Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Tough question

One of the unforeseen benefits of starting this blog is that some of you guys actually have helpful suggestions for some of my problems.  Try this one on for size.

Some of my toughest interview questions have been about my writing ability.  Since I obviously don't do any writing for my job, the only writing sample I have is from law school.  Inevitably, this leads to questions about what good a three year old writing sample is regarding my current writing ability.

Best case scenario, I get this question, "So, I get that you haven't done much writing since law school, but...do you write well?"  I get asked this question, or a far meaner version, on a pretty regular basis and I just don't have a good response.

So, what should I say when when asked if I write well?  I agree that a three year old law school writing sample isn't a good indication of my current writing ability, but it's not like I can point them to my blog and say, "Check it out, I still write pretty frequently AND well enough to have nineteen followers!"

Thoughts?

16 comments:

  1. Aren't you the go-to proofreader in your office? You say, "Yes, here are some samples of my work, and I'm such a good writer that I'm the go-to guy for proofreading documents before they go out to the court/client." And then talk about how important proofing is in a legal job. Anyone can take a template and modify it, but someone who can spot the errors in it before it goes out is golden.

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  2. You need to create a writing assignment pronto.

    It's fine if it's in association with co-workers. I had one where it was Memo To: XYZ Corp, From: Joe, Partner, Tom, Associate and Me, Associate.

    Maybe you could offer to help write a brief or volunteer to write a litigation report for one of the attorneys summarizing the law and facts at issue (even if they don't actually need the report).

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  3. A friend of mine made up a scenario on an undetermined point of law, and then made up facts and wrote a brief about it. She did a ton of research and edited it down and so forth. In interviews she was totally straightforward about it and basically told people "I made it up because I needed a writing sample. I followed X court's rules. It's self-edited, unlike my work product." It got her a pretty sweet job.

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  4. Happy to be one of the 19!

    I ditto Anonymous@11:43 and Amie. Find a memo that you have already written at work or could write based on work (changing facts, client names) and fine tune it. If you want to write something geared to the firm practice you're aiming for, rather than your current area, you might reach out to someone in that practice area (or your legal research/writing prof) and get a topic assignment and some context.

    This requires a bit of lead time but legal publications are often hard up for content. If you are comfortable with a particular legal topic (area of the law, practice management, filing tips!) You might try the CBA Record, an ISBA Section newsletter if you're a member, or DuPage County Bar). Pitch an article after reading their guidelines and see if they'd be willing to publish it. You've got plenty of experience to handle this. It's good exposure and you get bonus points for initiative.

    I think memos or non-pleading writing are the best way to use your time/energy - both are things you actually would have written, where you might have a smaller contribution in a brief or other document. Whatever you right, I'd get a lawyer and maybe also a non-lawyer to look at it and critique it (for legalese). It should be better than anything you'd be willing to file with a court. I'd be happy to take a look at it if you need a pair of eyeballs.

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  5. Write a "scholarly article" for publication with one of the 1 million law journals that are out there. Can be a writing sample and will look good on your resume.

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  6. Get involved in the local Bar Association and keep your eyes open for opportunities. There are usually Bar publications that need lawyers to write on current hot topics in the law. A lot of younger lawyers fill that role. I agree with the other suggestions about creating writing samples (so long as you have a few friends proof). But keep in mind that a Bar publication, even if more news-like and less scholarly provides something more for your resume, is more likely to be read by your prospective employers than a law journal article, and you may end up making new Bar contacts in the process.

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  7. Definitely DON'T show this blog; for one thing, its not legal writing. I'm also honored to be one of the 19. You don't just write well, you are genuinely an interesting person.

    I agree with the suggestions of everyone above.

    Gus

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  8. Hahaha, you don't need to worry about me showing off my blog. That never crossed my mind as a good idea.

    - I'm going to ask my boss if there's anything at our work that I could do some writing for. To be honest, my hopes aren't high on this. Our entire practice has minimal writing, not just my part. The things I proof-read are usually corporate docs or, occasionally, pleadings for some of our larger cases. I've never seen a memo in our office.

    - Writing for one of the bar associations never occurred to me. I don't know who I thought wrote their articles, but I didn't think I fit the bill. Thanks for the suggestion!

    - I would actually enjoy writing a "scholarly article." If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a dork. Given a subject that I find interesting, I do enjoy researching and writing about it. Though I'm not sure how to go about doing this...

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  9. I think it is a great idea in an interview to offer up a made-to-order writing sample. Tell them to give you the topic and a weekend to work on it, and you will show them what you can do. When I was hiring people for a job where writing was required I always did this because writing samples cannot be trusted -- they are edited by others and do not reflect actual ability. Plus, if you give them something they can use, I guarantee they will pay attention to it rather than skim your boring, contrived First Amendment MSJ.

    The downside is that you would have to do some work for possibly no reward, but nothing you have done for years has been rewarding, so why not give it a shot?

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  10. D:

    I've been approached to write stuff for the DuPage Bar Association journal but have been too busy. It's easy to get something published by them.

    I'm part of an intellectual property association that always files amicus briefs before the Federal Circuit and US Supreme Court on imporant cases. They're always looking for someone to write a brief; and verify that it's high quality before they file it. I've been too busy for this either. I'd find an association in a practice area that you're interested in to write something like this. It would be cool to have your name on a SCOTUS amicus brief; even if the justices don't actually read it.

    Gus

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  11. FYI - In addition to your 19 followers, Google Reader says you have 34 people viewing your blog in their RSS feed. I just thought that might brighten your day a bit.

    I'm not a lawyer, but I do have several friends in your position, and I enjoy your blog.

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  12. Really? That does brighten my day! I've never even used Google Reader other than tinkering around a little. Maybe I should actually go look at that.

    I'm glad you enjoy my blog. Always good to get positive feedback.

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  13. I am an attorney (downstate IL) and if you comment back, I will give you a real life writing job and a small amount of pay for your writing sample. Its a family law topic for a near-pro bono case (she is paying me 3x her hourly wage)

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  14. Send me an email and we'll discuss it. I appreciate the help.

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  15. I hit you up. Check your email.

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  16. I never comment on these blogs BUT have you contacted any debtor bankruptcy firms? The work is lame but it will get you legal experience and they are ALWAYS hiring! I worked at a big chicago debtor firm for 2 years and if you are interested I can try to give you some info! It can be a good way to get court and writing experience!

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