Legal Writing

Mental health law becomes this law prof and author’s focus after walking ‘Through the Fire’

The most dangerous moments of Fredrick Vars’ life guided his career path. Just days after he’d won his first jury trial representing a union member suing the union for retaliation, he experienced his first psychotic episode. Though he had dealt with depression much of his life, he’d later be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Jun 17, 2026 3:01 PM CDT

Things are cookin’ good for lawyer selected to compete on Food Network show

A New York lawyer who honed her kitchen skills and wrote a popular cookbook during the COVID-19 pandemic was selected to compete on a TV show on the Food Network.

Jun 15, 2026 9:37 AM CDT

Federal judge removes 4 plaintiff and defense attorneys over AI errors

A federal judge in Mississippi on Monday disqualified the plaintiff counsel and the defense counsel after both parties filed briefs with artificial intelligence-generated mistakes in a dispute over attorney fees.

Jun 10, 2026 9:45 AM CDT

Bonding Experience: Chickie Leventhal did it her way in the male-dominated bail bonds business

In 2003, famed musical producer Phil Spector was in police custody in Alhambra, California, on suspicion of murder. His attorney, Robert Shapiro, wanted his client released without delay. He sent Chickie Leventhal to post a $1 million bond. Leventhal’s road to having such renowned lawyers calling her to spring their celebrity clients had humble beginnings.

Jun 9, 2026 3:28 PM CDT

Ambiguity in Law: It’s not established by disagreement alone

What does Bryan Garner think about ambiguity’s place in law?

Jun 8, 2026 2:19 PM CDT

Attorneys’ lack of candor over AI errors leads to stricter sanctions

A federal appeals court has sanctioned two lawyers for filing briefs that contained artificial intelligence-generated hallucinations and for their lack of candor over the mistakes.

Jun 4, 2026 11:24 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ will rest his case at end of season 5

The Lincoln Lawyer, Netflix’s popular drama about Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller, will rest its case at the end of the show’s fifth season.

May 19, 2026 9:56 AM CDT

7th Circuit upholds ‘Are We Dating the Same Guy?’ ruling, muses sanctions for ‘fictitious’ citations

A Facebook page under the name “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” was at issue in a recent ruling by a federal appeals court.

May 18, 2026 1:06 PM CDT

ABA Journal earns honorable mention as Magazine of the Year from business publication editors

The ABA Journal took home an honorable mention as the Magazine of the Year, and its staff won five other awards Thursday in a national contest hosted by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

May 15, 2026 2:07 PM CDT

Use humans, not AI, to take meeting notes, attorneys say

Increasingly, managers are using AI, rather than humans, to take meeting notes. That’s a terrible idea, according to lawyers. Its two main problems are discovery-related, attorneys told the New York Times. Sharing meeting notes from an AI bot could void attorney-client privilege, and AI doesn’t have discretion; it transcribes jokes,…

May 11, 2026 10:56 AM CDT

Prosecutor suspended by state supreme court for artificial intelligence use in court docs

A Georgia prosecutor who repeatedly filed documents with artificial intelligence-generated citations that referenced cases that were wrong or fictitious during a murder trial has been suspended for six months from practicing before the Georgia Supreme Court.

May 7, 2026 10:27 AM CDT

Why do readers leave? Bryan Garner has some thoughts

Poor legal writing often isn’t a failure of knowledge, but a failure of nerve. It’s anxiety dressed up as thoroughness. The lawyer more or less knows the point, but it looks exposed on the page and easy to test or attack. So the writer starts stacking sandbags around it, adding background, caveats, and citations until the draft feels safer, even as it becomes harder to read.

May 5, 2026 1:08 PM CDT

Microsoft introduces new legal artificial intelligence tool

Microsoft on Thursday introduced its Legal Agent, a new artificial intelligence tool that will support legal work in Word.

May 1, 2026 9:33 AM CDT

After more than a decade, book explores forensic evidence from shooting death of Trayvon Martin

Two Florida-based authors say they’ve researched 11,500 newspaper and journal articles, scoured investigative records and pored over Martin’s autopsy report. They both maintain basic crime scene processes were not followed. Other concerns involve the bullet trajectory, George Zimmerman’s re-enactment of the crime being admitted into evidence and the history of racial tensions in Sanford.

Apr 30, 2026 9:21 AM CDT

Federal judge limits sanction for DOJ attorney fired over AI errors

A federal judge has formally reprimanded a former assistant U.S. attorney who was fired in March for using generative artificial intelligence to draft a brief and failing to verify its accuracy.

Apr 29, 2026 9:37 AM CDT