Legal writing trained you for briefs, not business

One of our readers told us Raise the Bar reads like “something from the group chat.” You definitely write with a “voice” that’s recognizable. A lot of people struggle to do that. Tell us your secret!

Oof. I hope that was meant as a compliment! 

I write these newsletters and do the Q&A interviews with a specific voice: sharp, to-the-point, and implementable. It’s a far cry from how I wrote when I was practicing, and different from how I write for attorney websites or something that’s going to be published by a bar association. 

How so?

As an attorney, I think you get used to seeing one type of writing: serious, just-the-facts, soulless IRAC style. That works for memos and briefs. And when I was working as a lobbyist that was how I would write for policy-makers. 

But that sort of writing makes normal people’s eyes glaze over. Unless your firm’s target clients are other lawyers (or maybe large businesses), that’s not going to appeal to them. So, when I started writing for other attorneys’ websites, I had to kick that habit and write things that would appeal to potential clients.

I think everyone can agree, we like writing that has a bit of personality. What's the biggest mistake attorneys make when trying to write something that appeals to clients?

Worrying about turning off some clients. You can’t be everything to everybody, particularly in the AI age. 

Instead, you have to think about the type of clients you most enjoy working with and write for them. Who are they? Where do they live? Is there a specific age range or income range or business type you can focus in on? What specific problems are they having that you can solve? 

Then let a little bit of you or your firm’s personality show. For example. I worked with an attorney that was really into golf. She played all the time, and was even on her college’s team. We started using golf analogies on her blog, and clients really connected with it. 

Another firm I worked with decided to work some references to music into their website because that was something the firm founders bonded over. They also started sponsoring a live music event in their community, which really cemented their reputation.

Having an audience in mind, and writing with a specific voice humanizes you. It helps potential clients connect with you.

I want to circle back to something you said about AI. What does AI have to do with writing style? 

A lot! Every attorney out there has people coming in telling them, “ChatGPT said…” We know potential clients are asking AI legal questions. Or if they Google something, they are looking at the AI Overview before the traditional search results. 

Appealing to the AI algorithms is important, and Google itself says that means “Creating content that people find unique, compelling, and useful…”

Writing with a specific audience in mind, showing your personality and proving that you can answer the question someone is asking (without giving out legal advice!) is key. 

I actually think about it like the prove you’re human by checking all the boxes with bicycles test. I’m trying to write in a way that proves I’m a human—or the person I’m ghostwriting for is a human—but in a way that is helpful to the robots making that call so they will show what I’ve written to other humans. 

That’s insane. 

It is. But I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. 

Bonus Round: You usually ask people if they have a tv show, movie, or podcast recommendation to share. So, do you?

I think you get plenty of those from me in each week’s newsletter! But if you want to read an interesting marketing book, I recommend the classic Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This.

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