The Florida Bar

Florida Bar News

Cooley Law School to host ‘Clear-Legal-Writing’ webinar

Top Stories
Joe Kimble

Joe Kimble

Cooley Law School’s Kimble Center for Legal Drafting, in partnership with Clarity International, will host a free webinar, “Clear Legal Writing: New Cases, Resources, and Technology,” on November 14 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (ET).

Cooley Distinguished Professor Emeritus Joseph Kimble, Cooley Professor Mark Cooney, and attorney Ivy Grey will be the speakers.

Mark Cooney

Mark Cooney

“When attorneys present cases loaded with legal jargon, they are really doing a disservice to themselves in the courtroom,” said Cooney. “Judges are swamped . . . Serving judges with clear and concise information — in plain language — will only strengthen your case to your advantage.”

Kimble will present, “Dipping into a new, FREE Book on Legal Drafting,” highlighting portions of his new book with co-author Bryan Garner, “Essentials for Drafting Clear Legal Rules.” The techniques outlined in their book, many of which are not widely known, are applicable to any type of legal drafting. The book is free and available online at Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Ivy Grey

Ivy Grey

Cooney will speak about “How Legalese Jeopardizes Enforceability: New Court Cases,” discussing recent cases in which courts refused to enforce documents bogged down by legalese and poor design. The cases show that lawyers who think they’re playing it safe by recycling traditional legal forms are doing just the opposite: they’re taking on unnecessary risk.

Grey is the creator of American Legal Style for PerfectIt, a proofreading software. She will focus on “Connecting Technology Training and Substantive Legal-Writing Skills,” providing a clearer view of generative AI’s potential — and limitations — for tomorrow’s legal writers, while sharing insights on other technologies and strategies for producing clear, forceful language.

News in Photos