McCarter & English Chairman is Tough on Typos

Law Practice Management

McCarter & English Chairman is Tough on Typos

Posted May 30, 2008, 11:30 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The chairman of McCarter & English is apparently a stickler for good grammar.

Chairman Drew Berry tells the Wall Street Journal Law Blog that every first-year lawyer at his firm gets a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk & White. And he expects the rules to be followed.

“Do not ever for the second time give your senior a piece of writing with a typo or a grammatical mistake,” Berry told the blog. “I will take it once and I will tell the junior my set speech.”

The speech emphasizes that it is a lawyer’s job to force the reader’s mind to move forward through ideas. A grammatical or typographical error “derails the train of thought.” There’s no word on whether a second error could also derail an associate’s career.

Berry has also read an ABA Journal excerpt from a new book on appellate advocacy co-written by Justice Antonin Scalia, and says it’s a must read for all summer associates. Really. “If you don’t read Antonin Scalia’s book, you shouldn’t bother coming back for your next year at the law firm,” he told the blog.

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Posted by Steve Brown - 3 months, 2 hours ago

I’ve worked for these types in the past. I am always wary of anyone who elevates style over substance. To be blunt, there are times when “proper” grammar is what “derails the train of thought.”
Posted by none - 2 months, 3 weeks, 6 days, 14 hours, 56 minutes ago

Steve’s comment is correct, but I can’t entirely disagree with Mr. Berry’s observations. Mr. Barry should keep his approach in mind when reflecting on such issues as why turnover is so high and why job satisfaction is so low in the profession.
Posted by MSG - 2 months, 3 weeks, 6 days, 11 hours, 9 minutes ago

M&E is harldy a white-shoe firm! I would think with comments like that they have just really hurt their recruiting efforts. What an SOB. You should watch your typos, but come on, this is ridiculous.
Posted by Droo - 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, 18 hours, 45 minutes ago

me thinks this guy not no nothin

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