Writing Isn’t a Nice-to-Have Skill. Here’s How to Train the Team

Lawyers are strong writers.

Seems like a reasonable assumption. We spend three years writing in law school and countless more hours in our day-to-day practice. We write memos, briefs, contracts, policies—you name it. There’s a good reason why lawyer jokes are often premised on the idea that we have a lot to say. We are the quintessential communicators.

But this assumption doesn’t always pan out. I’ve written about why an in-house environment can be challenging for legal professionals who want to develop certain skills. Drafting is one of those areas. For many in-house attorneys, solid writing becomes less of a priority over time.

This isn’t because these lawyers become less capable; it’s because of the demanding nature of in-house work. Imagine getting 20 Slack messages—ranging from edits needed to a contract to helping with a strategically worded email to a C-suite executive—that all need to be resolved by the end of the day. Or imagine a question that needs advice in the next hour so the business team knows how to move forward.

Quick responses must replace extensively researched memos; bullet points replace lengthy written analysis. And opportunities for improving writing skills largely disappear.

Then add in the variety of communications and diverse stakeholders that an in-house attorney needs to manage. A risk assessment email to the general counsel might be in your comfort zone, but what about trying to convince your vice president of the relevance of a new regulation on business operations? Or insisting that reputational risk be thoughtfully considered before the company takes a certain path? Or helping someone on the business development team understand how to set up a client deal that will avoid pain points down the road?

None of this is taught in law school. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a drafting tool, but it’s at best a starting point: It’s up to the attorneys to make sure they communicate effectively, reflect the specific context and relationship dynamic at play, and target the intended audience.

But there’s some good news. With the right support and a hands-on learning culture, developing as a writer and communicator is possible even in the pressure cooker environment in which in-house attorneys operate.

One approach for in-house managers is to build it into your practice with your team. Effective writing development can begin with a few realistic, low-stakes exercises rooted in actual work.

Consider asking someone on your team to draft a short, focused communication under specific constraints. For example, tell them to “write an email to the company’s leadership team that assumes they won’t read the entire message,” paying special attention to organization, tone, and audience. Or “provide an easy-to-understand summary and rationale that our business development people can use as talking points when engaging influencers that addresses legal red flags.” These exercises can happen periodically throughout the year and grow in scale or complexity.

Remember, though, that even well-designed exercises fall flat without thoughtful feedback and mentoring. These touch points should also be a launching pad to create an ongoing conversation around professional growth. Make time to explain the rationale for refining language.

Don’t be afraid to have a discussion that interrogates what might be long-standing standard operating procedures for the writer: Why is this sentence buried? Do you think a business partner could misread this advice? If you weren’t in legal, would this message make sense to you?

Beyond drafting “from scratch” exercises, it can also be helpful to leverage situations where you must turn defective paperwork into something useful and relevant. Sometimes that vendor paperwork is confusing and insufficient and the inevitable redline becomes an organic opportunity to understand how to avoid drafting flaws.

Finally, consider that you might not have to look far for inspiration because your own work product can become learning tools to use with your team. Regardless of seniority or management experience, we have all been in situations where our writing could have been sharper or more effective.

Share those stories and be transparent about the lessons or revisions you’ve received. Over time, this type of mentoring can transform an individual effort into a collective strength.

Regardless of approach, the goal is skill building rather than remediation. Writing is often mislabeled as a “soft skill,” but for in-house attorneys, it needs to be considered a strategic one.

In a world where automation is taking over and in-house legal teams are expected to move at breakneck speed, effective writing is essential to building trust, avoiding misunderstandings, and enabling decision-making.

By being creative and making space for real-life, practice-based exercises and mentoring, legal departments can help their attorneys rediscover this powerful tool and use it to their—and their companies’—advantage.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Tax, and Bloomberg Government, or its owners.

Author Information

Lystra Batchoo is vice president and associate general counsel at Vox Media.

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