Total Attorneys

Quick Writing Tip: How to Improve Communication and Reach a Broader Audience

Did you know that the average reading level in the U.S. is 8^th grade? Your professors probably expected you to write at a much higher level in law school, but now it is your job to translate complex legalese into something non-lawyers can understand. Next time you write a blog post for your law firm website or draft an email for your clients, test your readability score using this simple tool created by AddedBytes. By simplifying your writing, you may improve client communications and reach a broader audience.

To improve readability, follow these guidelines:

• Reduce the number of passive verbs in your writing.
• Write shorter sentences.
• Use simpler, more common words and phrases.

For more tips on how to improve your writing content, check out this recent article by Jeff Berman. For the record, this post scored an 8.82 grade level based on a combination of readability score systems.

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written by Barbra, Bio Writer, March 25, 2011

An important part of any attorney's portfolio is their professional bio. I recommend that you prpare several bios of different lengths, and pull one out for an appropriate setting. Examples can range from a short single sentence blurb for a magazine, a longer version of about 100 words for an introduction, to a full page for a press release.And don't forget to be ruthless in editing your bio to include only points that are relevant. There are fill-in-the-blank bio templates available at

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