Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting) profile picture

Writing skills training & coaching for lawyers, accountants, & other professionals, including paralegals, managers & staff. Effective Email programs

New York
Joined March 2009
Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)Photo by Marilyn Bush LeLeiko (@LawWriting)
And more than that, sometimes it is the best way to start a sentence. #legalwriting teapawt.net/judgedillard/status/95…
Replying to @JScottkey
It is acceptable to begin sentences with conjunctions.
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Yes, especially good short stories and narrative nonfiction (in short form, like magazine articles). Reading good models of brevity is key -- because briefs can't (or shouldn't) be like novels. #legalwriting teapawt.net/Miz_Rosenberg/status/9…
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Brief-writing tip: If there's one background fact that really should lead to a win for your side, keep your brief short to make it stand out rather than repeating it page after page after page. The repetition in the 50-page brief I'm reading today lessens the impact.
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
If the string of citations really helps your case, perhaps you might explain how in at least a parenthetical? Or did you cite 6 inapt cases just to make me look them all up?
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
When the heading says, "no, you don't want to read the rest." (From a brief recently filed in the 9th Circuit)
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I tell my new clerks that I love crappy first drafts. From a crappy first draft we can figure out where we need to go. #legalwriting teapawt.net/aznchew/status/9435705…
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Lin-Manuel Miranda: “You write until the rust comes out of the faucet and it’s clear water. Then you write down the clear water.” #writing
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A 36-line deep paragraph is a wall of text that no reader should ever have to climb. #plainlanguage
Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
#EzraPound, #BTD, said good writers "keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear." Note the accuracy part.
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Replying to @dj13p
No. I am a skeptical reader. You earn credibility as I read your brief. If I see (cleaned up) and haven't heard of that, I have a new credibility question ("What the heck was 'cleaned up?'") and will have to check the quote.
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Like it or not, advancements in technology are an integral part of today’s practice of #law. Those attorneys who embrace change will thrive.
Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Replying to @LawWriting
Pick up the phone?!?!
Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
"A clear sentence is no accident." William #Zinsser, #BTD 1922. Even if you've read #OnWritingWell, it's time to revisit it. #writingtips
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SCOTUS catches up by adopting electronic filing technology ow.ly/qHDE30g1N6E
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Interesting essay by Richard Abel on changes to legal ed & academia in the last 50 years & the US News rankings. jle.aals.org/home/vol66/iss4…
Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
My #1 lesson, as an experienced underling - the draft that goes from me to boss is what I think of as final, not rough. teapawt.net/SCOTUSPlaces/status/92…
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Kagan on legal writing: "there's a lot of banging your head against your computer monitor"
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Very true of briefs. Sometimes, it's just due. teapawt.net/KellyGToGo/status/9141…
No paper is ever finished. It is just due. Papers always remain eligible for revision, even after a grade is placed. Latest papers are called "best drafts," never "final drafts."
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Marilyn Bush LeLeiko retweeted
Can you handle it? Tips for dealing with an upset client @SallySchmidt wp.me/p3hy6I-6Lsk2
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This post makes some great points about effective oral advocacy. Worth a read. teapawt.net/lucasdrayton/status/88…
I wrote a thing #appellatetwitter Paul Clement: A Walking Oral Argument Textbook lbradleylaw.wordpress.com/20… via @wordpressdotcom
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