Elegant Legal Writing

AI workflows and ground rules for attorneys

AI can enhance attorneys’ productivity if they use it safely and effectively.

23 hrs ago • Ryan McCarl

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Legal-writing workshops and presentations

Join Ryan McCarl, author of Elegant Legal Writing, for online legal-writing workshops and presentations on AI workflows for lawyers.

Aug 28 • Ryan McCarl

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Can you fool me with AI-generated prose?

Submit a passage that you know is human-written or AI-generated. I’ll reply with my judgment and the features or heuristics that influenced it.

Aug 24 • Ryan McCarl

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Legal-writing workshop: Concision and Plain Language

A live, small-group online workshop on revising legal prose for concision, clarity, and readability.

Aug 20 • Ryan McCarl

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June 2026

Litigators should think like teachers

Judges can be persuaded only by arguments they understand.

Jun 30 • Ryan McCarl

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March 2026

The legal-writing advice I give every week

Some principles apply to almost every writing and revision session.

Mar 2 • Ryan McCarl

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December 2025

On lifelong learning and fact sections

How Richard Lanham taught me something new about legal storytelling

Dec 24, 2025 • Ryan McCarl

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June 2025

AI cannot replace legal-writing expertise.

Legal writing skills will continue to differentiate the best attorneys in the age of AI.

Jun 25, 2025 • Ryan McCarl

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May 2025

Turn Admitted Facts into Credibility Anchors

The most powerful evidence isn’t what your witnesses say — it’s what your opponents admit.

May 1, 2025

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April 2025

Show respect for judges even when they are wrong.

Referring to judges correctly and deferentially is a nonnegotiable requirement of strong legal writing.

Apr 20, 2025 • Ryan McCarl

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March 2025

How to write briefs that judges want to read

How can attorneys earn judges’ attention and motivate them to read briefs? Understanding the principles of readability can help.

Mar 12, 2025

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February 2025

Tips for undergraduates on writing, learning, and life

Here are some practical writing tips that are equally useful for nonlawyers, and a handout I distribute whenever I get a chance to present to college…

Feb 20, 2025 • Ryan McCarl

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