Legal Writing Seminars and Legal Writing Coaching

Legal Writing Seminars and Legal Writing Coaching

“I think this [course] was right on.” –  Career research attorney

“I am an ALJ. . . . This course was excellent. I plan on using much of what was discussed in writing my decisions.”  –  Administrative Law Judge

Why should you hire Alisa Shorago to provide legal writing seminars or coaching at your firm?

Alisa Shorago brings the best of the legal, educational, and writing world to her seminars. As an attorney with over 15 years of trial and appellate litigation experience, she has actual, practical experience in crafting persuasive briefs. As a former research attorney at the federal- and state-court levels, she knows what courts find persuasive. And as a writing trainer and former English major, Alisa has researched both legal and general writing principles that contribute to a strong brief.

Alisa also makes sure to customize legal writing seminars to the participants’ actual practice areas and writing needs. This is a large advantage to Alisa’s on-site legal writing training over “canned” public legal writing seminars.

“The workshop provides concise, manageable tools for improving writing and for more efficient editing. [I would recommend the program because it] focused on highly relevant issues for young associates, taking into account time constraints on the job.” – First-year litigation associate

“This course should be required before lawyers are allowed to write.” – Litigation attorney

Alisa not only brings substance but style. By using effective learning techniques, she ensures that participants stay engaged.

[Alisa] was excellent! Witty, engaging, much preferred to my law school writing professor.” – First-year litigation associate

“Good (presentation) skills . . . kept me focused on the presentation, which is a rarity for me.” – Partner

Why a brief-writing seminar?

An excellent brief-writing seminar conveys practical ways to craft briefs more effectively and efficiently. More persuasive briefs are not only great for the client and for the firm’s reputation, but they can also save partners hours in reviewing their associates’ work. The New York Times mentions legal writing skills in a corporate client wish list for new attorneys and notes, “Partners at a law firms say they spend a lot of time improving the writing of their first- and second-year associates.” And, as this legal writing article points out, smart firms provide legal writing support, including legal writing training, to their attorneys.

“Every law firm should spend the time and money to ensure that the quality of its writing is as high as possible, because our clients rely on us to persuasively convey their positions. Shorago Training is very skilled at training attorneys to do just this.“
– Heather Rosing, CFO/Shareholder, Klinedinst PC (and current member of the California Bar of Governors)

Why at your firm?

An in-house, on-site legal writing seminar is more convenient, less expensive, and more time-effective for your firm. It also means trainer/attorney Alisa Shorago can customize the content closely to your firm’s practice areas and the participants’ needs, which is more effective than sending them to a canned legal writing seminar.

Why one-on-one coaching?

Partners sometimes complain about the quality of an associate’s writing and the time (often non-billable) spent rewriting. And just because many partners write well does not mean that they know how–or have the time–to teach an associate how to write well. Advice like “be more concise” or “fix your punctuation” can leave a struggling writer confused. Alisa Shorago pinpoints specific issues, answers technical writing questions, and provides resources and exercises for writing improvement.

Who can benefit?

“I am an ALJ. . . . This course was excellent. I plan on using much of what was discussed in writing my decisions.”  – Administrative Law Judge

Legal writing seminars and coaching can be designed for any level of experience, including partners, associates, paralegals, and summer associates. Even partners who have attended seminars that were produced for and aimed at their newer associates reported that they learned information that will make a difference in their brief writing.

For more information or to arrange for an in-house legal writing seminar or one-on-one coaching, please contact Alisa Shorago.