Join me for an online writing workshop to practice techniques for writing more lucid and readable prose.
I’m hosting a series of small-group, intensive online workshops. They are aimed at lawyers and other legal professionals, but open to anyone who wants to improve their prose. The sessions will be participatory, with attendance capped at 20 to allow real-time feedback. You’ll also get a reference handout summarizing key techniques. (No CLE credit is provided.)
Upcoming workshops
Clear Legal Writing: Concision and Plain Language
The first workshop, on concision and plain language, will be offered twice. Choose either session:
Dates: Thursday, September 3, 2026 or Thursday, September 24, 2026
Time: Noon–1:30 p.m. Pacific (3:00–4:30 p.m. Eastern)
Format and duration: 90 minutes, live on Zoom; not recorded
Rate: $95 for the September 3 session ($50 discount) or $145 for the September 24 session.
Legal writers should convey ideas straightforwardly, use as few words as possible without sacrificing precision, and eliminate unnecessary jargon and legalese. The law is complex enough; our prose must not add complexity.
Workshop exercises based on Elegant Legal Writing will help you:
Write reader-friendly sentences
Cut information readers don’t need
Delete and condense bloated phrases
Eliminate redundancies and unnecessary modifiers
Replace legalese with ordinary language
After the workshop, participants will receive a reference handout summarizing key techniques. (No CLE credit is provided.)
Future workshops
Future workshops and seminars will discuss topics such as advanced AI workflows, writing strong sentences, using legal authority, and more. Subscribe to the blog to receive announcements. I also conduct private workshops for law firms and agencies, and offer legal consulting and representation through my firm Rushing McCarl LLP. Contact me through email or LinkedIn to learn more.
About Ryan McCarl
Ryan McCarl (LinkedIn) is the author of Elegant Legal Writing (Univ. Cal. Press 2024) and a founding partner of Rushing McCarl LLP. He has taught advanced legal writing at two law schools and delivered legal-writing presentations to judges, government lawyers, bar associations, and law firms.