Strunk and White Still Rules

As a group we lawyers are not identified as great writers.  Even though writing is the bulk of what we do, our letters, pleadings, briefs, and articles are not always artful.  The plain English movement begs us to write better -- but artful legal writing still remains elusive.

Unfortunately this vacuum of style isn't going away.  If anything, younger lawyers are as awful at writing as their predecessors.  It seems that writing is being neglected in our schools and colleges.

For this post I am going very low tech.  As a liberal arts major in college, reading and writing is what I did.  Tests were essay based.  Homework and class projects were essay based.  We wrote papers.  Written words were the wings that carried me through college.  Beyond religious texts, the bible in my education was The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.  I did two things every day during my student life.  I put on fresh underwear, and I made sure I had my copy of Strunk and White.

In 2011 Time Magazine named The Elements of Style one of the 100 most important books of all time!  As explained in Time:

Reading the “Little Book” is almost like sitting in an elementary English class, which seems to be how the authors intended it. Strunk and White waded through the totality of our vast and complicated language and boiled it down to a terse 105 pages, including a glossary and index.

So powerful, so important, so essential is The Elements of Style, that it has its own Wikipedia article.

Of course there are critics everywhere, and Strunk and White do have their detractors.  I am not one of them.  The Elements of Style is only 105 pages.  Think about that. . . The power to master the written word in such a tiny package!  That is magnificent!  If you don't own The Elements of Style you need to buy it today.  Get the paperback copy.  Read it.  Press it open on your desk while you write.  Refer to it constantly.  Your writing will improve, and so will your lawyering.  You can buy it for ten bucks.  Go to Amazon, or your neighborhood bookstore, and get a copy.

Want a second option, consider  Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges by Scalia (Yes, that Scalia) and Garner.

Please visit hardinglaw.com for more information about Harding & Associates Family Law

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Book Review: Happily Ever After Divorce

Divorce is never fun. To the contrary, it has to rank at the top of the last of angst inducing crises. So many questions. So few answers. As a divorce lawyer I wish I had a pill I could give to my clients that would take away all of the pain, self-doubt, and uncertainty. Unfortunately I do not have such a pill. However, I have come across something that helps!

Happily Ever After Divorce is a charming book written by Jessica Bram. The book recounts Jessica’s experiences as she faced the end of her marriage, the process of divorce, and the start of her new life.

Jessica’s book started as a very quick read. However, as I got into my reading rhythm I began to appreciate how much the author had packed into a couple of hundred pages. I found myself reading the book a second time – that time with highlighter in hand – so that I could more fully drink in her supportive prose and mark-up her sage advice to people going through divorce. Through all the sadness, all the frustration, and all of the despair Jessica reassures the reader that there is hope and life after divorce. She does not sugar coat her own pain, and I think that is important. As I said, there is no magic elixir. Jessica agrees. What her book does teach is that the pain can be managed and survived. It is that hope and reassurance that people going through divorce need. That is why Happily Ever After Divorce is so valuable.

As a divorce lawyer I was especially intrigued by Jessica's mostly positive reflections on working with her lawyer. I also found her practical tips for working through legal log jams invaluable. I did perceive a bit of a female slant, but took no offense and realized that is was reasonable given that the author is a female.

I definitely will suggest to my family law clients that they read Happily Ever After Divorce.

If you would like to learn more about Jessica Bram, and her book, please visit her website at www.jbram.com. Happily Ever After Divorce is available for purchase from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other online retailers. There are convenient links on Jessica’s website.

Please be sure to visit www.hardinglaw.com, the website for the law firm of Harding & Associates, for more information on California family law.

New Marketing Magazine for Lawyers

Just received my second issue of The Rainmaker Advisor. It is a new magazine published by Stephen Fairley, who also runs The Rainmaker Institute, a marketing firm that targets lawyers. I do enjoy the magazine. It delivers good articles, in a convenient, easy to read format. This month's issue includes the following articles: Discover the Power of a Mastermind Group, 7 Powerful Tools for Following Up with Prospects and Referral Sources, How to Position Yourself as a Leading Expert in Your Area.... This month's issue also includes an interview with famous personal injury lawyer John Bisnar.

I like The Rainmaker Advisor, I really do. At the same time, the magazine is ridiculously expensive. $39.95 per issue issue! The articles that I have read have not provided me with any information that I could not have found for free elsewhere on the internet. That is an important qualification. I am always surfing the internet, mining articles on marketing. I can find the articles without the magazine. Others may not be so inclined?

I am going to pay for a third issue, and then likely save the money. If the cost sits right with you, the magazine can do miles of leg work for you. Like so many products sold to lawyers (books, CLE classes, dues in professional organizations such as the American Bar Association), the magazine is way over priced. That is just part of being in a captive audience; and it makes the expense relative. Cost aside, I will say that The Rainmaker Advisor is a great resource.

Click here to check out the magazine's slick webfomercial.


Please be sure to visit www.hardinglaw.com, the website for the law firm of Harding & Associates, for more information on California family law.