Weak Writing Skills? Why You Will Need to Improve Them for Your Law Career

Good writing comes from an enormous amount of practice. While you may love to read and writing may come easy, if you are planning to pursue a career in law, your communication skills in putting pen to paper must become finely-tuned. And this does not mean writing in excruciating legalese either! The best writers can communicate clearly and in as interesting a manner as possible, although that may sometimes be challenging if the subject matter is extremely technical or just plain old dry.

An attorney’s day is often spent researching, reading, poring over long documents, and writing on matters that may be extremely complex such as opinions, briefs, contracts, and far more. Superior writing skills are expected on numerous levels—from that of peers to judges to clients—all of whom appreciate clear communication rather than heavy jargon. The attorney or legal writer must focus not only on analytical thinking but also clear and interesting thinking as they write for their readers. To make written communications easy to read, an attorney must take time to plan what they are writing, along with taking equal time to edit later, and then proofread carefully, as nothing is more ruinous to good writing than a bunch of typographical errors.

Many attorneys are born out of the English major, and often it may be difficult to discern whether the urge to become an English major was due to a tendency toward good communication skills and the analytical mind or if those interested in law see such a choice as the best one preceding attendance in law school. Obviously, the English major suits them well later but there is also a wide range of other majors producing lawyers, like science or economics, and so on. In the online learning atmosphere from law schools like CDTA College of Law, good writing skills are stressed. An enrichment program is offered on Saturdays on campus and is the key to success for many CDTA students as legal essay writing is emphasized, along with the opportunity to practice essays and take test questions in simulated exams for the state bar.

Are you interested in becoming a trial attorney? Our mission at CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. Your legal education will be comprised of bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of your 4-year course of study you will be fully qualified to take and pass the California Bar examination. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.