights and information that they may not be able to find elsewhere.

Look for gaps in current legal literature. Research on the legal topic you are interested in, check for gaps in the current legal literature, and try to write about those gaps or unexplored areas, this can increase your chances of getting published in a journal or law review.

Explore controversial issues. Controversial issues can be a great source of inspiration for legal articles. These topics can spark debate and generate interest from readers, but it’s important to make sure you are presenting a balanced and objective perspective.

Utilize legal research tools. There are many legal research tools available online, such as LexisNexis and Westlaw, which can help you find recent court decisions, statutes and regulations on a specific topic. This can be a great starting point for finding a topic that is both relevant and interesting.

Keep in mind the legal trends. Keep an eye on legal trends and emerging issues, such as changes in laws and regulations, as these can be good sources for article topics.

Best practices to write a legal article

Drafting a legal article or blog can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can be done effectively. Here are some tips for drafting a legal article or blog:

Start with a clear thesis or main point. Your article or blog should have a specific focus or argument that you are trying to make. This will help guide the rest of your writing and keep your readers engaged.

Conduct thorough research. Before you begin writing, make sure you have a good understanding of the topic you are writing about. This will require you to research relevant laws, cases, and other sources of information that will help you make your argument.

Use clear and concise language. Legal writing can be dense and difficult to understand, so it’s important to use clear and concise language that your readers can easily understand. Avoid using legal jargon or complex terms that your readers may not be familiar with.

Use examples and anecdotes. To help illustrate your points, use real-life examples and anecdotes that your readers can relate to. This will help make your writing more engaging and easier to understand.

Use evidence to support your argument. Legal writing relies heavily on evidence to support your argument, so make sure you are using credible and reliable sources to back up your claims.

Be objective. In legal writing, it is important to be objective, meaning that you should not let your personal opinions influence your writing. You should present the facts and the law as they are and let your readers form their own opinions.

Edit and proofread your work. Before you publish your article or blog, make sure you have thoroughly edited and proofread your work. This will help you catch any errors or mistakes and ensure that your writing is clear and error-free.

Provide references and citations. Legal writing requires proper referencing and citations, so make sure you are providing the necessary information for readers to follow up on the sources you used.

Remember, a legal article or blog is a way to educate the readers on the legal topic, so make sure to make it easy to understand and informative.

Formatting your article

Formatting a legal article is an important aspect of legal writing, as it helps to make your work clear, organized, and easy to read. Here are some key points to keep in mind when formatting your legal article:

Use a clear and consistent structure. A legal article should have a clear and consistent structure that includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction should provide an overview of the topic and the main points you will be discussing. The body of the article should be divided into sections or paragraphs that present your argument and evidence in a logical and organized manner. And the conclusion should summarize your main points and provide your readers with a sense of closure.

Use headings and subheadings. Headings and subheadings are an effective way to organize your legal article and make it easy for readers to follow the flow of your argument. Headings should be used to indicate the main sections of your article, while subheadings can be used to break up the body of your article into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Use footnotes or endnotes. Legal writing often involves citing sources, so it’s important to use footnotes or endnotes to provide your readers with the necessary information. Footnotes or endnotes should be used to indicate the source of any quotes or information that you use in your article.

Use proper citation format. Make sure you are using the proper citation format, such as Bluebook or OSCOLA. This will help you properly cite the sources you use in your article and ensure that your readers can easily find the sources you cite.

Use clear and consistent font and formatting. The font and formatting of your legal article should be clear and consistent, so that it is easy for readers to read and follow. Use a font that is easy to read, such as Times New Roman or Arial, and use consistent formatting throughout your article.

Avoid using overly complex or specialized language. Legal writing can be dense and difficult to understand, so it’s important to use clear and concise language that your readers can easily understand. Avoid using legal jargon or complex terms that your readers may not be familiar with, as they can make your article more difficult to understand.

Use bullet points, tables, and figures to highlight important information. Bullet points, tables, and figures can be useful for highlighting important information and making your article more visually appealing.

Proofread and edit your work. Before you submit or publish your legal article, make sure you have thoroughly proofread and edited your work. This will help you catch any errors or mistakes and ensure that your writing is clear and error-free.

How does a legal article differ from a legal research paper?

A legal article or blog is different from a legal research paper in several ways, including the purpose, format, and audience.

Purpose: The primary purpose of a legal article or blog is to inform and educate the general public or legal professionals on a specific legal topic, whereas the primary purpose of a legal research paper is to present original research and analysis on a specific legal issue.

Format : Legal articles or blogs typically have a more informal and conversational tone, whereas legal research papers are more formal and academic in tone. Legal articles or blogs are shorter in length, usually around 800 to 1500 words, whereas legal research papers are much longer, typically around 10,000 to 20,000 words.

Audience : Legal articles or blogs are typically aimed at a broader audience, including the general public, legal professionals, and law students, whereas legal research papers are usually intended for a specific academic audience of legal scholars and researchers.

Language and Jargon: Legal articles or blogs try to avoid legal jargon and complex legal terms, and use simpler language that can be easily understood by a general audience. On the other hand, legal research papers use a more technical language and legal jargon, which is more appropriate for academic research.

Research and Analysis: Legal articles or blogs tend to provide an overview of a legal topic and its current state, whereas legal research papers provide an in-depth analysis of a specific legal issue. Legal research papers are expected to cite legal authorities, case laws and statutes to support the argument.

Citations and references: Legal research papers require proper referencing and citations, whereas legal articles or blogs often do not require formal citations, but it is still good practice to provide references and citations for the sources used.

Publication: Legal research papers are typically published in academic journals, law reviews, or as a part of a thesis or dissertation, whereas legal articles or blogs are typically published online or in legal publications.

Impact: Legal research papers tend to have a more significant impact on the legal community as they present original research and analysis on a specific legal issue, whereas legal articles or blogs have a more general impact as they are intended to inform and educate the general public and legal professionals about a specific legal topic.

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Nine Ways to Build Your Law Practice by Publishing

If you are like many lawyers, you have probably thought about writing a book or article on a legal topic. This column will help you maximize practice development from publishing, whether you want to develop prospects, help existing clients, or just build your reputation.

The Typical Way Lawyers Write for Publication

Often, a lawyer who writes an article starts the process by thinking of a topic. You may want to write about a legal issue you have encountered, a recent development in the law, or perhaps expand upon a research memorandum you completed for a client.

If you are like many lawyers, you do some research on the topic, then prepare an article that will help someone thoroughly understand the issue. You start writing, probably between perhaps 3,000 and 10,000 words, with citations and—if you were on law review—ample footnotes.

If fortunate or persistent, you finish your article. (Many lawyer-writers get too busy and never finish.) You are then probably too self-conscious to have anyone you know review your article. They are busy, and you don’t want to take up their time. So you promptly send your writing to the publisher you hope will publish the writing – perhaps a prestigious law review or national publication—and hope they will edit it, cite check it, and publish it.

If published, you trust, your article will bring you recognition, prestige, and perhaps even some clients.

Making Your Writing Great

If you follow the “usual” approach I just described, you made a lot of very basic mistakes that may hurt your ability to maximize return on your writing. Instead of such random acts of publishing, let me offer nine suggestions for how best to build your law practice by publishing on legal issues.

1. Decide why you are writing.

If you want to maximize the practice-building benefits of your writing, planning is critical. And the first step of planning is to choose your objective, to decide what you hope to accomplish with your writing.

The three most common aims for lawyers writing on legal topics are to (1) increase prestige; (2) cultivate potential clients; and (3) provide helpful aids for clients or colleagues in the law. All of these aims can assist the lawyer in developing business.

Increased prestige can help you become a “visible expert,” the marketing buzzword for people recognized and sought out because of their expertise on a particular subject. Cultivating prospects or providing an aid to clients or colleagues, meanwhile, can provide more direct links to receiving more legal business, either from your readers or people they refer to you.

Of course, some lawyers write simply because they have a burning desire to write. If this fire burns in you, you may want to write fiction or perhaps more popular genres of nonfiction rather than legal analysis. This may be a wise choice, because although a (very) small group of lawyers make some or even decent money writing on legal topics, the real money comes from writing more popular content and appealing to the broader public. If your burning desire is to write on arcane legal topics, meanwhile, perhaps you should consider pursuing a position in legal academia.

Rather than becoming distracted by such issues, let me proceed to my second recommendation on writing and publishing for business development.

2. Publish as part of a broader marketing plan.

Now that you have selected your goal, develop a multi-part plan to accomplish that goal. Often publishing articles will only be part of the goal. You may want to develop an industry niche. If this is the case, you may want to publish articles for that industry. But you should also develop a plan to become active in that industry. You can then use your writing to reinforce your overall goal.

To increase your name recognition, it is important to have repeat contact with the people you want to influence. Whether you want to be perceived as an expert or develop business, you will usually get the best results if your readers see your name and connect it to your preferred topic or practice eight or more times.

When writing, therefore, you will generally achieve better results if you publish a series of short, insightful articles instead of one longer article. You also benefit when you publish where people may know you or your firm, so you can benefit from an established reputation.

You also may want to publish where you expect to interact personally with your potential readers. People are more willing to read and remember articles by people they know. If they meet you and find you compelling in person, they are more likely to search out content that you have published.

3. Pick the best forum for your article.

Once you have a goal and a plan, select the best publication or forum to accomplish that goal. This step may involve an internal struggle, because often the most prestigious forum is not the best forum to accomplish your goal. Often the best forum may require you to write far outside your comfort zone, to target people who lack a legal—and possibly even a higher—education.

You should consider many factors when choosing a forum for publishing. They include the reputation and renown of the publication; its circulation size; its content focus; its geographic focus; its audience and demographics of the audience; the speed to publication; and the allocation of post-publication rights.

Your purpose for publishing should influence the weight you assign each factor. If you are seeking prestige, for example, the reputation and renown of the publication may overshadow any other considerations. You should be aware, however, that publishing an article in a prestigious law review will likely bring only prestige: few prospects or referral sources will likely see the article, or read it—even if you send it to the prospect. Also, if a publication is truly prestigious, you may need to develop a track record of publishing to even be considered.

If you want to cultivate prospects, meanwhile, you will likely want to concentrate on publication’s content focus, audience demographics, and geographic location. A lawyer who wants retention on construction litigation matters, for example, should (a) determine who hires construction litigation attorneys and (b) publish articles where those people are likely to see them. If you are seeking construction litigation engagements, your primary prospects would probably not be other lawyers, even construction lawyers. Rather, you probably want to reach construction company executives or perhaps other professionals (such as insurance underwriters or bankers) who service the construction industry. Publish where they will see your writing.

Similarly, if you want to represent people going through divorce, you probably want to reach married people who live near your office—and who are likely to have the type of divorce you want to handle (and who can pay their bills).

When you are trying to identify publications that may reach your targets, one shortcut is to ask targets—perhaps existing clients or, if you rely heavily on referrals, referral sources—what publications or websites they read on a regular basis.

Finally, if you hope to publish a helpful aid to clients or colleagues, content flexibility and reach may be major concerns. You will want to publish the aid you think will be most helpful, and get it in the hands of the people it can help. For this reason, post-publication rights may be very important. Many publishers will allow you to retain the rights to your publication, or sell you a reprint that you may distribute largely without limit.

4. Investigate what your forum publishes.

Once you have selected a forum for publication, you should review what that publication actually publishes. This inquiry usually takes two forms. First, you should see if the publication has author guidelines. These guidelines may specify length, content, use of citations and footnotes, and the like. Sending a publication something that does not comply with the publication’s express requirement severely reduces your chance of being published.

Many bar publications, for example, will not publish articles that exceed 1,000 or 1,500 words. Other publications want 2,500-word manuscripts, while many law reviews prefer articles exceeding 5,000 words. I often write single-page columns, which must be fewer than 650 words. Article length can be critical: if you write something 4,000 words long, or 12,000 words long, it may be very difficult to place.

Second, you should review several copies of the publication to see what the publication actually does publish. If your article looks nothing like anything the publication has ever published before, there is a pretty good chance the publication will not publish it.

5. Explore post-publication rights.

Before you submit to a publication, learn what you will be permitted to do with your article after it is published. Some publications will require authors to sign away most of their intellectual property rights. Then you may need to purchase a reprint or receive special permission before you can circulate your published article. In other instances, you may retain full rights, and be permitted to create your own paper or digital reprint of the article.

Similarly, if you are publishing a book, some publishers give authors a significant number of extra copies, or allow authors to publish copies of their book at a significant discount. Other publishers may provide only one or two copies to an author, and charge significant amounts for extra copies.

Restrictions on the ability to repurchase and repurpose your work may be quite important if you hope to use your published piece as a firm newsletter, or to otherwise reach prospects or reward clients. Moreover, it is best to learn the limitations before you publish—and to have them set forth in an agreement with the publication. Otherwise, you may find you have far less latitude in how you use your published work after the fact.

6. Write what best advances your goal.

Having determined where to publish and what to publish, it is now time to write. Make sure that your prior planning and the publication you intend to use shape your writing. Write with the proper tone and for the proper audience. Avoid or explain technical language and jargon that may confuse your intended audience.

Also, make sure your content is truly original. I am aware of situations where lawyer-authors tried to pass off another’s content as original. Plagiarism will damage rather than enhance the purported author’s reputation. In addition, in some instances it has resulted in disciplinary sanctions.

7. Have someone else proof your writing.

You should spell-check and grammar-check your writing before submission. But, more important, you should always have someone review what you have written before you submit it for publication. Many publications rush their review, or provide only light editing. If you want to publish an article that will make you proud, you generally need to ensure that you were proud of the writing when you submitted it.

Often I have an intelligent, detail-oriented non-lawyer and non-specialist review my writing, even when the articles are intended for lawyers or specialists. These readers provide a good test that all the writing is reasonably coherent. In fact, I even convinced a non-lawyer to proof my 280-page book before the American Bar Association edited and published it. (Thanks, Mom.)

8. Cooperate with your intended publisher.

Now that you have an article, you want to work well with your publisher. If you have a deadline, try to meet the deadline. If you have a word limit, stay within it. If the publisher sends you a proof to review, review the proof within the time allowed. Also, when reviewing a proof, try to avoid the temptation to rewrite your article completely, or do anything else that may impair timely publication of your writing.

Finally, if you are having a bad experience with a publisher, your best bet is likely to never use that publisher again. Trying to fight with them during the publishing process is not worth your time and energy—or theirs.

9. Consider re-using or republishing your writing.

Once you have published your article, you may want to consider republishing it or distributing it to gain further benefits. Many publications will only publish original content, but some are willing to publish something that has been published before in another setting. Also, as discussed earlier, publications vary regarding what rights you might have to re-use a publication after publication. Finally, some publications will post the article online, while others will not, and they may or may not allow you to be the article’s first Iweb publisher. Publishing original content online helps with search engine optimization .

If you would like to publish your writing in a second publication, you may want to learn restrictions before you select your first forum for publication. After all, you may be surprised to learn when a forum might publish an article that has previously been published elsewhere.

About the Author

Michael Downey is a legal ethics lawyer at Downey Law Group LLC, a law firm devoted to legal ethics, law firm risk management, lawyer discipline defense, and the law of lawyering. He can be reached at (866) 961-6644 or [email protected] .

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Publishing in Law Reviews and Journals

Publishing in law reviews and journals-home, deciding where to publish, article submission services, author rights, sharing and depositing your papers, conferences and symposia, books, articles and other resources, writing competitions, videos of classes and presentations, tutorial and quiz, getting help.

Have you thought about trying to publish in a law review or journal?  This guide contains a variety of resources to help you in that process.  

Submit to DASH, Harvard University's open access repository

If you are a current HLS student, deposit your work in  DASH  (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard).

This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License .

You may reproduce any part of it for noncommercial purposes as long as credit is included and it is shared in the same manner. 

Comparing Law Journal Impact Factor/Prestige

Over the years, many ranking systems for law journals have evolved, incorporating a variety of methodologies and factors, including frequency of citation, prominence of author, etc..  Although such rankings can be useful for getting an idea of the prestige or "impact factor" of a journal, they should be taken with a grain of salt and in consideration of other factors that might be important to you.  Ranking of journals is frequently a subject of articles and blog postings.  Play close attention to how the data was compiled---e.g. through database searches, opinions of experts in the field, etc..

Law Journal Submissions and Ranking The Washington & Lee Law School Library produces this site that lists law journals by subject, country and other factors, and allows users to rank journals by impact factor or immediacy index. (Both are based on citation counts more or less, see ranking methodology ). Provides contact and submission information.

Allen Rostron & Nancy Levit,   I nformation for Submitting Articles to Law Reviews & Journals .

Bridget J. Crawford,  Information for Submitting to Online Law Review Companions .

Michael Goodyear,  Information for Submitting Articles to Specialty & Non-Flagship Law Journals .

Nancy Levit et al,  Submission of Law Student Articles for Publication .

Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (Harvard ID and PIN required) Ranks journals in a wide range of disciplines including about 100 law journals. Rankings are based on citation counts in thousands of journals in the sciences and social sciences. From the home page, click Categories , then click  Social Sciences, General.  From the expanded menu, click  Law.

Most Cited Journals on HeinOnline This top 100 list is based on HeinOnline's citator feature called ScholarCheck. You can also use ScholarCheck to create your own metric. They also have a collection of most-cited law journals .

Eigenfactor This system ranks journals as Google ranks websites (mapping relationship structures). The coverage of law is not comprehensive, but it is useful for looking at journals in the context of the social sciences generally.

Google Scholar Metrics Google Scholar provides five-year h-index and h-median numbers for ranking purposes.

Bryce Clayton Newell, Law Journal Meta-Ranking 2023 Edition

Measuring Quality - Writing for and Publishing in Law Reviews (Choosing Where to Submit and Publish)   A great guide compiled by the Gallagher Library at the University of Washington Law School, explaining the most common ranking factors, including important an extensive selection of articles and surveys.

Brian T. Detweiler, May It Please the Court: A Longitudinal Study of Judicial Citation to Academic Legal Periodicals

Accessibility of the Content

Is the journal available in places where scholars will find, and hopefully cite to, its contents? Some considerations include:

Is it open access or freely available? Do you encounter a paywall when trying to read an article's full-text? Check the journal's website for contents and the journal's policy. You can also check the  Directory of Open Access Journals , but the coverage for law is not extensive. 

Is it in Westlaw, Lexis, and other subscription databases? 

Is it indexed by Legaltrac (a.k.a Legal Resource Index)? See title list  (downloads as an Excel file).

Is it indexed by Index to Legal Periodicals and Books? See title list .

Is it included in Tables of Contents Services, such as Current Index to Legal Periodicals? See title list  on HeinOnline (Harvard Key required).

Selected Directories of Law Journals

In addition to Washington and Lee's Law Review Submissions and Ranking website , there are several directories that can be used to find out more information about law journals that are currently being published.

• Ulrich's Periodicals Not specific to law, Ulrich's describes periodicals in all disciplines, worldwide. Most comprehensive source for finding law-related serial publications. Includes newspapers, bar journals, and trades. Usually provides a description, contact information, circulation figures, abstracting and indexing services, and links to publishers' sites. Use Advanced Search to find appropriate journals. At minimum, you may want to limit Country of Publication to United States, Subject to law, Status to Active, and Serial Type to Academic/Scholarly.
• Directory for Successful Publishing in Legal Periodicals Call Number: Reference K 36.J69 1997x A bit out of date but still useful. Covers about 500 major law journals. Describes the journal's particular focus, preferred manuscript style; acceptance rates, details about the review process, and occasionally explains factors in manuscript rejections.

Short-Form Publishing

Many law reviews now have blogs and websites that accept shorter submissions. See Information for Submitting to Online Law Review Companions by Bridget J. Crawford . Washington & Lee also lists selected ones on its   Law Journals: Submissions and Ranking website .

Scholastica

Hls student scholastica funding.

The Harvard Law School subsidizes Scholastica journal submissions for current students with publishable academic work. 

Eligibility

To access this support, you must receive sign-off from your faculty supervisor that your article is ready for submission and/or that submission will further your academic goals.

Before we activate your account, we ask you to complete a tutorial and quiz about submission strategy. You may also want to set up an appointment with a librarian to discuss strategy and how to select journals for submission. We encourage you to review the  Law Library’s Guide to Publishing in Law Reviews and Journals.

How to Participate

Send a request using your Harvard email to [email protected] . Include or separately forward the approval from your faculty supervisor. 

How it Works

When you contact us, we will send you a link to an online tutorial and quiz. Once you have completed the quiz, and we receive your request and faculty approval,  Library staff will add you to our Scholastica account. Once you acknowledge our invitation, you will be free to begin your submissions. Your account will remain active through the end of the pilot unless you reach your maximum number of submissions

Submission Levels

• SJD– up to 50 submissions per academic year during your time at HLS. Unused submissions will roll over to the next year. 
• LLMs – up to 50 submissions  total during your year at HLS.
• JDs – up to 50 submissions total during your three years at HLS.
• Submissions may be used up to 10 months after graduation.

Note:  Please keep track of your journal submissions and notify us when you reach 50, as Scholastica does not limit them automatically. 

JOURNAL POLICIES FOR SUBMISSION

Sherpa Services  is a searchable database of publisher's general policies regarding copyright and the self-archiving of journal articles on the web and in Open Access repositories.  Each entry provides a summary of the publisher's policy, including what version of an article can be deposited, where it can be deposited, and any conditions that are attached to that deposit. 

How You Can Submit an Article

Journals have different policies for receiving submissions.  Your best starting place is to check the journal's website, which usually provides details about its policy.  We have collected on this page some potential resources that you can use for submitting an article.

Learn about Author Rights

If you do get an acceptance for publication, you might be asked to sign an author agreement/contract with the publisher.  Some standard agreements require things such as transferring copyright or prohibiting what you can do with your own work.  See Benjamin J. Keele,  Advising Faculty on Law Journal Publication Agreements  for a brief basic review of terms to consider.

SPARC Author Rights

• Author Rights and the SPARC Author Addendum

Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine

Hosted by Science Commons, you can enter the article information and choose the rights you want to retain and generate a standard addendum on pdf  to provide for the publisher's consideration.  http://scholars.sciencecommons.org/  

Keep Your Copyrights

Developed by the Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts and the Program on Law & Technology at Columbia Law School, this website provides a good introduction to author rights and sample publication agreements categorized by level of creator-friendliness.

• https://kernochan.law.columbia.edu/content/keep-your-copyrights

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons (CC)  provides creators with standardized licenses that describe, in plain language, what actions are and are not allowed with their content.

• Read more about the various licenses on the CC website .
• The CC License Chooser tool can help you pick a license that's right for you and your work.

Resources to Learn about Journal Copyright and Self-Archiving Policies

Journal publication agreements vary widely, but there are some resources that help authors get an idea of what a journal's standard policy has typically been.  While the journal publication agreement itself must always be reviewed, looking at these resources at the time of submission can be helpful, particularly if it is important for you to retain certain rights in your work.  Regardless of what a publisher's standard agreement states, you can always try to negotiate different terms. If the publisher is unwilling to budge from its position, you then need to decide how important it is to you to publish in that particular journal.

• Sherpa Services This website lists contains summaries of permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's agreement.
• Benjamin Keele, Copyright Provisions in Law Journal Publication Agreements
• Dan Hunter, Walled Gardens
• Brian Frye, Christopher Ryan, Franklin Runge, An Empirical Study of Law Journal Copyright Practices

Working papers and self-archiving

Regardless of your plans for formal publication of your work, you are encouraged to deposit your student papers with the university's open access repository, DASH . Doing so will enable you to share your work with other members of the Harvard community, as well as the world at large.  If you are concerned about making your content available open on the Internet, you also have the option of submitting only the metadata (e.g. title, your name). See HLS Student Papers Series in DASH for details.

You might also want to deposit your paper (or its metadata) in SSRN or another working paper repository to associate yourself with the work and make it available for feedback from others in the field.  Scholars frequently make their "working papers" or drafts available for early feedback and reaction from colleagues.

The SSRN Legal Scholarship Network hosts research paper series for academic and other research organizations such as the  Harvard Law School, Public Law & Legal Theory Research Paper Series .  Scholars can publish their work in a large number of law-related e-journals within SSRN's Legal Scholarship Network's four areas including Law  & Economics, Public Law & Legal Theory, Legal Studies and Law Research Center Papers. 

Author Identification

Giving the proper author credit for research is the goal of Open Researcher and Contributor ID ( ORCID ) iDs. ORCID is a non-profit, community-driven, Open Access effort to create a registry of unique researcher identifiers.

“ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between you and your professional activities ensuring that your work is recognized.”

You can create a new ORCID or link your existing ORCID using Harvard ORCID Connect , HarvardKey required.

Research Profile Services

• Scholars@Harvard
• Google Scholar Citations
• Academia.edu

Conference Alerts

• Conference Alerts This resource tracks academic conferences worldwide, including ones concerning law. E-mail alerts are available.
• All Conference Alert Lists conferences for a variety of disciplines, including law. Can filter conference list by location and month.

Selected books

Other Guides

• Writing for and Publishing in Law Reviews (Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington School of Law) This very extensive guide covers various aspects of publishing.
• Brian D. Galle, The Law Review Submission Process: A Guide for (and by) the Perplexed
• Scholastica Resources Run by the submission service Scholastica, there are various resources/tips (written from the perspective of a service provider) including their blogs .

Blogs/Current Awareness

• Brian Leiter Law School Reports
• PrawfsBlawg
• Faculty Lounge

HLS also offers many prizes for its students papers generally. See Harvard Law School Writing Prizes for more information.

The American Bar Association (ABA) offers a number of writing competitions for young lawyers and law students, view the full list on their website . 

See also the American University Pence Law Library guide to writing competitions for further resources. 

• Tutorial and quiz to obtain Scholastica account (HarvardKey required)

Contact Us!

  Ask Us!  Submit a question or search our knowledge base.

Chat with us!  Chat   with a librarian (HLS only)

Email: [email protected]

 Contact Historical & Special Collections at [email protected]

  Meet with Us   Schedule an online consult with a Librarian

Hours  Library Hours

Classes  View  Training Calendar  or  Request an Insta-Class

 Text  Ask a Librarian, 617-702-2728

 Call  Reference & Research Services, 617-495-4516

• Last Updated: Jun 12, 2024 12:26 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/gettingpublished

Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

Legal Writing

Guidance on scholarly writing.

• Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic
• Conducting a Preemption Check
• Evaluating Information
• Keeping Current
• Publishing Your Scholarly Writing
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Legal Citation & the Bluebook
• Persuasive Legal Writing
• Transactional Legal Writing
• Litigation Focused Writing
• Legislative Drafting
• Judicial Writing
• ADR Drafting

This research guide is focused on academic legal writing topics to support the students of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in their academic and professional writing endeavors. It provides guidance on how to choose a scholarly paper topic, conduct a preemption check, stay current on a topic of choice, and avoid plagiarism.

In addition, the guide provides information on both print and online, as well as free and subscription, resources for scholarly legal writing, persuasive legal writing, writing for law practice (litigation and transactional), legislative drafting, and judicial writing. An emphasis is placed on materials available within the print and electronic collections of the Ross-Blakley Law Library.

The Legal Scholar's Guidebook   (Elizabeth E. Berenguer, 2020) This guide from an educator specializing in upper level legal writing discusses all stages of crafting a valuable legal article, from choosing a narrow, manageable topic to evaluating sources' credibility. It helps writers process the information already written about a topic, choose a particularly effective paradigm to present legal arguments (such as historical analysis or comparative law), and approach writing with discipline to produce a timely, quality product. Appendices present sample processes including topic selection and outlining, as well as an annotated article highlighting important considerations in the writing process.

Modern Legal Scholarship   (Christine Coughlin et al., 2020) This book breaks down the full process of scholarly writing, from drafting to publication, into understandable and manageable tasks.

Scholarly Writing: Ideas, Examples, and Execution   (Jessica Lynn Wherry & Kristen E. Murray,   2019) This book provides a blueprint for planning, writing, and polishing academic legal writing. It instructs readers on generating ideas, developing breadth and depth of knowledge in research, soliciting and incorporating feedback from reviewers, and shopping papers for publication.

Scholarly Writing For Law Students  (Elizabeth Fajans, 2017) This title teaches law students how to write scholarly papers for seminars, law reviews, and law-review competitions and how to have their work recognized. It helps novices and more experienced scholars alike to write papers with a minimum of anxiety and a maximum of creativity. Employing a process theory of writing, the text first describes the enterprise of scholarly writing and then discusses techniques for brainstorming topics and theses, researching, drafting, and revising for substance and style. 

A cademic Legal Writing   (Eugene Volokh, 2016) Designed to help law students write and publish articles, this text provides detailed instructions for every aspect of the law school writing, research, and publication process. Topics covered include law review articles and student notes, seminar term papers, how to shift from research to writing, cite-checking others' work, publishing, and publicizing written works.

Richard Delgado,  How to Write a Law Review Article , 20 Univ. San Francisco Law Review 445 (1986) Discussing the purpose of academic arguments and their varieties, as well as strategies for selecting topics, researching, selecting authorities, and writing.

Shari Motro,  The Three-Act Argument: How to Write a Law Article That Reads Like a Good Story , 64 J. Legal Educ. (2015) This article explains how the recipe for a dramatic plot—exposition, confrontation, and resolution—can liven up legal writing.

• Next: Choosing a Scholarly Paper Topic >>
• Last Updated: Jul 2, 2024 1:47 PM
• URL: https://libguides.law.asu.edu/legalwriting

Researching and Writing a Law Review Note or Seminar Paper: Writing

• Outline & Guide Information
• Research Tips
• Resources You Can Use for Topic Selection
• Advice for Preemption & Research
• Secondary & Primary Sources for Preemption & Research
• Citation Management Tools
• Law Library Logistics
• Citation Manuals
• Hard-to-Find and Hard-to-Cite-Sources
• Bluebook Guides
• Advice: Choosing Journals, Submission Process, Evaluating Offers, Retaining Author Rights
• Choosing Journals Resources
• Submission Services & Information for NYU Students
• Legal Writing Competitions

Books in Law Library

• Scholarly Writing: Ideas, Examples, and Execution, NYU Law Library
• Scholarly Writing for Law Students - Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes and Law Review Competition Papers, NYU Law Library
• Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review, NYU Law Library
• Effective Lawyering: A Checklist Approach to Legal Writing and Oral Argument See 'Chapter 7. Academic Writing Checklist'

Articles & Book Chapters

• Article Writing for Attorneys, 17 Conn. Law. 30 (2007)
• How (Not to) Write an Abstract, Legal History Blog
• How to Write a Good Abstract for a Law Review Article, Faculty Lounge
• How To Write a Law Review Article, 20 U. San Francisco L. Rev. 445 (1986)
• In Search of the Read Footnote: Techniques for Writing Legal Scholarship and Having It Published, 6 Legal Writing: J. Legal Writing Inst. 229 (2000)
• Law Students as Legal Scholars: An Essay/Review of Scholarly Writing for Law Students and Academic Legal Writing, 7 N.Y. City L. Rev. 195 (2004) A review of the the two leading books on scholarly legal writing.
• Legal Research & Writing for Scholarly Publication, AALL Website
• The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, NYU Law Library See 'Part 4: Scholarly Writing'
• The Three-Act Argument: How to Write a Law Article That Reads Like a Good Story (May 28, 2015). 64 J. Legal Educ. 707 (2015)
• Tips for Better Writing in Law Reviews (and Other Journals), Mich. B.J.,Oct. 2012, at 46
• Write on! A Guide to Getting on Law Review, SSRN
• Writiing Process: Student Writing, NYU Law Website
• Writing an Abstract for a Law Review Article, The Volokh Conspiracy Website
• Writing a Student Article, 48 J. Legal Ed. 247 (1998)
• How to Love Writing About Tax Without Falling in Love With Your Own Tax Writing, Tax Notes

NYU Law Advice: Click on the Text to Read in Full

• << Previous: Law Library Logistics
• Next: Citation >>
• Last Updated: Apr 17, 2024 10:14 AM
• URL: https://nyulaw.libguides.com/lawreviewarticle

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9 Relevant Ideas for Writing Legal Articles for Your Law Firm [Updated – 2024]

Law industry is extremely critical and requires utmost level of trust & credibility for firms to position themselves in the market. It can done through various ways, out of which one of the most reliable and outcome-oriented method is set your firm as an information hub. This article talks about various hot topics for writing legal articles for your law firm.

Here is a question for you. As a legal firm, why should you start writing legal articles, right about now?

The legal industry is no stranger to the fact that digitization is at its peak. Almost all the companies across sectors are creating a strong online presence to sustain in their markets. 

According to a study by Justia , in 2020, around 27% of law firms were found to have a maintained blog channel on their website. Moreover, 25% of firms retained their clients with regular blogs & articles. That is the power of writing legal articles.

The legal industry is an ever-evolving industry with dynamic changes in the law each year. So, creating legal awareness about these aspects is the way to drive traction to your website. This increases your brand relevancy, resulting in likely conversion. 

However, writing legal articles ain’t that easy. It still requires the article writing skills needed to write structured & SEO-friendly legal articles, maximizing your ROI.

Content Whale is a content writing company specializing in many domains, such as blogs & article writing, graphic design, website content writing, etc. Writing legal articles effectively is one of our finest niches. 

We have played a significant part in the growth of several law firms, such as Bafnalaw, LawInsider, and USAttorneys.com. So, if you need professional assistance in legal article writing services, we welcome you to contact us here .

However, to help you with what you should be writing about in 2024, we have compiled a list of 9 legal article writing and blog ideas.

Why Should Law Firms be Writing Legal Articles and Blogs?

Imagine you have started a legal company with a team of experts in various fields of law. You have an extremely well-defined and easy-to-navigate website. You are ready to serve your clients with the latest & best legal advice and representation. 

However, you found a huge problem responsible for your gradual growth:

• Not visible enough to your target audience.
• The clients who somehow reach out to you are unable to build enough trust in you.

So, what strategy should you employ in order to tackle these issues? How would you reach out to your potential clients without spending so much on marketing? Moreover, how will you build trust and authority in your industry and stand out from the crowd?

One of the most effective yet affordable ways to achieve these goals is through writing legal articles and blogs. Legal article writing will not only help you reach your prospects but also help you build trust in the market.

You can also confirm through these sources:

• According to HubSpot , companies that blog get 67% more leads than those that don’t.
• According to a study by Demand Metric , content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads.
• A SearchEngineJournel article says that 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site.

So, if you want to grow your law firm, you need to start blogging regularly. But what should you write about? How do you come up with topics that will resonate with your audience and rank well on search engines?

Here’s a list of 9 trending topics for writing legal articles and blogs for law firms that you can use right away.

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #1 – How to Change the Ownership Structure of Your Business?

One of the most common questions that business owners ask is how to change the ownership structure of their business. Whether it is due to a partnership dispute, a divorce, a retirement, or a sale, changing the ownership structure can have significant legal implications for the business and its owners.

Writing legal articles on changing ownership structures can attract potential business owners. As an example, through legal article writing, you can explain some of the common ways to change the ownership structure of your business, such as:

• Selling or buying shares
• Creating or dissolving a partnership
• Merging or acquiring another business
• Forming or dissolving a corporation
• Converting from one entity type to another

You can cover these topics in detail while ending your blog with a CTA:

“Changing the ownership structure of a business can be a complex and daunting process. That’s why you need expert legal advice from a qualified business lawyer who can guide you through the steps and help you avoid any pitfalls.”

Therefore, writing legal articles on such a popular topic can attract potential clients who are looking for guidance on this matter.

Here are some titles for this topic you can use for writing legal articles in 2024:

• “Navigating Business Ownership Changes: A Comprehensive Guide for 2024”
• “Legal Implications of Changing Business Ownership Structures: An In-depth Analysis”
• “Mastering the Art of Business Ownership Change: A Legal Perspective”
• “The 2024 Handbook: Changing Your Business Ownership Structure”
• “Understanding the Legalities of Business Ownership Changes in 2024”
• “A Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Business Ownership Structure”
• “The Legal Landscape of Business Ownership Changes in 2024”
• “Demystifying Business Ownership Changes: A Legal Guide for Entrepreneurs”
• “The 2024 Entrepreneur’s Guide: Navigating Business Ownership Changes”
• “Business Ownership Changes: Legal Considerations for 2024 and Beyond”

According to the latest research by Hubspot, you need at least 16 rankable blogs per month for almost 3.5x growth.  Need help?

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #2 – What is Litigation? How to Handle it?

Litigation is the process of resolving disputes through the court system. It involves filing a lawsuit, presenting evidence, arguing motions, negotiating settlements, or going to trial.

Litigation can be stressful, expensive, and time-consuming for both parties involved. It can also damage your reputation and relationships with your customers, suppliers, partners, or employees.

Here are a few topics that you can cover in your legal articles:

• The stages of litigation
• The types of litigation
• The roles and responsibilities of the parties
• The advantages and disadvantages of litigation
• The alternatives to litigation

Litigation is a common topic for law firms that deal with various types of disputes, such as contract breaches, personal injuries, intellectual property violations, employment issues, etc. Hence, it can attract potential clients who are looking for legal assistance or representation in litigation matters.

Here are some of the titles that you should be focusing on in 2024 for writing your legal articles on the topic of litigation:

• “Understanding the Stages of Litigation: A Comprehensive Guide”
• “Exploring the Different Types of Litigation: What You Need to Know”
• “The Roles and Responsibilities in Litigation: A Detailed Overview”
• “Weighing the Pros and Cons: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Litigation”
• “Beyond the Courtroom: Effective Alternatives to Litigation”
• “Navigating Contract Breaches: A Litigation Perspective”
• “Personal Injuries and Litigation: What Victims Need to Know”
• “Protecting Intellectual Property: The Role of Litigation”
• “Employment Issues and Litigation: A 2024 Outlook”
• “Attracting Clients through Litigation Articles: A Strategy for Law Firms in 2024”

Finding difficulty in creating rank-worthy blogs? Or, for some reason, your blogs aren’t ranking after doing everything right?  Get a free consultation now!

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #3 – Recent Changes in Law (Niche-specific)

The legal industry is constantly evolving and changing. New laws are enacted, old laws are amended, and new interpretations are made by the courts. And undoubtedly, these changes can have a significant impact on businesses, individual rights, and obligations.

That’s why it’s crucial for you to showcase your expertise by writing legal articles relevant to your niche, i.e., corporate law, family law, tax law, etc.

There are two ways you can demonstrate your expertise and authority in your niche. 

a) Share law updates with your target audience:

• The introduction of new bills or acts
• The amendment or repeal of existing laws
• The issuance of new rules or guidelines by the authorities

b) Though leadership articles by sharing your opinion:

• The new opportunities or challenges that arise
• The new compliance requirements or standards that apply
• The new risks or liabilities that emerge

Hence, writing legal articles on these topics will greatly enhance your credibility in the market. And thus to help you out, we will be sharing a few topic titles:

• “Navigating the New Tax Law: Opportunities and Challenges”
• “Understanding the Impact of Recent Amendments in Corporate Law”
• “The Introduction of New Bills: What Businesses Need to Know”
• “Compliance in the Face of New Rules and Guidelines: A Comprehensive Guide”
• “Emerging Risks and Liabilities in Family Law: An Expert’s Opinion”
• “Decoding the Recent Changes in Tax Law: A Detailed Analysis”
• “The Changing Landscape of Corporate Law: Risks and Opportunities”
• “New Guidelines in Family Law: Understanding the Implications”
• “The Repeal of Existing Laws: What It Means for Your Business”
• “Thought Leadership in Law: Addressing New Compliance Requirements”

Writing blogs is one of our areas of expertise.  Let us handle  this task for you while you work on more important things.

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #4 – Trending High Profile Cases – Updates

The legal industry is full of drama, intrigue, and controversy. Every day, there are high-profile cases that capture the attention of the public, the media, and the professionals. 

These cases can involve celebrities, politicians, corporations, or ordinary people who find themselves in not-so-ordinary situations. They can teach valuable lessons about the law, justice, ethics, and human nature. 

You can either update your audience by writing legal articles on:

• Facts and evidence both the parties presented
• Legal arguments and strategies used by both sides
• Strengths and weaknesses of both parties
• Potential outcomes and implications of these cases

Or you can share your expert opinion on these cases, which potentially can mould your target audience into your followers. 

This way, you can show your audience you are well-informed and well-versed in your niche. Writing legal articles on such topics is the fastest way to gain popularity, resulting in business growth. Since this is a really dynamic topic, it’s important for you to be updated with current affairs and then decide on the titles for writing legal articles on these topics.

If writing SEO-optimized blogs is not your forte,  contact us and get your first blog at a 50% discount!

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #5 – Family Law – What all it includes?

Family law is a broad area of law that deals with various aspects of family relationships, such as marriage, divorce, child custody, child support, adoption, domestic violence, etc.

If you are a family law firm, writing legal articles can benefit you greatly. You can explain what family law includes and how it can help your clients resolve their family issues. You need to cover topics such as:

• The benefits of prenuptial agreements
• Marriage & divorce
• The types of child custody arrangements
• Domestic violence and abuse
• Adoption and surrogacy
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
• The effects of family law on taxes, estate planning, etc.

By writing legal articles on these topics, you can educate your clients and prospects on the basics of family law and how it applies to their situations.

Family law is a sensitive niche, and the tonality you follow in your legal articles can make or break your law business. So, ensure that you are not publishing insensitive content. From our side, we can recommend a few trending topics that can help you fetch website traffic:

• “Understanding the Benefits of Prenuptial Agreements”
• “Navigating the Complexities of Marriage and Divorce”
• “Exploring the Different Types of Child Custody Arrangements”
• “Addressing Domestic Violence and Abuse: Legal Perspectives”
• “Adoption and Surrogacy: A Comprehensive Guide”
• “Prenuptial vs Postnuptial Agreements: What You Need to Know”
• “The Impact of Family Law on Taxes and Estate Planning”

This is really a very sensitive topic. We know you know that. But do you know we are really good at handling sensitive topics, such as blogs on famility law? Try us, may be?

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #6 – How to File a Divorce?

Divorce is one of the most common and stressful events that many people go through in their lives. It is a complicated and costly legal process.

If you are a divorce lawyer, expertly writing legal articles can help people suffering from a broken marriage take your consulting to get out. You can cover topics such as:

• Requirements for filing a divorce
• Difference between contested and uncontested divorce
• Steps involved in filing a divorce
• Documents needed for filing a divorce
• Costs associated with filing a divorce
• Timeline for completing a divorce
• Alternatives to filing a divorce, etc.

Here are some of the topic titles that you can use for writing legal articles on Divorce:

• “Understanding the Requirements for Filing a Divorce”
• “Contested vs Uncontested Divorce: What’s the Difference?”
• “A Step-by-Step Guide to Filing a Divorce”
• “Essential Documents Needed for Filing a Divorce”
• “Breaking Down the Costs Associated with Filing a Divorce”
• “What to Expect: The Timeline for Completing a Divorce”
• “Exploring Alternatives to Filing a Divorce”

Note that while these topics are relevant to 2024. However, there have been some changes in divorce laws in various countries, including India, that you might want to consider while writing legal articles. Here are some of the changes:

• Simplification of how the Court decides what care arrangements are in the child’s best interests.
• Removal of the presumption that parents have equal shared parental responsibility.
• Making it clear that final parenting orders can only be changed if there has been a “significant change in circumstances”.
• Both spouses can now file for divorce on the grounds of adultery.
• Withholding financial support or denying access to a child is now considered mental/physical cruelty.

You can also demonstrate your skills in understanding the sensitivity & complications involved in divorce cases through legal article writing. Or, let us do the writing, and you do the talking. What do you say?

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #7 – How to Claim Insurance?

Insurance is a form of protection that covers various risks and losses that may occur in life, such as accidents, illnesses, injuries, damages, thefts, etc. Insurance can provide financial compensation or reimbursement for the insured person or entity in case of an insured event.

However, claiming insurance is not always easy or straightforward. It can involve many challenges and difficulties, such as:

• Dealing with insurance companies
• Filing insurance claims
• Providing evidence and documentation
• Negotiating settlements
• Disputing denials or delays

If you are an insurance lawyer or a personal injury lawyer, you should be writing legal articles on these topics:

• Types of insurance policies
• Steps to follow to claim insurance
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Rights and responsibilities of the insured and the insurer
• Legal remedies available in case of insurance disputes

By writing about these topics, you can educate your target audience about the process, risks & challenges involved in insurance claims. So, here are some topic titles that you can use:

• “Understanding Different Types of Insurance Policies”
• “A Step-by-Step Guide to Claiming Insurance”
• “Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing an Insurance Claim”
• “Know Your Rights and Responsibilities: The Insured and the Insurer”
• “Legal Remedies Available in Case of Insurance Disputes”
• “Navigating the Challenges of Dealing with Insurance Companies”
• “The Importance of Evidence and Documentation in Insurance Claims”
• “Negotiating Settlements: A Key Aspect of Insurance Claims”
• “How to Dispute Denials or Delays in Insurance Claims”

There is a high chance that people who will be reading your article would potentially be going with you, trusting you to clear their disputes. Just like how our customers trust us for reliable legal article writing? Connect with us now!

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #8 – What are the Steps Involved in Filing for Bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy is a legal process that allows businesses who are unable to pay their debts to seek relief from their creditors.

However, bankruptcy is not a simple or easy solution. It can have serious consequences for the debtor’s credit score, reputation, and future financial opportunities.

If you are a bankruptcy lawyer or a debt relief lawyer, you should be writing legal articles on bankruptcy and publish them on your law firm website. Spreading awareness on different aspects of bankruptcy can direct potential clients to you. Some examples of topics you can cover while writing legal articles are:

• Types of bankruptcy (Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Chapter 13, etc.)
• Eligibility criteria for filing for bankruptcy
• Benefits and drawbacks
• Documents required
• Fees and costs associated
• Role of the bankruptcy trustee and the creditors’ committee
• Impact of bankruptcy on the debtor’s assets, income, and debts
• Duration and outcome of the bankruptcy process

Through legal article writing, you can inform your clients and prospects about the pros and cons of filing for bankruptcy and how to prepare for it. You can also demonstrate your knowledge and skills in handling bankruptcy cases.

Writing legal articles on this topic can generate a huge number of potential clients looking for legal assistance or representation in filing for bankruptcy.

And if you are in need of some topic title samples for writing legal articles on bankruptcy in 2024, check these out:

• “Understanding Bankruptcy: A Comprehensive Guide for 2024”
• “Chapter 7 vs Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13: Which Bankruptcy Type is Right for You?”
• “Eligibility for Bankruptcy in 2024: What You Need to Know”
• “The Pros and Cons of Filing for Bankruptcy: A Detailed Analysis”
• “Essential Documents for Bankruptcy Filing: A Checklist for Debtors”
• “Bankruptcy Costs in 2024: An Overview of Fees and Expenses”
• “The Role of Bankruptcy Trustee and Creditors’ Committee: An Inside Look”
• “Bankruptcy Impact on Assets, Income, and Debts: A Comprehensive Study”
• “The Bankruptcy Process: Duration and Outcome Explained”
• “Preparing for Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide for Debtors”

And if you want to grab those opportunities as early as possible without investing your time and resources in the writing process, let us help you !

Idea for Writing Legal Articles #9 – What is Patent Application? How to File One?

A patent is a legal right that grants the inventor of a new and useful invention the exclusive right to make, use, sell, or license the invention for a limited period of time. A patent can protect the inventor’s intellectual property and prevent others from copying or exploiting the invention without permission.

However, obtaining a patent is not easy or cheap. It discloses delicate information about your invention and can result in a leak.

Being a patent lawyer, you need to write legal articles explaining these topics:

• Types of patents
• Criteria for patentability
• Steps to follow to file a patent application
• Challenges and risks involved
• Benefits & Advantages

By writing legal articles, you can educate your prospects & showcase your expertise in the niche. Some topic title examples for this topic in 2024:

• “Deciphering the Different Types of Patents: A Comprehensive Guide”
• “Eligibility Unveiled: Understanding the Criteria for Patentability”
• “Navigating the Patent Application Process: A Step-by-Step Guide”
• “Overcoming Obstacles: Addressing Challenges and Risks in Patent Filing”
• “The Power of Patents: Exploring the Benefits and Advantages of Patent Ownership”
• “The Cost of Innovation: Weighing the Pros and Cons of Patenting”
• “Protecting Your Brainchild: The Importance of Patent Laws in Safeguarding Inventions”
• “From Idea to Patent: A Detailed Walkthrough of the Patent Application Process”
• “Unraveling the Complexities of Patent Law: An Insightful Overview”
• “Patent Protection: A Strategic Advantage in the Competitive Business Landscape”

How do we know all this? We have been serving companies in the legal industry with blog topics and ideas and then delivering SEO-optimized blogs that rank. So, !..!!……!!..!

Legal article writing has been a helping hand to many of the small to medium law firms to gain visibility and create an effective brand persona. 

When you are writing legal articles, you should ensure that every aspect of article writing is covered efficiently. Check out this blog if you want to learn the latest techniques of article writing that will help you write a rankworthy article.

Q. How do you write content for a law firm?

To write content for a law firm, you need to:

• Understand the objective while keeping your niche as base.
• Choose trending topics if possible.
• Conduct thorough research from reliable sources.
• Write using the latest best practices.
• Use audience-centric.
• Optimize for SEO.
• Proofread and edit.

Check out this article for the latest article writing tips & tricks.

Q. How do I promote my small law firm?

To promote your small law firm, you need to:

• Create a website.
• Write articles & blogs related to your legal niche.
• Simultaneously use social media for brand awareness & share links to your website.
• Use email marketing.
• Use online directories and review sites such as Google My Business, Yelp, Avvo, etc.
• Digital ads using Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.
• Try getting referrals through word-of-mouth.

Seek professional assistance such as content writing companies & digital marketing companies .

Q. How to get clients for law firms in India?

To get clients for law firms in India, you need to:

• Identify your target market and niche.
• Establish USP and brand identity.
• Create a strong online presence.
• Provide valuable content.
• Use SEO techniques to generate organic traffic.
• Use online ads to target your ideal clients.
• Try getting referrals.

Seek professional legal article writing services or digital marketing companies for the best results.

Q. Do law firms need marketing?

Yes, law firms also need marketing as any other firm. If you are a small startup or even an enterprise, it is essential for you to do regular brand awareness marketing campaigns. There are many marketing techniques available. However, legal article writing is one of the most economical yet effective ways to generate business for your law firm. Contact us for affordable yet quality-driven SEO legal article writing services.

Q. How can lawyers find clients?

There are various sources through which you can find clients. Here are some of the most effective ones:

• Testimonials 
• Online directories
• Legal article writing
• A user-friendly website

We can help you create a SEO-driven legal article writing strategy, for a guaranteed increase in client acquisition rate. Contact us here to start your journey.

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• List of Top Content Writing Agencies in US
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8 Requirements for Writing a Legal Article that will Get Read

Pretending that working from home is good, people are equal. opinions are not., 10% pay rise for all goodbye motivation, showing appropriate initiative.

With so much practice, why is it that lawyers are so terrible at writing articles?  Are we just lazy, selfish, myopic?  I don’t think so – I just think nobody’s ever told you how to actually write an article that will get read.

So lawyers get to write a lot of articles.  It’s a pretty safe bet that you either have, or will soon, have to do an article (or many) where you need to summarise a case, propose a point, explain a concept or some other useful kind of publication to go into your firm’s resources for its clients.

As a general rule, these articles take hours to produce.  You often need to research a point, read a long case, understand and articulate the core issues, produce a draft, get feedback and amend it, then finalise the draft and submit it for publication.  The process differs, but the fact is the same – writing an article costs lots of money.

Audience for your Legal Article

Before you even finalise your topic, you need to consider your audience.  Who are they, what do they know.

The best way to do this is to create a person in your head, which many writers call an avatar.  Here’s an example: Jane is a 34 year old mother of two, she works full time and her kids stay with her parents during the day.  Her husband is away often working for a mining company.  Jane doesn’t have a lot of spare time, but needs to stay up to date to ensure she manages her business well.

See how detailed it is?  You can go further if you want.  In fact, the more detailed the better.

Of course, this won’t be representative of everyone your article goes to, but it is instrumental in helping you find the right voice in your article.  You’re not then writing in a void – you’re writing TO someone.

Once you accept the reality that you are writing to someone, rather than AT someone, a lot of the issues facing many legal articles will immediately dissolve out of your writing.  Your language will automatically be more appropriate,  you will chose a headline and image and style that are more appropriate and personal – in all, if you only do one of these things – do this.

Legal articles should be engaging, arresting, informative, and succinct.  Anything else isn’t good enough.

Your Article’s Headline

Your headline should tell me why I care about your article. It should be about ME, not you.

Things like “Franchising Update” or “Insolvency News” are boring as hell and don’t tell me anything. I’m not going to click them unless my mouse slips or they come from a source that I particularly love reading.

Avoid headlines that are too clever. It’s tempting to get all fancy with your headlines, but it’s got to be immediately meaningful – if I can’t figure out what it’s about, then I’m probably not going to click on it.

In short – actually turn your attention to your headline, and ensure that your marketing team does the same.  If it’s boring to you, do you really think anyone else will click on it?

The Extract of the Article

Your extract serves 1 major purpose – it articulates to a person whose attention has been grabbed by your headline a little more about your article.  It needs to be pithy, catching, and explanatory – and short.

Lots of extracts I see are simply the first few sentences of the article – this is just lazy.  Normally it’s too long, gets cut off mid-sentence, and isn’t as informative as it needs to be.

Good use of extracts can include:

• asking a question;
• making a statement;
• offering a benefit.

Opening Sentences Matter

If you’ve convinced me to click on your article, then you also need to convince me to read it.

Ever wondered how many people actually make it to the bottom of your article?  I have – and so I started measuring it.  Answer: most people don’t.

Your opening sentence MUST align with your headline and your extract – they need to tell the same story, but not in the same way.  The opening sentence should offer enough about the article that the person wants to read the rest.  If should not contain the answer to the question, the benefit you offered, or anything else that means there is no need to read the rest of the article.

Don’t mention case names, legislation, or anything else that will put your reader into a coma.  Remember the overarching rule – it’s about ME, not you.

Images – They need to Exist, and be Relevant

Ah, images.  As soon as you finish reading this, head over to your LinkedIn feed and find a few law firms – then tell me what their image was.

I’ll bet that the majority are:

• no image at all;
• a picture of the author.

Do you know why?  It’s because nobody has bothered to upload a relevant, eye catching image.  Instead, LinkedIn is just picking up the default, which is normally the first picture it finds – for law firms, this seems to be a logo or the author in the bio at the end.

It’s lazy.  it’s boring.  It’s not going to capture the attention of the fast scrolling reader on social media – so why do it?

For the sake of 5 minutes you can find an image that is 1000% better.  If not you, then your marketing team.

Your Legal Writing Style

So, you’ve convinced your reader to get into the article and they are working their way through – how do you keep their attention?

There are a few tips that can at least have people scroll to the end, even if it’s quick:

• short sentences and paragraphs are better than long ones
• break up your text with headings, images or extracted quotes
• larger fonts are better than smaller ones (if you can influence this) – and read better on mobile

Language – Is Legalese OK?

I’m sure you know this intuitively, but do you practice it?  Your language should be appropriate to your audience.

If in doubt, then simple language is better than complex language.

Avoid jargon at all costs – if it’s absolutely necessary then you’ll need to explain it, and that has a tendency to break up the flow of your article pretty badly.

If your article reads like an assignment, or a case note for Uni – then you’ve failed and need to start again.

Here’s a simple test: would your grandparents read the article, know what it was about, and have the stamina to get to the end?  If so – you’re on the right track.

Length – How Long should a Legal Article Be?

An article, as with every piece of legal writing, should have as many words as it needs – no more, no less.

So in your next legal article, how about using this list as a checklist?  Do you know somebody who needs a refresher or is prone to boring articles that make you cry?  Well then – send this to them, and hope for the best!

Happy Lawyering!

• communication

More articles

How much should lawyers try to influence their clients, enough with the definitions already, should you just phone your opponent.

Fantastic information and it indeed building my writing skills.

that is the most appropriate and relevant tips for the legal article writing as well as helpfull for law student those who faces many problems to writing the articles….

thanks Ishu – I’m glad you found it helpful

Hello! I am Jeremiah ontomwa I would like to get the skills for writing legal articles, how it works and how I can earn out of it. Thanks in advance.

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Experts & views, a simple 5 step guide on how to write effective and popular legal articles.

Writing a great legal article is truly amazing. Not only it will be published in a good, well-known website or blog, thereby increasing your brand value and visibility, but also be read by many people who are in need of that information. It may help litigants, researchers, other lawyers or a reporter to understand the state of the law.

However, the best part is perhaps that you learn to think systematically and strategically when you write article after article. It is a fantastic exercise for a lawyer to write about practical legal problems continuously. It keeps your knowledge sharpened, arguments ready and reputation strong.

I learned about the importance of blogging about law simply by observing my friend and classmate Deepak Raju who later became my flatmate as we both went to work in Mumbai (although for different law firms). Deepak developed a keen interest in arbitration law early in his law school day after doing some arbitration moots. This happens to many people, but they usually lose steam later on. To keep his interest and engagement alive, Deepak began a blog called Lex Arbitri and even cobbled together a team with a few other law students to keep the blog regularly updated. He made sure to stay abreast of new developments in the area of arbitration law so he could regularly update his blog with the relevant information, news, judgments, and happenings. He kept this up for a couple of years till he graduated. By this time, he was well known for his knowledge of arbitration law in our small circle.

However, the best validation of his arbitration prowess came much later after he was recruited. He was working in a financial regulations team, mostly handling SEBI matters. This was quite far from arbitration work. However, very soon, people from the arbitration team in his office began to call him up for his opinion and inputs on various arbitration related questions. Those who worked in big law firms will know how rare this is. It is also a clear sign of massive respect.

Deepak quit this law firm within a year and went on to study at Cambridge. Now he is a successful practitioner of International Trade Law in Geneva, and I imagine a lot of his work involves arbitration.

I told you this story to give an idea of how long-term blogging can be extremely beneficial for law students and lawyers alike. If you think it’s only for law students, just take a look at the legal careers of the pioneers of legal blogging in India who frequently wrote on blogs like Spicy IP, Indian Corporate Law Blog, Law and Other Things blog, etc. Of course, tons of other blogs have been started and closed down too.

Anyway, if you are by now convinced that regular blogging is a great idea, you may want to know next how to write amazing legal articles that will be read by tons of people, get you many clients and lots of attention of the right kind.

I must acknowledge that I wrote the first version of this article for our Ace Your Internship Program as well as for students of the business law diploma course . Also, a lot of this content is borrowed from the writing manual followed by interns at iPleaders (created by yours truly), and we use this material to quickly train them. Those who take this training seriously, usually return from the internship with significant enhancement of ability to research and write, dozens of articles published in iPleaders blog, and a lot more practical knowledge of law than what they ever had. You can see what some of the former interns said about this transformation over here , it should give you an idea about the effectiveness of this step by step guide.

Before you begin to write an article/blog post

Before writing any article, first decide who is going to read this article and how they are going to benefit from it. Is it something that people are already looking an answer for? Will they google this topic? Are they in trouble and want an answer so that they are googling? What can you tell them through your article, what information can you share with them that will help them? How can you make it simple so that those who are not very smart can also understand what you are writing very quickly? Can you include tables, formats, bullet point lists? Will that make it easier to read the article?

Length: Aim for at least 1500 words (excluding footnotes and citations). More is fine. This is because Google gives more importance to long form articles in search result as opposed to very short articles. However, make sure to break down your article in many small paras with multiple headings and subheadings.

Language: Simplest possible language, must be very easy to read. Use simple sentences instead of complex sentences and easy words instead of difficult words. Only in school and college people get rewarded for using a difficult language, everywhere else, in real life, using difficult, complicated language results in being penalized and ridiculed. Please write in as simple language as possible. What makes your article valuable is quality of information and insights, how rare or useful the information or insight you are providing is, how easy it is to understand and read, and how nicely the content is flowing from one issue to another. Provide bullet points and tables everywhere possible. That will make your article stand out and valuable. Provide formats, samples, examples and practical advice wherever possible. Do not just write about sections and case laws.

Always ask people: Whenever you don't know the practical issues involved in a topic, ask someone. Call up lawyers who specialize in that subject and ask. Call up your teachers and ask. Ask people intelligent questions and learn real life practical insights and then write those in a lucid, simple language. Asking the right people is probably the quickest way to learn the real stuff, but it is also the most undermined legal research technique. Let it be your secret weapon. Cultivate a bunch of people you can call for information, insights and inside scoop. This is a big asset for a legal blogger.

Method: First create a structure, give your article a skeleton. Identify one or two important questions you will answer in the article. Around this structure develop a body. Information should be crisp and to the point so that the reader gets what he wants at one glance. Beating around the bushes frustrates the reader and he will switch to something better. Use Google docs for the writing instead of microsoft word, it helps to get other people to edit or comment on your article later, and there is no possibility of accidentally deleting the content.

Headings and subheadings: The entire article must be broken down according to headings and subheadings. The headings and subheadings should be complete and not partial or indicative. For example if you are writing an article of habeas corpus, and you have to write a subheading for a paragraph where you are writing which courts you can go to for getting this writ issued, the heading or subheading should be:

“Which courts may issue the writ of Habeas Corpus” And not “Which courts can issue this writ” or “Courts” or “courts with writ jurisdiction” etc.

If the focus is on habeas corpus then try and ensure that it is directly mentioned in most of the headings and sub-headings.

All headings and subheadings must contain a heading tag. See the place where there is a drop down list with mention of normal text, click there and tag each heading and sub-heading as Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 etc.

Google reads the text written in heading and sub-headings and decides which article should be shown on the top of search results. Keyword rich headings and subheadings are always better for this purpose.

Do not write lengthy introductions and conclusions: no one cares. Just get to the point quickly. Imagine that you have to write an article on licenses required for hydropower generation. Now many law students will start this article by writing what is electricity, what types of electricities are used in India, what is the percentage of hydropower use in India and pros and cons of hydropower and ramble on before coming to the point of if licenses are required and what licenses are required and how to get them. That is crazy. Never write an introduction that is longer than 4-5 sentences. Same goes for the conclusion. One exception is if you have a great story to tell in the introduction which will hook the reader’s attention, go ahead. Only tell relevant stories.

Bullet points: more you write in bullet points and numbered lists, better your article will be received. It is a bad thing to write huge chunky paragraphs. Try to break things down in bullet points and numbered lists as far as possible.

For example, this is an old article, with accurate and good information on a famous website: http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/research-articles-personal-finance/cheque-dishonoured-a-step-by-step-guide-for-legal-recourse-113111500895_1.html

Still, the article mentioned below, new and from a not so famous website, ranks high above and gets 10 times more traffic because it is written with so many bulleted and numbered lists, and gives a step by step approach. It even includes a table: http://lawrato.com/indian-kanoon/cheque-bounce-law/dos-donts-in-case-of-a-cheque-bounce-16 This is the kind of article you want to write if you want to get a big audience and be appreciated. Break down chunky information into bullet points and numbered lists in your article. Provide steps wherever possible.

Grammar: Your work reflects your image. It is necessary that grammar is absolutely correct. Publish or submit for publication only after writing check for spelling, grammar and language errors.  You can use free online tools for this purpose. If you can afford it, for about INR 5000, you can buy a good software for this as well.

Title: The document should be saved with an easy to understand, direct title. Many people are taught to write creative, convoluted, witty titles. These are counterproductive as you lose out google traffic due to this. Try to keep the title similar to how the reader will think of it or type in google when they search for it. Fancy titles are not helpful for the reader. Write a simple title, maybe in form of a question that the article answers.

Headings: The headings and subheading should be linked with Styles -> Heading 1 and Heading 2 of google document. Google search always prefer documents with the linked style instead of normal text.

Scannability: Most readers skim through the article to see if it is worth a read. So add more subheadings, bullet points and paragraph breaks.

Explain the technical terms: General public is not familiar with technical legal terms. If is is absolutely necessary to use big legal jargons then simplify them for readers who come from non-legal background.

Citation style: References should be cited properly through a hyperlink. Wherever possible, use hyperlink instead of footnotes.

Make it exhaustive, answer FAQs: Try to answer all the frequently asked questions about the topic. The article should be able to answer all kinds of secondary questions that may be raised in the mind of the reader.

How to research for these articles

The biggest mistake that everyone who started to write articles have made is to research, research and research until they know “enough”. It is never enough. They waste time aimlessly researching and don’t begin to write. You strategy should be to write everything that you research immediately. If you have researched for 10 minutes, write for at least 10 minutes (basically write down what you found out in your research) before you research more. Here is a step by step process.

Step 1: Deciding what is your research question and recognize what does not fall in the scope

Decide the exact question you are going to answer in your article. There cannot be more than 2 questions you answer in one blog post. If there are more relevant questions, no problem, write another article to address the same later. Note it and focus on the current article only.

Let’s say you want to write about how to file a consumer complaint. The target group is clear: people who faced a deficiency of product or deficiency of services as a customer may want to know more about how to file a consumer complaint. Great! This is the only question you will answer now. There may be more material available on how to make an appeal from the decision of a consumer court, but you are not going to read, research or bother about that. You are going to solely focus now on one and only question.

Step 2: Identify your headings and subheadings

Identify what are the smaller questions that you need to answer in order to answer the bigger question. For this, you may have to read up a bit. Don’t read everything, don’t read into great details. Read just enough, maybe scan through material just to understand what are the smaller questions you have to answer in order to answer the bigger question.

For instance, to answer the bigger question how to file a consumer case, you have to answer these questions first (just list down all questions that come to your mind):

Who can file a consumer case and who are not eligible

Can a business file a consumer complaint?

What documents you need to be able to file a consumer case

Can you file it yourself or do you need a lawyer?

Is it a good idea to argue your case yourself in consumer court.

Do I need to pay a court fee in order to file a case?

What information should go into a consumer complaint?

What evidence will be useful for me to collect and what do I need to provide to the court?

Can I draft my own consumer complaint?

Before hearing in the consumer court do i need to go through some other process.

How to decide which is the right court (having jurisdiction over the matter) to file the consumer case?

On what grounds can the court reject my application?

How much time can it take to decide my case?

How much compensation can I get?

And so on. Of course, there can be more questions. Think of a question or two more by yourself.

These questions will eventually become the headings and subheadings.

Step 3: Make the skeleton structure

Write down all the headings and Subheadings as a skeleton structure. It should look like something like this:

How to file a Consumer Complaint

In what kind of matters can i file consumer complaint, can i file a consumer complaint on behalf of a business, which court is right for me to file the complaint, which consumer court will have territorial jurisdiction, which consumer court has financial jurisdiction, what all do i need to file the consumer complaint, what documents do i need to produce, what kind of evidence do i need to produce, can i file and fight my consumer case myself, what is the process involved in a consumer case, what are the different stages how long will each stage take, how can i assess if i have a good case, what are the important factors, potentially how much compensation can i get, step 4: populating the skeleton.

Now that your skeleton is ready, you can start filling up the blanks with answers to these specific questions. All your research will now be directed to answer these limited questions. Remember that there can be more questions added to any skeleton with unlimited possibilities. It is possible to write a book on any topic, even on how to file a consumer case. However, your job here is to just write enough to cover 1500-2000 words. If you want to write more and answer important questions, do so in another article. When you are done with answering all these questions, you are done with your article.

Caution : Please do not start to write or aimlessly research till you have your skeleton structure in place. This will save time and make you a structured thinker.

Step 5: Review and edit

Many people skip this critical step. They never become amazing writers. First run your article through spell-check and grammar check. There are excellent softwares. If you can’t afford one please get a friend or a mentor to do so. Ask them what is good about the article and what is it’s weakness. Add, remove, edit content with the objective of polishing your article. Do not overdo it though, ship it quickly. Not more than 24 hours after finishing in any case.

Other important points:

Sources: Easy sources are news articles and blogs but since the aim is to publish them it would be better that the work is original and informative, use bare-acts and judgments (if applicable) for proper information and articles as references. Also ask lawyers about the topics. Call them up and ask.

Improve before submitting: Take pride in your work, try to find out ways to improve your work with tables, graphs, charts or anything at your disposal so that your article is superior and more helpful than anything else available on the internet.

Primary and secondary research sources: Start by researching from secondary sources for the broad overview. The secondary sources are articles, journals, blogs etc. Verify your research with primary sources like case laws, and bare provisions etc.

Answer a few very important questions in your article, and provide a lot of valuable information that will help the readers.

All the best! Hope you have a great time writing some amazing articles. Feel free to reach out to me if you have problems on my twitter @law_ninja. Feel free to ask me as many questions as you want, I will surely reply! You can also add me on linkedin and message me over there. I reply quickly!

It is one thing to read about how to write an article, another to actually do so. Make sure you attempt to write an article in next 24 hours! If you are not able to, maybe you need to do a structured program with us. Take a look at our flagship course here.

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Legal Method, Research and Writing

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• Legal Research Basics
• Law Database Guides
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Academic Writing and Research in Law

• UTS Guide to Writing in Law A highly recommended helpful and comprehensive guide to writing law papers.
• Monash University Guide to Writing in Law Law writing guide with helpful Q&A's and tips for planning out case argumentation.
• University of Queensland Legal Research Essentials Introduction to Legal Research by The University of Queensland, Australia

Other Help:

• Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarising The basic differences in how to writes quotes, how to write paraphrases, and how to write summaries of the sources you find.

Basic Rules

Academic and professional legal writing requires you to develop an argument and demonstrate relationships between the ideas you are expressing. 

Therefore, the ability to express yourself clearly and accurately is important.  Here you will find information to help you improve your writing for any purpose in your law degree.

Academic writing in law is:

Academic writing in law does not:   

Steps to Writing a Law Essay

Throughout your law degree, you will be expected to write a range of different texts, including research essays, responses to problem questions, and case notes.

Not matter the type of text you are asked to produce for an assignment, make sure you follow these steps:

• Plan :  read the questions carefully and think about how you will answer it
• Research :  read, read and read! Make use of everything available to you - don't forget the library!
• Make thorough notes : include all important (and relevant) details and quotes and take note of the source. Make sure you organise your notes so as to make the writing task easier
• Write the first draft :  before you start writing your first draft, refer back to your initial plan and make any necessary changes now you have done your research and gathered your notes. 
• Review and edit :  remember to proofread your work!

The IRAC Method

IRAC is an acronym that stands for: Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion. It functions as a methodology for legal analysis and is used as a framework for organising your answer to an essay question in law school.

[ Open All | Close All ]

In legal writing, issues are the core of the essay.

This part of the essay should:

• Identify and state the issue
• Name those involved (plaintiff and defendant) and briefly describe their individual issues
• Work out what body of law may govern the resolution of the issue (e.g. Contract Law)

The rule describes which law applies to the issue. The rule should be stated as a general principle, and not a conclusion to the particular case being briefed.

• Outline the legal principles that will be used to address to the issue
• Source legal principles from cases and legislation

The application is the most important and longest part of your answer. It involves applying the Rule to the facts of the issue and demonstrating how those facts do or do not meet the requirements laid down by the rules. Discuss both sides of the case when possible.

• Explain why the plaintiff's claims are or are not justified
• Identify how the law will be used by the plaintiff and defendant to argue their case
• Use relevant cases and legal principles to support your writing
• Do not try to strengthen your argument by leaving out elements or facts that will hurt it

As with all essays, the conclusion is a statement that identifies your answer to the issue.

• Identify what the result of your argument ir, or what it should be
• State who is liable for what and to what extent
• Consider how the plaintiff and defendant could have acted to avoid this legal issue

Useful Links:

• UWA IRAC Guide This guide from the University of Western Australia offers examples of how the IRAC method can be applied to different cases.
• Law School Survival: The IRAC Method A useful site that presents a detailed outline of the IRAC method as well as skeleton outlines.

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Writing a law school research paper or law review note

• Books and articles

Basics of Format & Content

Research papers are not as strictly structured as legal memos, briefs, and other documents that you've learned about in legal writing and drafting courses. For example, there is no prescribed content/format similar to to the Questions Presented, Brief Answers, etc. that you learned for a legal memo.

A general approach to thinking about the content of a research paper is:

• Introduction in which you give some background and a clear statement of your thesis
• Status quo -- what is the existing law and why is it a problem
• Proposals for change

See this blog post by Jonathan Burns , an IU McKinney alum, for more on basic content.

If you're writing for a law review or seminar, you should get formatting instructions regarding things like margins, font size, line spacing. If you don't, or if you're doing an independent study, here are some basic guidelines to follow:

• Times New Roman or similar, 12 pt font.
• Double spaced lines.
• One inch margins all around.
• Footnotes in academic Bluebook style (use the rules on the main white pages instead of the light blue pages at the front of the Bluebook).
• Footnotes in same font as text, 10 pt font.
• Use Roman numerals and/or letters on headings and subheadings or style the fonts so that the difference between headings and subheadings is clear.   
• Page numbers in the footer, preferably centered, especially on first page. You could do bottom center on first page and then upper right in the header thereafter. Use the header and footer functions for this. If you don't know how to use headers and footers in Word, here is help:  https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word2016/headers-and-footers/1/ . 

Headings and subheadings

Research papers should have headings and subheadings. These help your reader follow your logic--and a logical structure is very important. Headings and subheadings can also help you keep your thoughts organized. Just don't overuse them--you don't want every paragaph to have a subheading. 

Road map paragraph

Often, research papers will also include a paragraph at the end of the introduction that narrates the road map the paper will follow.   Here is an example of this kind of paragraph:

"The section that follows [this introduction] sets the stage by recounting two scenarios from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, with discussion of the knowledge and implementation of accessibility features in online instructional materials. The next section provides an overview of various impairments and their effects on a user's experience of the online environment. Next is a review of the laws relevant to accessibility with attention to their potential application to online instruction, along with standards used to guide accessibility compliance. The article then explores the concept of universal design and its guiding principles, followed by a discussion of how to use the universal design principles to organize and better understand accessibility standards and practices. The final section briefly summarizes the discussion and encourages law librarians and professors to become knowledgeable and skilled in universal design for online materials to benefit all their students."

Table of Contents

A table of contents can also be helpful, though it's not necessary. If you add a table of contents to your papers, put it right at the beginning, before the introduction. Here's part of the table of contents for the same paper the paragraph above was taken from--it really just lays out the heading and subheadings with page numbers: 

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Format for Writing a Legal Article

How to write or how not to write is something that one cannot be taught, it comes from within, the ideas, the topic one relates to. However, legal article is different from the other form of writing, it needs to becorrect; true and contain lots of research work. One can only write if he is interested in the subject matter otherwise it will be just a normal piece of paper with not much relevance. As a law student or even as your lawyer two things are tested-

• Interpretation skill
• Writing skill And one needs to be perfect in the art of writing legal article. There are certain guidelines which is required to be kept in mind before one can start writing a legal article.

a) Headline of the Article- Why should one read your article and not the others. The “Headline” of the article must be relevant, catchy but one should not get carried away by putting all ideas in the headline, it must be meaningful, make sense and must be connected to the article. Sometimes, a personal statement writer service can be hired to brainstorm and come up with a personal Brand or slogan to help with this. Reader must understand the article otherwise they are going to avoid it and move further.

Also, the first paragraph determines the quality of your article therefore always try tomake impressive start because first impression is the last impression.

b) To the Point- The article should strictly relate to the topic and should not divert from it because by doing so the reader loses his track. It should be short and crisp. Keeping it short is going to attract more readers, also the article must have short sentences and more paragraph and points as it is easier for the reader to read it. The article must either ask a question, makes a statement or give a solution.The writer must be well-read about the topic he is dealing with in the article. Also make a checklist before sending the draft because article must be in flow and in one format, one thing followed by the other. It must not be jumbled up therefore the writer must keep in mind that first he should state thefacts, followed by issue involved, then there must be rule application (which areas of law one is using), then analysis and lastly conclusion.

c) Use of legal jargon- One needs to know its audience then select its vocabulary. If a person is writing to address common man, he should try to avoid complicated terms, and if usage is necessary same should be explained in laymen’s language. If one is writing for some competition, then he should use his legal jargon but it should not appear that one is trying to flaunt.

d) The Proof- In order to prove one point, the article can contain survey or graph, this give more emphasis as well as add to the value of the article. For example- “Should Section 377 be legalised?” These are tiny things but have great importance, sometimes one could add image as it becomes eye-catchy but it must be relevant. Too many images are just big NO but one or two would not harm at all.

e) Abstract- If a person is writing an article which is little lengthy then it must have an abstract. Abstract must be of one to three paragraphs and must convey as to the issues one is dealing with in the article.

f) Case Laws- One should try to use different case law, helping the reader to understand the situation and also it gives the writer leverage over other writers but one should not use the cases just for the sake of it, it must be relevant. Citation of the cases is equally important, there are several form of citation but The Bluebook citation always work.

g) Conclusion- There must be a conclusion in the article which should be straight forward. It must summarise the whole article and should provide with an alternative or should make a statement and also give the reason for the same to justify your statement. Besides these basics thing, another important thing is research work. One should start their research work firstly by going to library, it can be a college library or public library where one can find books related to the issue involved. Then the writer should shift to search engine. Database must be searched and used properly. Few legal websites like HeinOnline, LexisNexis etc. are really useful in writing and learning about the topic. The research must shift from general to specific. Have an angle to your article, instead of covering whole of the topic, try to stick to one-two essential areas and cover everything about that sub-topic instead of trying to write everything about the topic, this will help in bringing clarity to the article. Hence, inculcating everything along with creativity and originality the legal article is going to make much sense and will gain recognition.

Author:  This blog is written by Ms. Ayushi Dubey , a passionate blogger & intern at  Aapka Consultant.

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The biggest mistake you will make while writing a law article and how to avoid it

This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, iPleaders.

On Saturday I shared with you this article and told you how important it is to write and publish for progressing in the legal profession quickly. If you are inspired to write more in the new year now, today I am going to share another amazing secret: how to produce amazing articles much faster than everyone else.

I may not be a practicing lawyer, but I am a very practiced writer. I write almost every day. I get very less time to write, and I have to really innovate to write good content quickly.

Also, I have to teach tons of people how to write articles. I have begun to take weekly classes for all the LawSikho students on popular demand. After all, they are required to write and publish an article every month while they are studying with us! I need to train them to write.

So let me share with you what I have been teaching so far.

In my first session, I covered the issues of audience and selection of topic. Choosing the right topic with a clear audience in mind is critical. I would also suggest that you should have an outcome on the mind. What would be the benefit of reading your article? How will it help the reader, who is from a specific target audience? What will they remember 48 hours after reading it, if asked about what is their take away from that article? Will it be impactful? What sort of impact are you aiming for?

There are a lot of things to figure out before you start writing the article. If you are going to spend 3 hours writing, it is advisable that you at least spend 30 mins thinking through such issues and making notes simultaneously.

However, once you have decided your topic, people make the biggest mistake at this stage. Even the very advanced writers often make this mistake, and it results in them writing boring, cliched, uninspired content that takes a lot of work but doesn’t get as much appreciation or readership.

I have written articles online that have been read lakhs of times, and I had to learn the hard way.

You don’t have to because I will show you what the pitfall is and how to avoid it right in this article.

The Pitfall

The biggest pitfall is research. Most people, when they get a topic, start with a google search. The moment you do it, you have screwed up. Before you start googling or reading textbooks or any other research, there is a very important step. That is the framing of research questions.

If you start with that kind of research where you google and see what others have written already and then decide what you are going to write, then you have let yourself be influenced, not done any original thinking, shrunken the space for originality and creativity, and increased the chances of coming up with something run of the mill.

This is the biggest pitfall.

This is the step where most people mess up and end up writing average stuff.

After you have a topic if you do not start researching, then what do you do?

The answer is: spend some time thinking and coming up with questions that you may answer in your article. And come up with the most logical questions, unadulterated by research so far.

At this stage, you may think, as most people do: how can I frame questions without research?

Yes, you can. You are not used to. But once you start trying it will work like a charm.

Examples of how to do it

Here are some examples I used in yesterday’s class for my students. I asked them to give me a topic for us to come up with these questions and a skeleton structure.

The first one we took was “Should death penalty be abolished?”

I asked the students what basic questions we must answer in that article. We got a bunch of answers. When we wrote down and arranged those questions, without ever having to do a google search, we ended up with the following structure in less than 5 minutes of discussion:

Should death penalty be abolished in India

What offences are subject to death penalty in India?

What does Indian law say about death penalty?

How has the death penalty jurisprudence evolved in India through judicial pronouncements?

5 most important supreme court decisions regarding death penalty

What are the moral, legal or jurisprudential arguments in favour and against death penalty?

• Arguments in favour of death penalty
• Arguments against death penalty
• Alternatives to death penalty

Why not just life imprisonment?

Is death penalty a real deterrent?

What will be the consequence of abolition of death penalty?

• Experience of other countries which abolished death penalty

Now doing this initial groundwork ensures that you will be able to research and write this article rapidly. Just research each of those questions and answer. Those who do not follow this technique will never be able to match those who do in output or quality when it comes to article writing.

After we were done with these, some students said, “well, this was easy because we know about this topic, but what if it’s a topic we know nothing about?”

I told them to take a topic they do not know. This time we chose “consequences of inadequate due diligence in M&A transactions”. Great. We repeated the same exercise. Again, in another 5-7 minutes we ended up with the following structure:

Consequences of inadequate due diligence in M&A transactions

Why do we need due diligence in an M&A transaction

Where do people usually go wrong in doing due diligence

Examples of big due diligence disasters in M&A transactions and how they affected those transactions

What is the process of due diligence? What are the objectives?

When is it OK to have a limited scope due diligence?

What are the risks that due diligence protects us against?

How can we know if due diligence has been done properly and adequately?

What can be done if you discover that due diligence was inadequate? What is the solution?

Can the law firm or service provider be held responsible for conducting faulty due diligence?

What kind of terms to enter into with service provider to protect against bad due diligence?

Is it important to make sure that the service provider has a substantial malpractice/professional insurance?

How to select the right service provider/ law firm for due diligence?

After the 2nd exercise people started to grasp how this is done. Then I threw them a really wild one. I said we will now work on a topic we know nothing about and then we will come up with a skeleton structure, with zero googling.

The topic I said will be “How to set up a law firm in Uzbekistan”. Surely none of us had any clue about Uzbekistan, and certainly, we knew nothing about their legal system let alone how to set up a law firm there.

And nonetheless, again after brainstorming of 10 minutes, another amazing skeleton structure was ready.

How to set up a law firm in Uzbekistan

What qualifications do you need to practice law in Uzbekistan?

What are the laws that govern the law firms and practice of law in Uzbekistan?

Who can set up a law firm in Uzbekistan?

What are the major practice areas of law firms in Uzbekistan

Restrictions on foreign lawyers in practicing in Uzbekistan

• Do foreign lawyers need any local qualification?
• Can foreign lawyers participate in arbitrations in Uzbekistan?
• Is the culture or language a barrier to entry?
• Is there enough opportunity for foreign law firms in Uzbekistan?

Can accountants practice law in Uzbekistan

What would be the business form or structure of the law firm?

What are the different types of lawyers? Is there a distinction between solicitor and counsel?

Do big 4 have a presence in Uzbekistan?

What is the paperwork required to set up a law firm?

What are the major law firms already existing in Uzbekistan?

What is the law firm culture like in Uzbekistan?

What is the outlook for the Uzbek legal industry?

One warning to keep in mind though, remember that there are always more questions that can be asked. But remember that you are not trying to write an exhaustive book on the subject, just a 1500-2000 word long article most probably.

It is possible that once we begin to research some of these questions may turn out to be redundant. You may even feel the need to add certain questions. So before you freeze the skeleton structure, go ahead and read whatever else is available in the webverse. And that is absolutely fine.

Just don’t waste a ton of time reading content and thinking it is research. That brings to the 2nd biggest pitfall of writing articles.

Bonus: 2nd biggest mistake

That is spending a lot of time researching and not simultaneously writing. When you begin to write, it’s already too late, you face last-minute pressure, don’t get to do justice to the work etc. The same story repeats. I have heard it a million times. I faced it myself when I was in college.

So you will probably relate to what I am saying if you have been trying to write articles.

To beat that there is another easy way. The 10-minute rule. If you research for 10 minutes, then you must spend the immediate next 10 minutes writing whatever you can based on the research you just read.

Otherwise, you will spend days researching and reading thinking that you are being productive when in reality you are wasting time because when you begin to write you may remember precisely little of these things you read earlier and will in almost all probability read them again anyway.

So I told you about two big pitfalls people get into when they try to write articles.

Do start writing if you haven’t and see how your life and career jumps ahead. Consider joining our amazing online courses on law, regulations and business where you can learn fantastic skills every week. We make you write and publish one article every month, among many other benefits you will want to learn more about. Just visit the course pages and read the description, you will learn a lot even from that!

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7 Quick Tips on How To Write A Legal Article

The most important step in creating a blog is to come up with an interesting topic about something that you are already familiar with. If you have been working in the legal field for some time, then this tip will be easy for you! However, if this isn’t the case, you may want to consider practicing on a more general-interest legal topic first.

Once you have your topic ready, it’s time to find great angles from which to approach it. How would you teach someone else about your topic? Finding these different angles should aid you in creating a highly interesting and captivating blog. You may want to think back on how lawyers speak in court, and then use this style for your own writing, or you may want to try something else entirely. Whatever method works best for you is one that will ultimately help with increasing readership and building trust at the same time.

Table of Contents

DO YOUR RESEARCH

The first thing to do is research before you write your legal article thoroughly. All facts leading up to reaching this point must be considered and made part of the story; otherwise, biased feelings towards one side could taint the opinion the reader has on the subject matter. It is also crucial for you as a writer to know all about Case laws or legislation that may have a direct bearing on your legal topic not only because it will make for better reading, but it will enable the writer to include all relevant points in the article.

Introduce Your Topic at the beginning.

You can’t just jump right into your topic. You need to give people an introduction about what you’re talking about and then include a little summary of the points that you’ll be covering in your article. This will properly set up your readers on what they’re going to read.

You ask, How To Write A Legal Article? People love simplicity and straight-to-the-point pieces . Imagine yourself as one of your readers: How would you feel if you were instructed to go on reading while not knowing where the author is taking you? How would you feel if halfway through, the author suddenly changes topics and had no proper transition for it? How would you react if all of a sudden words pop out and made no sense at all? Bad.

Vary sentence length

The length of your sentence has a lot to do with how effective readers are able to interpret your content. Too short, and the message might get lost: readers will not understand what your article is about or what you aim to tell them. Too long, and it becomes tedious and boring for the reader.

The length of your article is important because this shows how long it will take to read. If you are writing for people to read in their free time, having a short article that focuses on the point will be well appreciated; however, if your audience wants detailed information, then write according to what they want. Remember that your articles must always be interesting! Otherwise, why would anyone bother reading them? This can usually be achieved by making use of any emotion involved in the case or issue at hand. For example: anger, sadness etc. Just don’t overdo it so much so that you bore even yourself.

How do you find that perfect length? Well, that depends on a lot of different factors. To begin with, keep sentences as simple as possible by eliminating excess words. Next, make use of adjectives only if they are absolutely necessary. If you can describe something without using an adjective – well done! It’s better to describe the subject briefly rather than going into detail with flowery language. Finally – go back through your text periodically and shorten any unnecessary sentences until each sentence flows nicely from the previous one. Varying the length of your sentences helps to render a more fluid and easily understandable text for readers.

Use simple words

Your choice of words says something about how educated you are – but simplicity does not automatically mean a lack of intelligence. In fact, simplicity is all about getting your message across using as few words as possible – while still maintaining its original meaning. Legal language can be complicated enough without having to make things harder by using fancy or unusual words that no one really understands. Using language that is too difficult will cause confusion and even annoyance: people will want to give up on reading your article just because they’re struggling to figure out what you’re trying to say.

How To Write A Legal Article shouldn’t be a secret if you know your way around words.

Your audience is the key: How intelligent do you think they are? How advanced is their understanding of legal jargon? How much do they know about your specialism? How long have they been reading articles in your field or related fields?

Plain language works best even if you’re writing for a relatively intelligent audience.

Even though you might be tempted to use common phrases, everyday expressions, idiomatic expressions, you need to avoid clichés like the plague. Legal readers are exposed to many different texts on a daily basis – often written by lazy authors who find themselves unable to come up with original phrasing. As such, these readers will immediately spot whether what you’ve written sounds like it could have come from another article – which may result in your audience feeling cheated and manipulated.

How do you find the correct words to use?

How can you come up with persuasive and original phrasing to catch people’s attention without resorting to clichés?

These are all questions that legal writers struggle with on a daily basis – and this article cannot possibly provide all the answers. However, these questions should help get you started.

Headings and sub-headings

Use Headings and sub-headings to structure your blog post. This makes it easier for readers to read and scan the article without having to read the entire content for understanding the context. This not only clears the clutter but also gives a clear point of view to both the writer and the reader.

Writing a legal article can be daunting. The writer must have the knowledge of law, which is required to impress the judge. This means that you have to consider all facts surrounding your case or issue before writing about it.

Do not give unnecessary information and do not be biased

Once you have gathered all your information, it is time for you to start shaping your article. Take out all unnecessary information, and try not to make any biased statements; this will give an unbiased opinion of the case or issue at hand, which is what the reader wants (this also makes for better sales). Nobody wants to read on a topic that is written by a writer who is biased.

Use your own words for statistics and cite them correctly

If there are statistics that need to be used in your article, indicate them clearly by stating how they were obtained; if no source was obtained (such as a survey), cite it correctly. All facts used should be correct, and all views or opinions stated must come from a third-party source. This will make your article seem very professional, which is something any lawyer strives for! All the best legal articles are written in this manner.

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Slow-walk? Supreme Court Trump immunity ruling is finally here, likely too late for trial before election

Trump's appeal of his immunity claim delayed the trial by six months, which is much longer than the high court took to decide high profile cases involving the pentagon papers and watergate tapes..

• The Supreme Court is set to rule Monday on whether Donald Trump is immune as a former president to criminal charges he tried to steal the 2020 election.
• Legal experts say the decision may already be too late for more trials before the Nov. 5 election because they require months of pretrial preparation.

Editor's note: Read USA TODAY's full coverage Monday of the Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump's immunity case . 

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court closed out its term Monday with a decision on its biggest case of year − does Donald Trump have immunity as a former president that prevents him from standing trial on charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election .

But before the Court settled this legal battle, in many ways, Trump may have already won the war.

The trial at stake still has months of pretrial preparation pending, with more delays possible, even if the justices don't throw out the charges. Two other pending criminal trials haven’t even been scheduled . In other words, legal experts say, the ruling may already too late to hold any of his three pending criminal trials before the Nov. 5 election.

“By stalling so long that a trial is now unlikely, the justices have already succeeded in effectively giving Trump immunity regardless of the content of their ruling,” Norm Eisen, who served as a special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, and Mike Podhorzer, chair of the Defend Democracy Project, an election advocacy group, said in a joint statement.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and argued that if anyone is committing election interference, it is the Biden administration federal prosecutors who aim to keep him in court and off the campaign trail while he tries to unseat President Joe Biden . Trump has fought to postpone all the trials until after the election .

Did the Supreme court slow-walk the Trump immunity case?

One reason Trump’s critics complain the Supreme Court slow-walked its decision is because the justices have ruled quickly in other high-profile cases.

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith asked the high court to reject the immunity claim right away in December, after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled Trump must stand trial.

Instead, the high court waited for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule that Trump isn’t immune. The trial has been delayed six months.

Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor emeritus , has said a potential trial in October is unlikely because it would be so close to the election and the Supreme Court’s pace in reaching its decision was “inexcusable.”

In contrast, the Supreme Court:

• Prevented the Nixon administration from blocking the New York Times from publishing a secret history of the Vietnam War four days after hearing arguments in June 1971.
• Ordered then-President Richard Nixon to turn over secret tapes of White House conversations to a special prosecutor 16 days after hearing arguments in July 1974.
• Ended voting challenges that effectively handed the 2000 election to President George W. Bush a day after hearing arguments that December.
• Allowed Trump’s name to remain on the Colorado primary ballot less than a month after hearing arguments Feb. 8 about removing it because of his role in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

What Trump trials are pending?

Trump faces three pending trials, which are all on hold for various reasons.

The federal election-interference trial had been scheduled March 4 but was delayed indefinitely by the immunity challenge. The Supreme Court heard the case on its last day of arguments in April and is handing down its decision Monday, on the last day of its term.

In Florida, federal prosecutors are jousting with defense lawyers about what evidence will be allowed in his trial on charges he hoarded classified documents after leaving the White House.

The classified records case had been scheduled May 20 but was delayed indefinitely by pretrial arguments about what evidence will be allowed. In early April, prosecutors proposed a July trial and Trump’s lawyers suggested August. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon completed a round of hearings a week ago , but contemplated holding more, including one on whether prosecutors should have bene permitted to question one of Trump’s lawyers .

The Justice Department has an informal rule not to bring charges in political cases within 60 days of an election. But prosecutor Jay Bratt told Cannon on March 1 that a fall trial wouldn’t violate the rule because the indictments were handed up a year earlier.

In Georgia, election racketeering charges are on hold while the state’s highest court decides whether to remove the prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee has continued hearing pretrial motions. But the state Court of Appeals set arguments for Oct. 4 , leaving little time for a decision or trial before the election.

Seven months to prepare a defense? The election is Nov. 5

The reason Chutkan's trial is unlikely to start before the election is because she assured Trump after his indictment Aug. 1 he would have seven months to prepare his defense. She stopped the clock while he appealed the decision by her − and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals − that he was not immune from charges.

Chutkan paused pretrial preparations on Dec. 13. At that point, 134 days had passed since the indictment and another 81 days of preparation remained until the original trial date.

Starting the clock again Monday would yield a start date around Sept. 20. The trial is projected to last six weeks so it could potentially be completed before the election.

But any other potential appeal during the trial preparation could push off the trial indefinitely.

Trump is expected to argue that at least one of the four charges against him is invalid, based on a Supreme Court decision Friday . The justices ordered the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the obstruction charge against Joseph Fischer, an alleged rioter from the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, because the law was written to apply to destruction of paperwork, which he was not accused of doing. Trump could ask for his own review.

Likewise, the justices could order the lower courts to review the election interference charges against Trump based on his immunity claims, which could also take time. He could potentially appeal any of the decisions about whether charges are legitimate.

Whatever the high court decides, the trial clock might not start ticking immediately. Appeals courts typically notify lower courts about their decisions in what is formally called a "mandate," so they can restart proceedings. The justices could tell Chutkan to restart “forthwith,” or immediately. But the mandate to restart Trump’s trial clock could take up to a month, according to Sarah Isgur, a Harvard Law School graduate and former spokesperson for the Justice Department during the Trump administration, on her Advisory Opinions podcast Wednesday.

Trump's New York guilty verdict likely the only one before Nov. 5 election

Delays in the three pending cases through Trump’s vigorous defenses in each case left the New York hush money trial as the only one resolved.

Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records for trying to hide reimbursements to former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about an alleged sexual episode with Trump.

Sentencing on the felonies is scheduled July 11. Trump has vowed to appeal.

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Sotomayor’s dissent: A president should not be a ‘king above the law’

FILE - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor attends a panel discussion, Feb. 23, 2024 in Washington. The Supreme Court allowed a president to become a “king above the law,” in the use of official power, Sotomayor said in a biting dissent Monday, July 1, that called the majority opinion on immunity for former President Donald Trump “utterly indefensible.” Joined by the court’s two other liberals, Sotomayor said the opinion would have disastrous consequences for the presidency and the nation’s democracy by creating a “law-free zone around the president.” (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Supreme Court justices will take the bench Monday, July 1, 2024, to release their last few opinions of the term, including their most closely watched case: whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

People protest outside the Supreme Court Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

FILE - The Supreme Court building is seen on June 27, 2024, in Washington. Supreme Court justices will take the bench Monday, July 1, to release their last few opinions of the term, including their most closely watched case: whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The Supreme Court opinion in former President Donald Trump’s immunity case is photographed Monday, July 1, 2024. In a historic ruling the justices said for the first time former presidents can be shielded from prosecution for at least some of what they do in the Oval Office. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Chesapeake, Va., Friday, June 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — In an unsparing dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the Supreme Court allowed a president to become a “king above the law” in its ruling that limited the scope of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the election.

She called the decision, which likely ended the prospect of a trial for Trump before the November election , “utterly indefensible.”

“The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding,” she wrote. She was joined by liberal justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who wrote another dissent referring to the ruling’s consequences as a “five alarm fire.”

Sotomayor read her dissent aloud in the courtroom, with a weighty delivery that underscored her criticism of the majority. She strongly pronounced each word, pausing at certain moments and gritting her teeth at others.

“Ironic isn’t it? The man in charge of enforcing laws can now just break them,” Sotomayor said.

Chief Justice John Roberts accused the liberal justices of fearmongering in the 6-3 majority opinion. It found that presidents aren’t above the law but must be entitled to presumptive immunity to allow them to forcefully exercise the office’s far-reaching powers and avoid a vicious cycle of politically motivated prosecutions.

While the opinion allows for the possibility of prosecutions for private acts, Sotomayor said it “deprives these prosecutions of any teeth” by excluding any evidence that related to official acts where the president is immune.

“This majority’s project will have disastrous consequences for the presidency and for our democracy,” she said. She ended by saying, “With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

Trump, for his part, has denied doing anything wrong and has said this prosecution and three others are politically motivated to try to keep him from returning to the White House.

The other justices looked on in silence and largely remained still as Sotomayor spoke, with Justice Samuel Alito shuffling through papers and appearing to study them.

Sotomayor pointed to historical evidence, from the founding fathers to Watergate, that presidents could potentially face prosecution. She took a jab at the conservative majority that has made the nation’s history a guiding principle on issues like guns and abortion. “Interesting, history matters, right?”

Then she looked at the courtroom audience and concluded, “Except here.”

The majority feared that the threat of potential prosecution could constrain a president or create a “cycle of factional strife,” that the founders intended to avoid.

Sotomayor, on the other handed, pointed out that presidents have access to extensive legal advice about their actions and that criminal cases typically face high bars in court to proceed.

“It is a far greater danger if the president feels empowered to violate federal criminal law, buoyed by the knowledge of future immunity,” she said. “I am deeply troubled by the idea ... that our nation loses something valuable when the president is forced to operate within the confines of federal criminal law.”

Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this story.

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Supreme Court defers on state online content moderation laws

Separate from the basic outcome, Kagan wrote for a six-justice majority criticizing the 5th Circuit decision that upheld the Texas law and stating that social media content moderation is free speech protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

“Deciding on the third-party speech that will be included in or excluded from a compilation — and then organizing and presenting the included items — is expressive activity of its own,” Kagan write.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote separately, largely agreeing with the majority, but also raising concerns that technology, including algorithm-based content moderation and artificial intelligence may affect the constitutionality of internet regulation.

Barrett wrote that challenging the laws broadly “likely forces a court to bite off more than it can chew” and said that social media companies may be better served challenging the laws’ application piecemeal.

“While the governing constitutional principles are straightforward, applying them in one fell swoop to the entire social-media universe is not,” Barrett wrote.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, criticized the court’s majority’s “broad ambition” that shot down the 5th Circuit’s approach to the social media laws and raised concerns about the power of social media companies.

“Social-media platforms are diverse, and each may be unique in potentially significant ways,” Alito said, writing that the court should not have made such broad statements about the free-speech protections of content moderation.

Alito wrote that the justices should give “serious treatment” to the idea that social media platforms are common carriers that could be regulated like phone companies, and forced to carry all messages that meet general terms.

The laws have some differences, which came up during oral arguments, such as how the Florida law includes up to $100,000 in damages for violations but the Texas law does not.

In a separate case this term, the justices tossed an effort by Republican-led states and social media users to limit communications between the Biden administration and social media companies over alleged censorship of conservative views online.

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Supreme Court Says Trump Has Some Immunity in Election Case

The ruling makes a distinction between official actions of a president, which have immunity, and those of a private citizen. In dissent, the court’s liberals lament a vast expansion of presidential power.

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By Adam Liptak

Reporting from Washington

• July 1, 2024

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the last election, a blockbuster decision in the heat of the 2024 campaign that vastly expanded presidential power.

The vote was 6 to 3, dividing along partisan lines. Its immediate practical effect will be to further complicate the case against Mr. Trump, with the chances that it will go before a jury ahead of the election now vanishingly remote and the charges against him, at a minimum, narrowed.

The decision amounted to a powerful statement by the court’s conservative majority that presidents should be insulated from the potential that actions they take in carrying out their official duties could later be used by political enemies to charge them with crimes.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said Mr. Trump had at least presumptive immunity for his official acts. He added that the trial judge must undertake an intensive factual review to separate official and unofficial conduct and to assess whether prosecutors can overcome the presumption protecting Mr. Trump for his official conduct.

If Mr. Trump prevails at the polls, the issue could become moot since he could order the Justice Department to drop the charges.

The liberal wing, in some of the harshest dissents ever filed by justices of the Supreme Court, said the majority had created a kind of king not answerable to the law.

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