To get right to the point, you are what you write

How a lawyer writes mirrors how that person thinks. Depth of understanding, force of reasoning, and clarity of expression all blaze from a person’s pen.

This blog has connected effective writing to effective lawyering in various ways (See my posts of May 13, 2007: writing instructors; Sept. 21, 2005: writing coaches; May 19, 2006: comparative styles of firm lawyes and law department lawyers; Feb. 8, 2006: maximum of two drafts; and June 12, 2005: “a good lawyer sounds and writes like a lawyer.”). These posts, along with my defunct series on writing better, have all gone toward the quality with which one expresses oneself on paper (See my post of Jan. 4, 2008: why I stopped the writing posts.).

Other posts have talked about email, but more in the context of format and tone. I have also written generally about communication style (See my posts of June 20, 2007: working style of your boss.). Writing permeates almost everything an in-house attorney does; writing clearly increases productivity and boosts your value to your client.

To borrow from Continental Airlines, work hard, write well