ONLINE
Thursday, February 25, 2021
9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Looks like we’ll all be working from home for a while yet. You can be even better at it. At a time when actual in-person encounters have largely disappeared from your schedule, writing clearly and productively – letting your written words do their best work for you – may be more essential than ever. So why not use some of that hunkered-down time to sharpen your legal-writing skills?
Join nationally known writing coach and trainer Rick Horowitz for this first of two lively and practical programs on February 25, that will reintroduce you to your legal-writing toolbox, including a few tools you didn't know were in there. Rick has crafted this program to take best advantage of Zoom’s interactive features. And as you can see from the attendee comments, he’s managed to retain much of the give-and-take, back-and-forth energy that has made his in-person sessions so popular. You’re sure to come away with new skills, new strategies, and new confidence.
Webcast also included in the following webcast package(s):
More Effective Writing Makes More Effective Lawyers Package
Rick Horowitz is the founder and Wordsmith in Chief of Prime Prose, LLC, offering writing, editing, and coaching services to institutions and organizations across the country. A graduate of Brandeis University and N.Y.U. School of Law, Horowitz worked for a Washington law firm, specializing in communications law, and as a legislative assistant to a member of the congressional leadership.
He went on to become a nationally syndicated columnist, winning two National Headliner Awards; and a commentator for Milwaukee Public Television, where he received eight Regional Emmy Award nominations and two actual statuettes. Rick’s latest project: trying to get lawyers to write more like…actual humans, at least some of the time. Attorneys coast to coast have found his “More Effective Writing Makes More Effective Lawyers” workshops a valuable – and entertaining – learning experience.
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
When Lawyers Write: What Can Go Wrong?
Take a brief tour of the various ways legal writing can come up short (or long, or confusing, or...) and the writing habits and assumptions that lead so many lawyers astray.
So Here’s the Situation...” The Writing You Do Before You Start Writing
Understand that some of your most important legal writing happens before your fingers ever hit the keyboard. And why would you think that a one-size-fits-all approach to your writing best serves you, your clients, or your varied target audience(s)?
Demystifying the Process: Four Essential Questions, and Two Key Factors
Let’s keep it simple, OK? Learn how to streamline your writing process by focusing first on a small number of manageable elements, and see how those elements can help guide you through many of your most critical writing and editing decisions.
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
BREAK
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
“What’s In? What’s Out?” Complete v. Concise
It may be the ultimate balancing act in legal writing: “How much is enough? How much is too much?” We’ll share strategies for fighting off the urge to include everything, and we’ll weigh the benefits ¬– and occasional dangers – of leaving things out.
A Few More Words About Getting Started: Different Strokes for Different Folks
Do you suffer from Blank Screen Panic? You’re not alone. Getting those first words onto the screen is a daunting prospect for many lawyers. Find out if your typical way of getting started is actually the best approach for the way you write, and for any particular assignment. We’ll explore some alternatives that may be a better fit.
– Rick Horowitz; Prime Prose, LLC
$175
Other discounts that may apply:
Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.
Minnesota CLE has applied to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 3.0 standard CLE credits. The maximum number of total credits you may claim for attending this program is 3.0 credits.
