LEGALWRITE

Training, tools and resources to help lawyers write clearly

ABOUT US

Legalwrite is a consultancy based in Brussels and London.

We help legislative and regulatory bodies, adjudicators, law firms and businesses to communicate effectively with citizens, stakeholders and clients.

We believe that legal communication is most effective when it states rules, facts, arguments and conclusions in precise, simple and concise language. This applies to legislation, legal decisions and legal advice. It also applies to legal information communicated via traditional or social media.

Our team has extensive experience of working in and with international law firms, EU institutions and multinational companies where lawyers of all nationalities are required to work in English. Based on this experience we have developed specialised legal drafting training for lawyers working in English as a foreign language. We have also developed specialised training for legal translators.

About us

MEET OUR TEAM

Our Team

GAYL RUSSELL

Gayl Russell worked as a commercial litigation lawyer for 13 years. She was a litigation partner with Dentons in London, specialising in banking, fraud and trade finance disputes. Before establishing Legalwrite in 2007, she worked in Brussels as a consultant and then for 4 years as legal writing trainer and editor with Allen & Overy.

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LOUISE MILLS

Louise Mills worked as a lawyer in international law firms in London and Brussels for 15 years. She has also worked as a case handler in the cartel unit of the UK Office of Fair Trading and as an independent legal advisor to energy companies. Before joining Legalwrite she was Of Counsel at Norton Rose Fullbright in Brussels, where she specialized in EU and UK competition and regulatory law.

DAPHNE PERRY

Daphne Perry practised as a barrister in London for 12 years, specialising in commercial contracts and disputes. In 1997 she moved into teaching and legal writing, first at Dentons in London and then as a consultant. She writes commercial contract materials for Practical Law UK and was for many years UK representative and international secretary of Clarity, an association promoting plain legal language . She is co-author of the Law Society’s textbook Clarity for Lawyers (3rd edition).

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US

"This course was excellent, one of the best I’ve attended during my 19 year career at the Commission."

"I have applied the training already and can see the change in my document."

"I liked it a lot, thanks for the organisation. The timing was good and the trainer exceptionally good."

"Really good quality of the content and good examples. Especially the multilingual examples, in our own languages, were great and very useful."

"The presentation/slides were very good, clear, easy to follow and systematic. The handouts are very useful to keep and use for the future."

"La formatrice était vraiment excellente et conaissait trés bien son sujet ainsi. "

"Thank you. An interesting short course. Excellent introduction to key points to consider when drafting legal texts.’

Testimonials

TRAINING

Training for lawyers at all levels, including those working in English as a foreign language.

Access to our legal writing toolkits of resources, templates and instructions to produce legal documents that are:

· correct and precise

· logically structured

· easy to understand and apply

· easy to translate

Training is tailored to the needs of the participants. Custom made sessions can include a review and revision of texts drafted by the participants.

The format is flexible: in person or online, large group seminars or small group practical workshops or individual coaching. The length and timing of training is fixed according to the client's requirements.

Training can cover:

· client communications - drafting legal advice and analysis

· contract drafting

· rule drafting

· decision writing

Training

DRAFTING AND EDITING

Legal text drafted or edited to make it clear, concise and effective.

Templates created to ensure future quality and consistency.

Services available for most types of legal text, including contracts, regulations, codes of conduct, articles for publication.

Draftin an Editng

Drafting resources

DRAFTING RESOURCES

Clarity for Lawyers

The Law Society of England and Wales first published this textbook in 1990. The third edition (2017) was co-written by Legalwrite consultant Daphne Perry. You can buy a copy here: https://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/p/clarity-for-lawyers-effe-3rd-edition-paperback/.

“A book on clear drafting for lawyers is to be welcomed, and a good book on the topic is to be greatly welcomed. Mark Adler and Daphne Perry have written a good book on the topic, and it is a pleasure to write this foreword to the third edition. The book is engagingly written and well structured. Many parts of the book can be read through almost as much for pleasure as for instruction, as they can be regarded as a collection of anecdotes or cautionary tales. That is because the authors very sensibly realise that by far the best way to make their point is by way of examples. Finally, I would venture to suggest that anyone who is engaged in communication, whether in writing or by word of mouth, could profit from reading this book.”
Lord Neuberger, President of the UK Supreme Court
August 2017