Virtual Seminar – Clear and Concise Legal Writing for Lawyers (CPD 456)

Qualifies for 2.25 CPD hours.

This virtual afternoon seminar includes two pre-recorded sessions with a 10-minute break between sessions. Ryan will join us near the end for Q&A.

Agenda and Course Description

Clarity in Legal Writing: Five Techniques to Avoid Ambiguity

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

In this session, you will explore five techniques for drafting clear emails and documents. By applying these techniques, you will ensure that your readers can fully understand your legal writing, even when your files are complex.

Throughout this engaging session, the instructor will display before-and-after examples of legal writing that demonstrate the five techniques for drafting clearly. The program will challenge you to identify why each writing example is ambiguous before the instructor shows how to eliminate the confusion.

Upon learning the five techniques for achieving clarity, you will be able to visualize your own writing from the perspective of your readers. As a result, your readers will be more likely to accept your position on legal issues.

• Explain legal concepts using simple language
• Decide when to repeat a term versus when to use a synonym
• Determine when to use (and when to avoid) the word “and”
• Identify misplaced modifiers and ambiguous references
• Draft emails and documents that are easy to read — even for non-lawyers

Email Best Practices for Legal Professionals

2:10 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

This session covers important concepts relating to email communication for legal professionals. By mastering email best practices, you will establish a reputation for sending user-friendly correspondence, which will cause your clients and co-workers to open your messages quickly rather than put them off. The overarching theme of this program is “drafting emails that are easy for your readers to respond to.”

Q&A

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

About the Presenter

Ryan Standil practised law until 2015, at which point he became a legal-writing instructor. For the past 10 years, Ryan has owned and operated Write To Excite, a company that provides legal-writing seminars at law firms and through law societies.

In Ryan’s local province of Ontario, he is the legal-writing instructor for the Law Society of Ontario.

In addition to speaking engagements at home, Ryan has been invited to speak at organizations such as the Tennessee Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, the Alaska Bar Association, the Law Society of Saskatchewan, CLEBC, the American Bar Association, and Lawline.

Over the years, Ryan has taught legal writing to thousands of lawyers and legal support staff. Ryan is relied upon by major Toronto law firms to train their associate lawyers, through group workshops and individual coaching.

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For virtual activities, registration closes one hour before the program start time. Materials’ links are typically available two business days in advance of the program date (subject to availability and where applicable). Registrations received within two business days of the date of the program may result in not receiving materials’ links until the program date.

Program formats and dates are subject to change. Prices are subject to GST. This program is being recorded and will be available to registrants and on-demand subject to any issues with the recording. We reserve the right to change speakers, modify the program schedule, and/or revise content if necessary. In the unlikely event that the Law Society of Saskatchewan is forced to modify its program schedule, registrants will be notified.