Today’s Good Advice (for Attorneys Who Write)
Before you start writing that client alert, grab a newspaper and a cup of coffee.
If you can, get a widely read paper: The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Chicago Tribune. If not, find a paper that carries AP stories.
Read a few stories. At least, read the first few paragraphs of a few stories.
Now, here’s my good advice: when you write your alert, write like a journalist.
You’ll be glad you did.
If you write like a good journalist, then we can say this about your alert:
- The first sentence inspires us to read the next sentence.
- The first paragraph gives us the big picture, without many details.
- The paragraphs are short, sequenced, and well structured.
- The alert doesn’t bother to tell us what we already know. If readers of The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Chicago Tribune don’t need to be told what is the EPA, or the IRS, or the SEC, then neither do those who read an alert published by a law firm.
Remember: an alert is not a brief. - Your alert is well received and portrays you not only as someone who knows the subject, but someone who cares about the quality of his or her work — someone who readers (esp. potential clients) can appreciate.
Remember: nobody has to read your client alert.
And if nobody is going to read it, why bother?
