Career Toolkit: Skills Development
General
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Videos | Attorney Steve’s Youtube Channel | Youtube channel run by Steve Vondran providing advice/guidance on practical legal skills. Steve has nearly 29,000 subscribers and over 600 videos ranging from procedure/logistics in litigation to substantive law in certain practice areas to discussing hot legal issues currently in the news. |
Negotiation
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Training Institute | National Institute for Trial Advocacy | NITA is the a Learning-By-Doing training program, giving you a learning experience unlike any other, in a safe and supportive environment; encouraging you to try new approaches and push yourself to hone new skills to fundamentally change the way you advocate for your clients. Trainings include negotiation and mediation courses. |
| Book | Negotiation Essentials for Lawyers | This practical, easy-to-use guide is designed to help you figure out quickly what went wrong in yesterday’s meetings, and how to fix it in tomorrow’s follow-up. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction, followed by a standard section, Why This Concept Might Change Your Thinking. There, the author explains succinctly why their body of work might be useful specifically for lawyers. After that, each chapter has a section called Action Plan―What You Can Do Differently Tomorrow in which each author outlines specific steps you can take in your next negotiation. No other book comes close to this level of help for a lawyer facing a typical or even downright strange negotiating problem. This guide contains everything you need to know about negotiating in one compact volume. |
| Blog | The Five Golden Rules of Negotiation for Lawyers | Five negotiation tips specifically for lawyers. |
| Guide | Research Guides: Negotiation | Legal negotiation and related alternatives to court adjudication are the focus of this GW Law guide. The guide consists of a list of books, “how to” guides, and practice materials. |
| Guide | Effective Legal Negotiation Toolkit | This guide is an excellent resource for law students learning negotiation skills in clinical courses and for practicing attorneys who want to enhance their negotiation proficiency. The guide explores the three basic negotiator styles: the “win–lose” competitive/adversarial style; the “win–win” cooperative/ problemsolving style; and the “WIN–win” competitive/problem- solving style. It describes the six stages of the negotiation process, various negotiation tactics, the psychological factors that influence bargaining interactions, and applicable legal rules and economic principles. The book finally explores the impact of abstract reasoning skills, emotional intelligence, and negotiator gender and race on bargaining interactions. The appendixes include transcripts from lawyerto-lawyer negotiations. |
| Website | Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation | The Program on Negotiation offers a number of courses taught by leading Harvard faculty and experts in the field of negotiation, mediation, and conflict management. The courses range from one-day, three-day, and five-day workshops to semester-length courses. Participants come from around the world from both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, as well as a wide range of professions, including business, diplomacy, government, the military, law, and education. The diverse participant mix creates a dynamic interchange of perspectives and a network of friends and contacts that often last long after the seminar has ended. The site also offers a blog, teaching materials, and publications. |
| Program | Negotiation and Influence: Resolve Conflict, Reach Agreement, Gain Greater Confidence | Berkeley ExecEd offers a training program on negotiation skills. |
| MasterClass | Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation | As an FBI hostage negotiator, Chris Voss persuaded terrorists, bank robbers, and kidnappers to see things his way. Now he’s teaching you his field-tested strategies to help you in everyday negotiations, whether you’re aiming to improve your salary, the service you receive, or your relationships. Get stronger communication skills, game-changing insights into human nature, and more of what you want out of life. |
| Podcast | Negotiate Like A Professional | We negotiate things big and small constantly, often without even noticing it. Despite this, many feel uneasy when facing an important negotiation. Often, we’re also not good at it. In this podcast episode, Matthias Catón speaks with Anja Henningsmeyer. She is an expert on communications and negotiation and works as a trainer and coach. |
| Course | Negotiation and Influence | In this Berkeley ExecEd negotiation skills training program, Professor Holly Schroth teaches the social psychology behind the negotiation skills that most effectively influence others. Through in-class simulation of practical negotiation skills, you develop negotiation skills that not only help you manage conflict but also build trust. These essentials of negotiation will drive win-win negotiations. You will complete the program feeling confident – like you can negotiate anything! |
| Book | Effective Legal Negotiation and Settlement | This book includes a comprehensive conceptual framework for the negotiation process. The author provides readers with a thorough understanding of the psychological, sociological, and communicational factors that meaningfully influence negotiation encounters. |
| Podcast | Slate’s Negotiation Academy | A series of short podcasts that reveal the secrets of everyday haggling, whether you’re negotiating in the board room or your child’s bedroom. Part of the Panoply Network. |
| Course | Negotiation Mastery Course | Harvard Business School Online’s Negotiation Mastery Course: Secure Maximum Value for Your Organization through a Mastery of Negotiation Techniques. Negotiation Mastery equips you with the skills to close deals that might otherwise be deadlocked, maximize value in the agreements you reach, and resolve differences before they escalate into costly conflicts. |
Public Speaking
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Online Course | Dynamic Public Speaking Specialization | Free online course on public speaking offered by University of Washington |
| Guide | Public Speaking Strategies for Bar Association Leaders | These detailed materials are designed to supplement key points that Attorney Christina Plum offered during her presentation at the ABA’s Bar Leadership Institute on March 13, 2020. |
| Article | Lawyer Public Speaking & Teaching | Stephanie Everett describes how to prepare to present, how to put on a successful presentation, and how to ensure that the presentation fits with your overall marketing strategy. |
| Podcast | Public-Speaking Skills Every Lawyer Should Master | For every lawyer that thinks they have oral presentations down pat, there’s another that has anxiety about talking in front of a crowd. And they both need help. As an attorney and a formal federal law clerk, Faith Pincus gives lawyers the tools they need to succeed at public speaking. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, ABA Publishing’s Ashley Alfirevic speaks with Pincus about how to ditch the notecards, engage the audience and ask the right type of rhetorical questions. |
| Book | The Articulate Attorney: Public Speaking for Lawyers | Addressing the distinctive communication skills expected of attorneys—and based on three decades of experience coaching lawyers—this manual of practical, useful solutions integrates cutting-edge discoveries in human factors, linguistics, neuroscience, gesture studies, and sports psychology. These techniques will transform any attorney into a more confident speaker, whether addressing colleagues in a conference room, counseling clients in a boardroom, or presenting a CLE in a ballroom. Including tips on bringing the presentation off of one’s notes and using direct eye contact, the book answers such common questions as: How do I channel nervous energy into dynamic delivery? What is a reliable way to remember what I want to say? How do I stop saying “um” and think in silence instead? and Why is gesturing so important? Topics are divided into chapters on the body, the brain, and the voice, with an extra section specifically dedicated to practice. |
| Book | Being Heard: Presentation Skills for Attorneys | Public speaking is a skill that can be learned, just like any other skill such as writing, playing an instrument, a sport or being a chef. A quick and easy read, this book provides you with the basic and advance techniques, and insider knowledge, you need to improve your presentations, whether in or out of court. Attorneys and non-attorneys alike will find a multitude of techniques that can be used immediately to improve their presentation skills. Being Heard: Presentation Skills for Attorneys consolidates the most helpful and effective tips of the trade in order for you and your staff to become better public speakers. These tools have been time-tested and will help to ensure that both in and out of the courtroom, the reader projects the image and message that you want. |
| Podcast | Public Speaking Tips | In this episode of Law School Toolbox Podcast, Jennifer Warren talks about how to improve your public speaking skills – something most law students and lawyers need to work on. She discusses why public speaking skills are so important for a legal career; the importance of being yourself when presenting; the golden rule of the Law School Toolbox – PRACTICE; some novel ways to practice your public speaking skills; and how doing what makes you most uncomfortable is the best way to improve your skills. |
| Podcast | How to Rehearse for Your Next Oral Argument, with Michael Port | In this episode of The Lawyerist Podcast, Michael Port shares seven steps for mapping out your next oral argument. The episode talks about how to plan your content, when to make meaningful transitions, and how to make the most out of rewriting and rehearsing. Michael Port is a bestselling author of six books, including Book Yourself Solid and Steal the Show, and co-founder of Heroic Public Speaking. |
| Podcast | Vocal Training for Lawyers | This episode discusses public speaking and the power of speech, as well as learning how lawyers can embrace their voice, and become more effective communicators. |
| Website | Public Speaking Training | Public speaking training specifically for lawyers. |
| Podcast | Public Speaking with Peter George | Public speaking podcast specificially for lawyers. |
| Podcast | The Modern Law Library: Public Speaking Skills Every Lawyer Should Master | For every lawyer that thinks they have oral presentations down pat, there’s another that has anxiety about talking in front of a crowd. And they both need help. As an attorney and a formal federal law clerk, Faith Pincus gives lawyers the tools they need to succeed at public speaking. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, ABA Publishing’s Ashley Alfirevic speaks with Pincus about how to ditch the notecards, engage the audience and ask the right type of rhetorical questions. |
| MasterClass | Robin Roberts Teaches Effective and Authentic Communication | Millions of people spend their mornings with Robin Roberts, one of today’s most beloved broadcasters. Now the Emmy-winning “Good Morning America” co-anchor is sharing how she creates unforgettable moments through human connection. Learn how to communicate effectively, whether it’s in front of an audience, at work, or with those you love. Start embracing vulnerability, building resilience, and living life with optimism. |
| Book | Speaking Outside the Courtroom: Public Speaking for Lawyers | Speaking Outside the Courtroom: Public Speaking for Lawyers is a practical guide for law students and attorneys seeking to master public speaking skills used outside the courtroom. Its instructional approach, using text, examples, checklists, and illustrations, focuses entirely on the public speaking contexts and techniques unique to lawyers presentations and speeches before legislative bodies, civic and other lay groups, current and potential clients, bar organizations, other lawyers, the press, and others. It is an excellent resource for experiential learning courses. |
| Website | Public Speaking Tips | Public speaking tips from Toastmasters International. |
| Book | The Official TED Talks Guide to Public Speaking | In Ted Talks Chris Anderson, Head of TED, reveals the inside secrets of how to give a first-class presentation. Where books like Talk Like TED and TED Talks Storytelling whetted the appetite, this is the official TED guide to public speaking from the man who put TED talks on the world’s stage. |
| Website | 15 Free Resources to Improve Presentation and Public Speaking Skills | This list includes 15 free (or low-cost) professional development resources available to help you hone in on your presentation and speaking skills. |
Research
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Research Sources | Georgetown Law | This GULC site includes links to research guides on a wide range of practice areas, skill development, and state law resources |
| Research Guide | Harvard Law | This Harvard Law site is a guide for how to perform legal research including videos, articles, and explainers |
| Research Sources | Law Library of Congress | This site includes detailed guides for a wide variety of topics in law, researching federal law, and law in foreign countries. The sections include an intro, online resources, print resources, caselaw, journals, and more. |
| Research Guide | Law Library of Congress: Legal Research Institute | This site includes webinars on US law, foreign and comparative law, ongoing classes and past presentations. |
| Research Sources | Law Library of Congress | This site includes a broad range of databases and eResources that include legal and legislative information for the US and worldwide. |
| Research Sources | NYU Law | This NYU site includes legal research how-to guides, US law resources, legal writing guides, and foreign, comparative, and international law resources. |
| Website | Docket Navigator | This website provides updates on recent patent, copyright, trademark, and antitrust caselaw and significant decisions. |
| Website | Fastcase | Fastcase’s comprehensive legal research database is free on its mobile app. Many bar associations also offer access with membership. |
| Website | CourtListener | CourtListener is a free legal research website containing millions of legal opinions from federal and state courts. With CourtListener, lawyers, journalists, academics, and the public can research an important case, stay up to date with new opinions as they are filed, or do deep analysis using the site’s raw data. |
| Website | Caselaw Access Project | CAP includes all official, book-published state and federal United States case law — every volume or case designated as an official report of decisions by a court within the United States. Its scope includes all state courts, federal courts, and territorial courts for American Samoa, Dakota Territory, Guam, Native American Courts, Navajo Nation, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The earliest case is from 1658, and it currently includes all volumes published through 2019, with new data releases on a rolling basis at the beginning of each year. Each volume has been converted into structured, case-level data broken out by majority and dissenting opinion, with human-checked metadata for party names, docket number, citation, and date. It also offers PDFs with selectable OCR text for each case published up to 2018. |
| Website | Casetext | Casetext’s search function finds you cases and other authorities on the same facts, legal issues, and jurisdiction as your matter (e.g., brief, complaint, etc.). This is not free, but offers a free 14-day trial. |
| Guide | Legal Research Guide | A research guide from the UCLA School of Law Library. |
Soft Skills
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Book | The Confidence Code | This book provides an informative and practical guide to understanding the importance of confidence—and learning how to achieve it—for women of all ages and at all stages of their career. |
| Book | Women Don’t Ask | This book explores the personal and societal reasons women seldom ask for what they need, want, and deserve at home and at work–and shows how they can develop this crucial skill. |
| Podcast | Women at Work | This is a podcast series by the HBR about topics relevant to women professionals. |
| Book | Strengths Finder | This book comes with a strengths assessment to find out what your strengths are and how to leverage one’s strengths. |
| Book | Her Voice in Law: Vocal Power and Situational Command for the Female Attorney | This book provides a deep dive into various aspects of voice and presentation including breath, resonance, articulation, inflection and shaping openings and closing for maximum impact on the jury. It is divided into five primary sections, Tuning Your Instrument, Catching Their Interest, Catching Their Heart, Amplifying Through Body Language and Gesture, and Applying Voice to Everyday Legal Situations. The pedagogical goal is to provide a training model that yields actual and lasting results for litigators and attorneys who want a wider range of story-telling skills to strengthen their success in and out of the courtroom. This book’s contribution is the depth into which the authors go into the subject of voice and its relation to story-telling, providing a clear and tangible pathway to skill development and lasting transformation. |
| Book | Soft Skills for the Effective Lawyer | In this groundbreaking book, Randall Kiser presents a multi-disciplinary, practice-based introduction to the major soft skills for lawyers: self-awareness, self-development, social proficiency, wisdom, leadership, and professionalism. The work serves as both a map and a vehicle for developing the skills essential to self-knowledge and fulfillment, organizational respect and accomplishment, client satisfaction and appreciation, and professional improvement and distinction. It identifies the most important soft skills for attorneys, describes and applies hundreds of studies regarding psychology, law, and soft skills, and provides concrete steps and methods to improve soft skills. The book should be read by law students, attorneys, and anyone else interested in how lawyers should practice law. |
| Guide | Soft skills that set great lawyers apart from the rest | Soft skills, also known as transferable or professional skills, can help distinguish top legal talent from the rest of the talent pool. Certain soft skills complement lawyers’ hard-earned legal expertise and analytical intelligence. In this guide are some of most sought after soft skills for legal professionals, from a legal recruitment consultant. |
| Blog | Essentials soft skills expected from a lawyer | Being a lawyer has never been easy, starting from getting admission in a law school going for legal training, internship, and bar exams to national/international conferences, moot courts, debates, and presentations to improve the skills, can never be enough. To be on the top of the exam, a lawyer should not only have legal expertise but also have decent soft skills to make a reputation in society and be respected and appreciated for the kind of work a lawyer is focused on. The world is evolving way too fast and to keep up with the evolution and to be the best in the game, a lawyer needs to hone his skills according to the changing needs. |
| Book | Essential Soft Skills for Lawyers | This Special Report offers a research-based view into the importance of soft skills for modern lawyers and how law firms develop essential soft skills – whether to comply with SRA rules, to lead productive teams, to provide the best service to clients or to grow their practice. Through interviews with lawyers, leaders and human resource professionals at large and small firms, the report provides an overview of the essential soft skills required by modern lawyers, competency frameworks and insights into how best to develop them and guidance on some of the essential soft skills required. Interpersonal, emotional intelligence, communication, learning, adaptability, problem-solving, negotiation, team management, leadership and business development are amongst the soft skills explored for high-performing lawyers. This report is the guide to developing the skills needed to get ahead and stay ahead in your legal career. |
| Publication | Sharpening Soft Skills | Embracing human qualities is an increasingly valuable asset in the legal profession and here’s how to hone soft skills in your practice. |
| Article | The Importance of Incorporating Soft Skills Into Your Legal Writing | An article discussing how to incorporate soft skills into your legal writing. |
| Podcast | Soft Skills You Need to Develop to be a Successful Attorney | It shouldn’t be shocking to learn that law school doesn’t totally prepare you to be a successful lawyer. Sure, you learn useful skills like legal writing and legal analysis, but building a practice (and a book of business) requires other skills. Some law schools are getting better at offering opportunities for students to gain these skills, but ultimately it’s up to you to make sure you’re fully ready to practice. Tune in to find out which soft skills are important and how to develop them. |
| Podcast | What Mindset and (Soft) Skills Do Lawyers Need to Thrive in a Fast-Evolving Environment? | In a departure from previous episodes that focus on IP or technology, Karen Clemens and Diane Ridon, both leadership coaches who contribute to the Executives Education Program at Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, center their conversation on humans—the qualities and skills, from emotional intelligence to critical thinking, that make a difference in order for lawyers and others to succeed in a fast-evolving tech environment. |
| Podcast | Soft Skills Are More Important Than Ever | Having practiced as a barrister, and now as a partner, Jahan Kalantar understands that soft skills such as empathy are essential in better understanding client needs and, ultimately, succeeding as a lawyer. On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Executive Legal partner and head of litigation Jahan Kalantar to discuss how and why soft skills are increasingly necessary for lawyers as we move towards a post-pandemic market, what skills in particular will be important, and what creative ways lawyers can look to glean them. |
| Podcast | Soft Skills You Need to Make Your Law Firm a Success | In this episode of the Wealthy Woman Lawyer Podcast, we sit down with special guest, Attorney Stephanie Hanna. Stephanie is the founder and CEO of The Other 85, a company that helps attorneys become better networkers and marketers by helping them develop their abilities to connect with others, nurture relationships, and build trust.“Fifteen percent of your job success comes from the hard technical skills, and the other 85 are soft skills that will really make or break your career,” says Stephanie. We’ll chat with Stephanie about how to develop your on- and off-line networking skills, how to translate personal and intimate conversations into business networking, as well as how to determine what value you add; how to initiate relationships by removing overwhelm and adding authenticity; why breaking promises to yourself breaks your self-confidence and hinders your networking abilities; how to talk about what you do by telling people what you can do; and more. |
| Podcast | Soft Skills | In addition to substantive expertise, “soft skills” are crucial for attorneys. Soft skills are non-legal skills that help people interact effectively. In this podcast, Jessica Cherry, a Senior Legal Editor at Practical Law, discusses essential soft skills for career advancement and common mistakes lawyers make at the beginning of their careers. |
| Article | 9 Tips for Improving Your Communications Skills | Communication skills are a key component of executive leadership as well as success at all organizational levels. If you’re looking to improve your executive presence, your ability to communicate will make you stand out in the crowd! This ios a list of 9 tips for improving your communication skills. |
| Article | 14 Proven Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills | This article includes 14 ways you can improve your communication skills in order to become a more effective leader. |
| Article | Effective Communication: 6 Ways to Improve Communication Skills | Learning effective communication skills is a straightforward process that allows you to express yourself and improve both your personal and professional relationships. Knowing how to listen well and communicate clearly will help you express yourself in job interviews, business meetings, and in your personal life as well. This article is written by MasterClass staff, offers 6 ways to improve your communication skills. |
| Article | Communication Skills for Workplace Success | The ability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and staff is essential, no matter what industry you work in. Workers in the digital age must know how to effectively convey and receive messages in person as well as via phone, email, and social media. These communication skills will help you get hired, land promotions, and be a success throughout your career. |
| Podcast | The Introverted Lawyer | In this episode we learn about personality theories and lawyers, find ways introverted lawyers can find success, and we speak with Brooklyn Law professor Heidi Brown about her new book, The Introverted Lawyer. |
| Podcast | Having a hard time connecting with your witness? Try these tips | Katherine James explains how she uses her theater background to advise lawyers. |
Technological
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Online Course | AI for Everyone | This course covers basic AI concepts and how to identify opportunities to apply AI to problems. |
| Podcast | Technically Legal | Technically Legal is a podcast about legal technology, legal innovation and the impact of tech on the law and legal industry. During each podcast episode, the host interviews a legal “mover and shaker”–innovators in the legal industry and the legal tech field who are on the forefront of changes in the delivery and consumption of legal services. Guests discuss how they are implementing legal technology and innovation in their legal departments and law firms and how listeners can too. |
| Publication | Law Technology Today | Law Technology Today (LTT) is published by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC). LTT was launched in 2012 to provide the legal community with practical guidance for the present and sensible strategies for the future. LTT brings together practicing lawyers, technology professionals, and practice management experts from a wide range of practice settings and backgrounds. LTT offers articles, videos, podcasts, roundtables, quick tips, and more. |
| Article | Basic Legal Technology Skills are “Foundational” For Today’s Legal Market | Legal technology is often an afterthought for many lawyers in the practice of law and that is a mistake. In the coming years legal tech literacy (or lack thereof) will produce a sea change in the fortunes and careers of lawyers and firms. Firms that can couple legal services with efficient process, workflow and legal tech skills will win the business while those who don’t will wither. Lawyers and law firm’s legal technical abilities are being benchmarked, evaluated and quantified by corporate legal departments in order to manage legal spend and so they can select the most efficient and effective lawyer for legal services. |
| Publication | 7 Key Tech Skills for Law Students | As your skills and experience evolves, you’re going to have to keep up with the world of technology and innovation. Whether it’s getting to grips with AI or even the most basic IT skills, it’s super important to pay attention to moving trends and keep up with the increasingly changing legal world. |
| Article | Legal Technology Competence & Training | There are no longer any valid excuses for failing to use technology in your law firm. In the battle between remaining competitive and minding your bottom line, technology should be your weapon of choice. Technology can be used to accomplish multiple important purposes in a law firm, including improving client service, fulfilling operational needs, and streamlining systems. We also know technology can be overwhelming, especially considering the time it takes to learn a new skill. It’s okay if you’re not quite there yet. Don’t let that stop you from striving to reach a certain level of tech competence to remain efficient and compliant. |
| Article | What the heck is LegalTech – An introduction to and overview of the technology disrupting the legal profession | Legal Technology is not a new concept though as technology has played an important part in the jobs of lawyers both in-house and at law firms. Two aspects though have created a movement that aims to change every angle of an industry: the first of the two is the rise of innovative solutions like artificial intelligence, machine learning, better data analytics or smart contracts and blockchain. The second is the unprecedented opportunity to break into a market that has generated in the US alone more than $250 billion in revenue, so no wonder clever start-ups are trying to get a piece of the action. |
| Article | Top Tech Tools for Lawyers in 2021 | What are the top tools for lawyers in 2021, to help them set their firms up for success this year? After the global pandemic sparked a year of change and challenges for the legal profession, many lawyers are now operating in a virtual reality—whether they’re working remotely part of the time or they’ve embraced a fully virtual law firm. In this post, we’ll cover the top tools for lawyers based on data from industry reports and trends we’ve observed in the legal profession. By understanding what lawyer tools and equipment other legal professionals are using in our new, more virtual world, you can decide what your firm can use to help it operate as effectively as possible. |
| Article | Top 10 Technology Trends and Topics for Attorneys to Watch | The National Law Review offers the top 10 technology trends and topics that attorneys need to watch. |
| Book | The Lawyer’s Guide to Working Smarter with Knowledge Tools | This ground-breaking guide introduces lawyers and other professionals to a powerful class of software that supports core aspects of legal work. The author discusses how technologies like practice systems, work product retrieval, document assembly, and interactive checklists help people work smarter. If you are looking to work more effectively, this book provides a clear roadmap, with many concrete examples and thought-provoking ideas. |
| Podcast | Legal Tech During COVID-19: Have Law Firms Adapted or Not? | As we come to the 18-month mark of this pandemic, Dennis and Tom feel it’s time to take a look at how legal tech has progressed throughout this crazy time. They welcome returning guest Debbie Foster to get her real-world perspective on how law firms have—or haven’t—adapted their practices to embrace technology. |
| Podcast | Does It Take 10,000 Hours to Become a Legal Tech Expert? | Are there good ways to develop your legal technology expertise in a hurry? Well, Dennis and Tom’s short answer is no, but don’t let that get you down! Tune in for their tips and resources for building your knowledge base and gaining a greater understanding of the ever-expanding relationship between technology and law. |
| Podcast | 20 Tips in 20 Minutes | Looking for some simple ways to make life just a little bit better? Dennis and Tom challenge themselves to fire through 20 simple technology-related tips in just 20 minutes, from useful shortcut commands to favorite apps, to smarter tech habits, and more! |
| Podcast | Video & Audio Quality Matter — Make Your Remote Work More Professional | The longer you work from home, the more you may realize your existing audio/video setup may not reflect your greatness. While there may be ways you can get better results with your current tech, it is more likely that you need to upgrade your equipment. To help you get where you need to be, Dennis and Tom share their tips for building out your audio and video capabilities. They talk about the setups they use for different circumstances and offer product recommendations for microphones, headsets, cameras, lighting, and more. In their second segment, they discuss the recent surge in podcasts and videos and offer their thoughts on whether now is really the right time to launch a new show. |
| Article | A Law Clerk’s Advice for Communicating During the Pandemic | Advice from a law clerk on communicating during the pandemic. |
| Book | The 2019 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide | The popular annual guide to legal technology is back with its 2019 edition. The Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide is the only book of its kind that helps solo and small firm lawyers find the best value for their dollars in legal tech. In clear, understandable language, that authors give a vendor-neutral overview of and recommendations for computers, servers, networking equipment, legal software, printers, security products, smartphones, tablets, and more. Whether you choose to do it yourself or work with an IT consultant, this book has the information you need to reduce the sea of choices to a manageable set of proven options. |
| Book | The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together | This first-of-its-kind guide for the legal profession shows you how to use standard technology you already have and the latest “Web 2.0” resources and other tech tools, like Google Docs, Microsoft Office and SharePoint, and Adobe Acrobat, to work more effectively on projects with colleagues, clients, co-counsel and even opposing counsel. |
| Book | Evernote as a Law Practice Tool | This publication will provide legal professionals, with a primary focus on attorneys, with guidance on how to set up, use, and collaborate with Evernote. This publication will take the reader, step by step, through Evernote features. Screenshots will be used to demonstrate, for example, how to create a notebook and add data, as well as how to organize legal work with Evernote. Attention will be paid to the different types of uses for legal professionals (i.e. firm administration, marketing, case research, litigation, forms, client documents). This publication will also address the use of Evernote via mobile devices. |
| Microsoft Outlook for Legal Professionals | Written especially for the specific concerns of legal professionals, this practical PDF guide to Microsoft Outlook provides detailed instructions with screenshots, insightful tips and tricks, and little-known techniques to help you work smarter and more effectively with email. | |
| Microsoft Word for Legal Professionals | Written for the unique Microsoft Word needs of the legal industry, this convenient PDF manual provides user-friendly, step-by-step guidance along with extensive screenshots. | |
| Microsoft Teams for Legal Professionals | Working in Microsoft Teams has become an essential element of daily practice for many attorneys, making knowing how to use this communications tool more important than ever. This hands-on PDF guide explains what you need to collaborate effectively and securely. | |
| Book | The Ultimate Guide to Adobe Acrobat DC, Second Edition | Written by practitioners with extensive experience in using Adobe® Acrobat® DC for their firm, this fully up-to-date manual provides step-by-step instructions and screenshots showing users how to get the most from Acrobat®, from its most common tools to its most advanced features. |
Writing
| Type of Resource | Resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Site | Georgetown Writing Center | |
| Book | Legal Writing: A Judge’s Perspective on the Science and Rhetoric of the Written Word | “Effective legal writing calls not only for artistry but also for scientific understanding.” In this synthesis of his experience on the bench and his own research into the science and art of written communications, Robert E. Bacharach, a federal court judge, shares his insights on ways language can determine different responses — and how to use this knowledge to craft a powerful and persuasive message. Judge Bacharach follows a logical progression in crafting effective legal writing, beginning with the importance of an introduction that provides a context for the argument. At this stage, it is important to consider clarity, context, identification of the underlying legal issues, the structure of your argument, and stating the rationale for the optimum outcome. |
| Book | Legal Writing in Plain English | Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. Since 2001 Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. Now the leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process that will appeal to other professionals: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. |
| Book | Plain English for Lawyers | Plain English for Lawyers has been a favorite of law students, legal writing teachers, lawyers, and judges for almost 40 years. The sixth edition, now co-authored by Amy Sloan, updates this classic text, including new chapter exercises, while preserving all the approaches that make it such a standard in the field. It remains (in size only!) a little book, small enough and palatable enough not to intimidate over-loaded law students. |
| Book | A Writer’s Reference | A Writer’s Reference helps you engage in and meet the challenges of your writing course. Clear How-to boxes help you complete common writing assignments like argument and analysis. Guidance about paraphrasing and fact-checking sources help you become a more responsible writer and reader. And Notes-to-self help you reflect on your progress and plan your revision. If your instructor has assigned Achieve, you have new ways to engage with course material and with your instructor and peers. Revision planning tools and individualized study plans help you become a better writer, and a built-in e-book puts your problem and your solution side by side. |
| Book | The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts | In its first two editions, The Winning Brief explained the art of effective writing in 100 concise, practical, and easy-to-use tips, proving that the key to writing well is to understand the judicial readership. This third edition of Bryan A. Garner’s modern classic delivers the same invaluable guidelines with even more supporting evidence. Covering everything from the rules for planning and organizing a brief to openers that can capture a judge’s attention from the first few words, these tips add up to the most compelling, orderly, and visually appealing brief that an advocate can present. |
| Book | Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates | With Point Made, legal writing expert, Ross Guberman, throws a life preserver to attorneys, who are under more pressure than ever to produce compelling prose. What is the strongest opening for a motion or brief? How to draft winning headings? How to tell a persuasive story when the record is dry and dense? The answers are “more science than art,” says Guberman, who has analyzed stellar arguments by distinguished attorneys to develop step-by-step instructions for achieving the results you want. |
| Book | The Art Of Advocacy: Briefs, Motions, And Writing Strategies Of America’s Best Lawyers | The Art of Advocacy: Briefs, Motions, and Writing Strategies of America’s Best Lawyers presents more than 150 examples of masterful advocacy to show lawyers how to write winning motions and briefs. The book focuses on the strategic and substantive choices that top litigators make, drawing examples from important, timely, and controversial cases. Detailed annotations give readers insight into what makes each document so effective. In addition to presenting a host of storytelling, stylistic, and organizational strategies, the book’s examples demonstrate how to build and rebut different types of arguments. The Appendices provide a wealth of additional resources, including Karl Llewellyn’s previously unpublished advice from 1957 about the art of advocacy, which one top law professor described as the “best advice on legal writing I’ve ever seen.” |
| Book | Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges | In their professional lives, courtroom lawyers must do these two things well: speak persuasively and write persuasively. In this noteworthy book, two noted legal writers (Justice Scalia and Bryan Garner) systematically present every important idea about judicial persuasion in a fresh, entertaining way. The book covers the essentials of sound legal reasoning, including how to develop the syllogism that underlies any argument. From there the authors explain the art of brief writing, especially what to include and what to omit, so that you can induce the judge to focus closely on your arguments. Finally, they show what it takes to succeed in oral argument. |
| Book | The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition | ‘The Elements of Style’ (1918), by William Strunk, Jr., is an American English writing style guide. It is the best-known, most influential prescriptive treatment of English grammar and usage, and often is required reading and usage in U.S. high school and university composition classes. This edition of ‘The Elements of Style’ details eight elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition, “a few matters of form”, and a list of commonly misused words and expressions. |
| Book | How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One | In this entertaining and erudite New York Times bestseller, beloved professor Stanley Fish offers both sentence craft and sentence pleasure. Drawing on a wide range of great writers, from Philip Roth to Antonin Scalia to Jane Austen, How to Write a Sentence is much more than a writing manual—it is a spirited love letter to the written word, and a key to understanding how great writing works. |
| Podcast | Legal Writing Nerd: Tips for Exceptional Writing Skills | Legal writing is difficult for some lawyers to navigate. Is there a shift away from archaic flourishes to plain language, or does it still have its place? In this episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast, host Rocky Dhir talks to Wayne Schiess, author and legal writing professor. They discuss his most recent book, “Legal Writing Nerd: Be One,” and gives tips on what lawyers can incorporate to better their writing skills. |
| Publication | Applied Legal Storytelling: A Bibliography | This article contains a bibliography on the movement known as Applied Legal Storytelling. Those who are interested in Applied Legal Storytelling examine the use of stories — and of storytelling or narrative elements — in law practice, in law school pedagogy, and within the law generally. The Applied Legal Storytelling movement is largely associated with a series of biennial academic conferences that began in 2007, and the majority of the entries in this bibliography originated with presentations at one of those conferences. But the bibliography also acknowledges a number of articles that pre-date 2007 and that could be called precursors. The bibliography first lists those precursor articles, pre-dating 2007, and then lists articles, books, and textbooks that date from 2007 and that are relevant to the movement. The article also suggests ten sub-categories into which articles on Applied Legal Storytelling could fall and offers examples of each. |
| Publication | Legal Blogging and the Rhetorical Genre of Public Legal Writing | This article brings scholarly attention to the blog posts, tweets, updates and other writing on social media that many lawyers generate and many others would consider generating, if they had the time and skill to do so. In the broadest terms, this genre of writing is “public legal writing”: writing by lawyers not for any specific client but for dissemination to the public or through wide distribution channels, particularly the Internet. Legal blogging is a good entry point into public legal writing because legal blog posts often share some analytical features of longer articles alongside conversational conventions typical of writing on social media. Legal blogging is certainly not new, but this article brings new attention to it. The article begins by reviewing helpful (non-legal) advice from two recent writing guidebooks, Christopher Johnson’s Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little and Roy Peter Clark’s How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times. Primed by the ideas in these books, the article explores the genre of legal blogging through two case studies of legal blog posts in 2014. Finally, the article puts legal blogging into context by addressing its similarities to and differences from traditional legal writing. Legal blogging offers a respite from the formalities of traditional legal writing, but it also brings its own set of expectations and constraints that define the evolving boundaries of this genre. |
| Podcast | The Write Stuff: Legal Writing and Law/Life Balance | In this episode we talk about legal writing fundamentals, learn why every lawyer is a professional writer, and discover the single biggest barrier to effective written advocacy. We also discuss Life/Law balance and learn about the clash between “working” and “living” in both Canada and the US. |
| Podcast | The Editing Lawyer Podcast | Welcome to The Editing Lawyer Podcast. I’m talking to other lawyers and professionals about writing, editing, and publishing. Listen in. |
| Podcast | Making Legal Writing More Betterer | On the show today, we rundown the grammar with an article from the ABA and then we talk about plain language, legal writing and finding enthusiasm in your writing tasks with the creator of BriefCatch, Ross Guberman. |
| Website | Legal Writing Pro | Ross Guberman is the president of Legal Writing Pro LLC and the founder of BriefCatch LLC. From Alaska and Hawaii to Paris and Hong Kong, Ross has conducted thousands of workshops on three continents for prominent law firms, judges, agencies, corporations, and associations. His workshops are among the highest rated in the world of professional legal education. His website also offers a number of resources and articles on legal writing. |
| Articles | ABA Journal Legal Writing Articles | The ABA Journal articles on legal writing. |
| Website | Law Prose | Bryan A. Garner is an American lawyer, grammarian, and lexicographer. He also writes on jurisprudence (and occasionally golf). He is the author of over 25 books, the best-known of which are Garner’s Modern English Usage (4th ed. 2016) and Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (2012—coauthored with Justice Antonin Scalia), as well as five unabridged editions of Black’s Law Dictionary. He serves as Distinguished Research Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University. His website includes training, consulting, books, articles, videos, and other resources relating to legal writing. |
| Article | 10 Writing Tips for Young Lawyers | This ABA Journal article includes 10 quick writing tips for young lawyers. |
| Article | The Ultimate Guide to Good Legal Writing | If you need a refresher, or simply want to kick some bad habits, read this article for the tidbits, tools, and resources that can help take your legal writing to the next level. |
| Publication | What is “Good Legal Writing” and Why Does It Matter? | A journal article from the University of Michigan Law School, with references to additional resources. |
| Books | Legal Writing Books | A list of legal writing books and study aids provided by the UCLA Law Library. |
| Webinar | Legal Writing Q&A Session w/ Julie Schrager | This is a webinar provided by Seyfarth Shaw. Join them to get answers on your questions about legal writing, including how to overcome anxiety and writer’s block; how to outline memos or briefs; how to write effective emails; and how to write clearly, precisely, and concisely. |
| Webinar | Finishing Touches: Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Your Own Work | Many college students write papers at the last minute and turn in their first drafts. That process doesn’t work in law school! In this session, you’ll learn how to review your work so that your final memo demonstrates that you are smart, thoughtful, precise, and careful. This webinar recording will discuss how to approach the editing process so that your organization and analysis are effective, along with your tone and writing style. It will also share some of the most effective proofreading tips. |
The Committee welcomes feedback from the WBA membership about the Toolkit at careertoolkit@wbadc.org. If you have suggestions for resources to include, please use “TOOLKIT RESOURCES” in your email subject line.