Zeb Landsman

No One Wants To Read Your Brief Zeb Landsman

No one wants to read what you've written. Your reader will not excitedly open your brief, relishing some quality time with your legal argument. No, your reader wants only to have finished your brief and to understand what she needs to form an opinion. The judges and clerks don't want to read your brief, they want to have read it. Keep this in mind while you write. How can I be clearer? How can I be simpler? How can I be shorter? How can I make it easy for my reader? Be generous, not worrying about how the readers will judge you, but how your writing can ease their burden. This handbook suggests ways to simplify your writing. But they're not enough. The key is to write and rewrite. Your first ideas are the puzzle pieces fresh out of the box. You will need to move them around the table and experiment until they fit together neatly. One idea should naturally lead to the next, not shoved together awkwardly. You will be finished when you no longer see a puzzle, but a clear picture comprising simple ideas. Give your reader a picture, not a puzzle.