.webp)
Joshua Saunders served as co-chair for the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Spring CLE, Oyez! Oyez! Modernizing Legal Writing. Aimed at making legal writing less stodgy and more persuasive, the seminar brought together three attorneys and a judge to share their wisdom.
Moderated by Saunders and his co-chair, the presentations focused on the language, visuals, and style of modern legal writing. One panelist, a public defender and novelist, discussed ways to center your client and their experience in your writing. An appellate defender demonstrated visual techniques–graphs, pictures, and even different fonts–to craft a professional and persuasive brief. Another panelist drew inspiration from literature to punch up potentially drab briefs. Finally, a judge and former public defender shared a judicial perspective on persuasive and succinct legal writing.
A well-attended virtual CLE, the seminar helped participants “take out the trash” in antiquated legal writing and win judges over to their client’s case.