One year ago I gave my wife a book about tidying for Christmas. (I’m still alive, so that tells you something about my wife.) I bought The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo on a whim and, perhaps, a modicum of husbandly intuition. It ended up my wife’s favorite gift of the year. … Continue reading Tidying Up Legal Publishing
Category: Legal Publishing
I believe lawyers can reach more people, expand access to justice, and improve their practices by publishing books.Of course, lawyers have been publishing books to market themselves for a long time. I have an example on my shelf: Your Life, Your Legacy: The Fundamentals of Effective Estate Planning. It looks like it was designed by … Continue reading Lawyer Books Can Be More Than a Dictated Consultation
The latest episode of The Editing Lawyer Podcast, published last Friday, features Morgan Morrissette Wright. She's an attorney, product manager at Fastcase, and publisher of Full Court Press. I've been interested in Full Court Press since Fastcase announced its serious effort to publish secondary content last year. It looks like Full Court Press might offer … Continue reading Podcast Episode 2—Full Court Press, with Morgan Morrissette Wright
After publicly wondering why there aren't any podcasts devoted to legal writing, I've decided to take steps toward starting one. Here's what I'm thinking. First, I can't get mired in setup and equipment. Partly because of the expense (every dollar counts right now); but mostly because I've been down that road before and I know … Continue reading A Podcast About Attorney Authors and Publishers
It seems there's a bevy of law-related podcasts available now. Bob Ambrogi recently rounded up a bunch, and others I've discovered serendipitously through Twitter. Curiously, though, I have yet to see a podcast devoted just to legal writing or publishing. I made this observation on Twitter to see if perhaps I missed something, and that … Continue reading Recent Podcasts and Resources on Legal Writing
People need help with more and more legal problems. Working people make too much money to qualify for legal aid, but too little for a private lawyer. There’s nowhere for them to go for help and reliable information, even for routine matters. I’m not writing about now. I’m writing about 1971, when two legal aid … Continue reading Access to Justice: An Old Approach
A little while ago Bryan Garner mourned the lost art of reviewing books in his ABA Journal column. Book reviews have all but disappeared from bar journals and law reviews, regrettably. That column stuck with me. It's true that book reviews are all but extinct in our profession. But that seems odd to me for … Continue reading The New Art of Reviewing Books
More lawyers should self-publish. Also, fewer lawyers should self-publish. Let me explain. We lawyers become experts in our areas of practice and learn a mountain of useful information over our careers. It's natural to share that information with a wider audience by writing a book. It's natural, but it isn't easy. Especially for busy professionals. … Continue reading More Lawyers Should Self-Publish—Mostly
A recent study is making waves. The shocking conclusion: two spaces after a sentence are better than one. Two spaces versus one—a perennial debate, like the Oxford comma and how to pronounce GIF. Many of us, myself included, were taught to space double after each sentence. It’s how we learned to type. It's how we … Continue reading Are Two Spaces Better Than One?
Bob Ambrogi, now publisher and editor-in-chief at LexBlog, recently announced that LexBlog will allow any law blogger into its content network for free, whether the blog is hosted by LexBlog or not. LexBlog makes money by licensing its software. But to become a global news and commentary network, it has to open its doors. Too … Continue reading LexBlog Welcomes All Bloggers