The Successful Summer

(A group workshop for summer associates)

The Successful Summer is a two-and-a-half-hour workshop for summer associates, presented by Marie Buckley. This workshop shows summer associates how to make the most of their summer--and how to advocate for themselves--by writing clean, crisp assignments. We'll review the three major rules of effective writing, emphasizing plain English and the need for a strong "opening." We will also discuss how to organize research to uncover the "big picture" and how to convey that "big picture" view of the research in each paper.

In the second hour, we will edit a legal memorandum for style, structure and substance. This exercise illustrates the techniques for rigorous self-editing and shows how to apply the three major rules of effective writing to every paper.

The presentation concludes with a question and answer session that covers the mighty and the mundane. How can we be sure that your summer associates will ask questions? We bring our own questions--good questions that we have been asked over the years--and use those questions to get the ball rolling.