Standalone Course: Editing for Lawyers
Learn advanced editing techniques tailored to legal documents including briefs, contracts, and correspondence.
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At a Glance
- Enrollment:
- Open enrollment
- Length:
- 7 weeks
- Format:
- Online
- Investment:
-
$1,500
Upcoming Dates
course start
Upcoming Events
Elevate Your Legal Writing and Achieve Greater Impact
Strong writing is the foundation of effective legal advocacy. This seven-week course equips lawyers with the tools to refine their writing for clarity, precision, and persuasiveness. You will learn advanced editing techniques tailored to legal documents including briefs, contracts, and correspondence. Through hands-on exercises and expert feedback, you'll master the art of eliminating redundancies, structuring arguments logically, and using plain language to enhance readability.
Designed For
Designed for professionals in the legal field who are responsible for creating or reviewing documents that support a broad range of critical industry needs.
Make Your Work More Effective
In this course, you will:
- Apply core grammar conventions in legal writing – Demonstrate proficiency in grammar, punctuation, and syntax specific to legal documents to ensure clarity and precision.
- Interpret and implement style guides’ requirements – Identify and apply legal style guides, including The Bluebook and other jurisdiction-specific conventions, while recognizing and correctly using terms of art.
- Edit and structure motions and court filings – Develop skills to refine motions, pleadings, and other court documents for accuracy, conciseness, and compliance with procedural requirements.
- Learn to enhance clarity in transactions, contracts, and negotiations – Edit contracts and transactional documents to improve readability, eliminate ambiguity, and ensure enforceability.
- Practice mastering authorities and citations according to Bluebook conventions – Accurately cite legal authorities following The Bluebook and other citation formats while verifying sources for correctness.
- Utilize AI and online resources for legal editing – Explore AI-powered tools and digital resources to enhance efficiency in legal editing, research, and citation management.
Editing for Lawyers Course Overview
Sharpen your editorial precision in our Editing for Lawyers course, designed to elevate the clarity, impact, and persuasiveness of legal writing. Guided by a seasoned legal editor, you will learn to identify and resolve common writing flaws, streamline complex language, and adapt your edits to suit different legal audiences and contexts. Through hands-on practice and expert feedback, you will build skills that strengthen your work across briefs, memos, contracts, and beyond, enhancing both communication and professional credibility.
Earn a Credential in Editing
After successful completion of this course, participants will receive a course badge certified by the University of Chicago to recognize their achievement.
- The standalone courses are independent of the Editing certificate program.
- They cannot be used as a substitute for certificate electives.
Elevate Your Legal Writing
Refine your legal writing for clarity, precision, and persuasiveness. Utilize strong writing skills to improve your work and improve legal advocacy. Our Editing for Lawyers standalone course will help enhance skills that can directly have a positive impact on your work.
Quality Education Taught by Industry Thought Leaders
We provide stackable learning options with UChicago brand recognition, networking with top-tier professionals, and courses taught by thought leaders in the industry. You will receive practical training with in-depth assessment and instructional feedback. Our editing courses are backed by the authority of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) and bolstered by direct connections to the UChicago Press.
Well-Placed Instructors at a Premier University
Our instructors have worked as freelancers, consultants, and in-house editorial and production managers. They are active practitioners with long-standing careers and understand the technical and professional demands of the industry, which helps them foster in-demand career development. They also have a wealth of contacts and resources.
Meet Course Instructor:
Leah D. B. Carter, JD, MS
Assistant State's Attorney
Leah Carter is an assistant state's attorney. She began her regulatory career in the early 2000s and has focused on FDA law, ethics, and the intersection between regulatory compliance and access to healthcare for the past ten years. Her published work discusses interventional cures, stigma...
Join a Welcoming and Supportive Editing Community
We will challenge you, motivate you, and help you build connections with like-minded learners. You become part of an extensive network of editors, writers, and industry professionals. There are opportunities for collaboration, advising, and professional growth.
Skill Development in a Changing Job Market
Our Standalone Editing courses provide professional development in response to the evolving skill requirements in the job market. They provide tailored learning paths that cater to a variety of specific needs of professional development in editing. Participants will have ongoing training opportunities to stay relevant and gain skills that help them stand out in their fields. You can also learn more about our full Editing certificate program.
Standalone courses include:
Talk to an Advisor Today
Do you have questions about the online course or our full Editing certificate? Our team is ready to discuss the program and answer your questions regarding our registration process. Connect with our admissions team via email or by filling out our online request form to receive more information and have someone reach out to you.
Payment Options for Non-Credit Certificate Students
Our goal is to provide students with a variety of tuition payment options that will suit their financial circumstances when they register for non-credit certificate UChicago Professional courses.
The University of Chicago has a clear refund policy for non-credit courses. View the withdrawal and cancellation policy for more details.
Current members of certain professional associations are eligible for a 10 percent tuition reduction. Please check the list of eligible organizations below. If you are a member of an organization listed, please contact editing@uchicago.edu for more information.
- American Medical Writers Association
- Board of Editors in the Life Sciences
- Council of Science Editors
- Editorial Freelancers Association
- Independent Writers of Chicago
- International Society of Managing and Technical Editors
- National Association of Science Writers
If you have already completed a certificate program at UChicago Professional, you are eligible to receive our 20 percent Alumni Scholarship toward this standalone course.
For more information on the Alumni Scholarship program and eligibility requirements, please email the director of professional development programs, Karine Bravais.
Are you a benefits-eligible UChicago employee? Please see the UChicago tuition benefits page for more information related to your employee benefits.
Of Interest
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