Law Practice Tips

Improve your writing by using active voice, action verbs, present tense, singular nouns and other principles of clear writing . Get inspired by reading  an article about the importance of improving writing throughout your career. Then enhance your writing skills by reading articles about  Common Mistakes ,  Grammar Goofs ,  Muddled Writing ,   Learning to Write Well ,  Writing Tips  and Writing Resources .  Visit the ABA's Archive of Writing Articles and  Federal Register's Language Tools ,  Drafting Resources , Newsletter  and  Handbook . Read  books about Elements of Style , Guide to Legal Writing ,  Grammar and Writing,   Judicial Perspectives on the Written Word , Legal Writing Resources , and Strategies for Faster and Better Editing . Proofread your writing with  Grammarly ,  Microsoft Edtor , and other writing tools .

Mark Twain learned about law from his father who was a Justice of the Peace. Twain's writings have several lessons for lawyers, including learning from mistakes, listening to your opponent, and pausing during presentations. Get inspired by reading Twain's  biography , his  tips for lawyers , and his  lessons for life . For deeper learning, read his  books and an anthology of his  humorous observations about life and lawyers . Get inspired by watching Hal Holbrook perform in Mark Twain Tonight.

Win trials by anticipating issues, preparing to-do lists, creating demonstrative aids, and telling a compelling story. Use virtual preparation to improve witness performance. Keep conversations informal, make briefings short, and use playback as a teaching tool for witnesses. For more tips, read articles about best practices ,  ethical rules , expert witnesses , trial tips , and  virtual preparation . For comprehensive study, read books about  Preparing Witnesses , Pre-Trial Strategies for Success , Storytelling for Lawyers ,   Trial Manuals , Trial Tips , and What it Takes to Win , and Winning Jury Trials .

Read the ABA’s 2020 Annual Survey of Law Firm Technology Trends to learn about  trends for lawyers and firms . Trends covered in the survey  Billing ,  Budgeting , Cloud Computing , Cybersecurity ,  Getting Paid ,  Litigation ,  Management , Marketing , Training , and  Websites . Click here   for a page with links to articles with survey results. Also see Robert Ambroggi's article about  Top Technology Trends , Jim Calloway’s article about Top Technology Tools , and my article about Digitally Transforming Yourself and Your Firm .  For in-depth study, read the ABA's  Legal Technology Guide  and Cybersecurity Handbook.  And visit the  ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center .

Hackers can  encrypt your files unless you protect them against ransomware attack s.  Protect your files and your clients by enabling   Controlled Folder Access   in Windows and using link protection in Outlook  a nd Gmail . Remember to continuously backing up files with an external hard drive or cloud service like Carbonite . Learn more by reading articles about   cybersecurity , hacking , and  ransomware . Also read the ABA's  Handbook on Cybersecurity  and  Survey of Best Practices . Also see  PC Magazine's Review of Cloud Backup Services  and visit security websites like   NoMoreRansom   and Krebs on Security .