Semicolons Are Stupid, and Other Legal Writing Myths: Next Level Legal Writing Skills
This program is part of the 2025 Professional Development Workshop Series – for more information on the Series, view the brochure here 2025 Professional Development Workshop Series.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 | 9:00 am - 10:45 am
Online registration is now closed. Please call Customer relations at 212 382 6663 to register or for assistance.
Free for New York City Bar Members & Attorneys from Sponsoring Law Firms*
Attorneys from sponsoring law firms: To ensure your free registration, please register using your law firm email address.
Format: Webinar
View the PDW 2025 Brochure
Description:
You’re a good legal writer. But to be great, you need to focus on the details. That’s why Stuart Teicher, Esq. thinks that things like semi-colons are super-critical. Join him as he explains how small elements like punctuation and grammar take a lawyer’s writing skills to new levels. Plus, Stuart believes there are a host of punctuation and grammar rules that aren’t really rules. So… do you have to follow them? He says no!
In this engaging program, Stuart explains:
- How starting a sentence with a conjunction is critical in legal writing
- A fool-proof rule for knowing when to end a sentence with a preposition
- Why it’s time for lawyers to let go of Latin
- How splitting an infinitive is good for lawyers
Stuart will also address several other bad legal writing habits that should be banished from the profession!
CLE Credit:
New York: 2.0 Skills
New Jersey: 2.0 General
California: 2.0 General
Pennsylvania: 1.5 General
Connecticut: Available to Licensed Attorneys
For New York Attorneys: Effective through June 30, 2025 newly admitted attorneys (those admitted to the New York State Bar for two years or less) may earn skills credits via the City Bar's live webcasts and live groupcasts. For more information, click here).
For New York Attorneys: This program is a transitional/non-transitional course.
Program Fee:
Free for New York City Bar Members & Attorneys from Sponsoring Law Firms | Non-Members: $75
Speaker:
Stuart Teicher, Legal Educator, Teicher Professional Growth, LLC & Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University Law Center
Stuart I. Teicher, Esq.is a professional legal educator and author who focuses on ethics law and writing instruction. A practicing lawyer for 30 years, Stuart’s career is now dedicated to helping fellow lawyers survive the practice of law and thrive in the profession. Mr. Teicher teaches seminars, provides in-house training to law firms and legal departments, provides CLE instruction at law firm client events, and also gives keynote speeches at conventions and association meetings. Stuart helps lawyers get better at what they do (and enjoy the process) through his entertaining and educational CLEs. Navigating the Legal Ethics of Social Media and Technology. His latest book is available now, entitled, How to Stop Hating the Law: A Path to Hope for Miserable Lawyers. Mr. Teicher is a Supreme Court appointee to the New Jersey District Ethics Committee where he investigates and prosecutes grievances filed against attorneys. Mr. Teicher also served on the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics Fee Arbitration Committee. Mr. Teicher is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law where he teaches Professional Responsibility Mr. Teicher is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he teaches undergraduate writing courses. He also taught legal writing at St. John’s University School of Law in New York City. Mr. Teicher is the recipient of the Charles Fahy Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award from Georgetown Law, and the “Distinguished Contributions to the Writing Program” Award from Rutgers University.
Information about our Financial Aid Policy and Application can be found here.
Thank you to our Sponsoring Law Firms:
A&O Shearman · Arnold & Porter LLP · Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP · Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP · Davis & Gilbert LLP · Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP · Debevoise & Plimpton LLP · Dechert LLP · Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP · Jenner & Block LLP · Kelley Drye & Warren LLP · King & Spalding LLP · Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP · Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP · Milbank LLP · New York City Law Department · O’Melveny & Myers LLP · Outten & Golden LLP · Proskauer Rose LLP · Seward & Kissel LLP· Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP · Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP · Thompson Coburn LLP · Venable LLP · Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz · White & Case LLP · Winston & Strawn LLP