Get the best results from your legal writing service by looping us in as early as possible.
The lawyer who wrote your demand letter and complaint will be better equipped to write your motion for summary judgment. Waiting until the last minute to contract a legal research and writing service can result in a weak brief and, potentially, a missed deadline. If your practice can benefit from working with a legal research and writing service, contract one from the start of your case.
Send everything – yes, everything.
While you might be an expert on your case, I’m not. Share a Dropbox folder with all your case’s nuts and bolts. The strength of any legal argument I’ve ever drafted has depended on the breadth and quality of the information I was provided.
Share your ideas, but not your first draft.
Fleshing out a proposed idea allows the writer to explore different legal theories, writing styles, and structures. But when lawyers send a first draft, they limit the writer’s ability to research and write a creative and compelling brief. While the attorney of record is the boss of the case, enabling your legal writer to do their job goes a long way.
Share an example of an exemplary piece of legal writing.
Every attorney has their own writing style, but an excellent legal writer can adapt their style to best fit your needs and wants.
Set up a brainstorming phone call before drafting begins.
After starting the project and sharing all the relevant information, set up a brainstorming phone call. Ask your legal writer how they see the case and what issues they spotted. Then give relevant feedback.
Keep checking in.
Ask for a draft every few days or once a week to ensure that your writer isn’t chasing weak leads. While it’s important to trust your legal writer, it’s also important to trust that you know your case better than anyone.
Tell us how everything ended.
Many attorneys I’ve worked with don’t send me the judge’s order after the issue has been decided. That’s a bad decision for several reasons. First, and most importantly for the attorney of record, I need to know how the case is progressing to anticipate future legal theories and litigation strategies. Second, seeing how a judge received my arguments can help me make stronger arguments in the future.
Legalinguist is a legal research and writing service for attorneys. In our spare time, we like to write here on our legal blog. Read more about our services and review some of our writing samples to learn more.