Effective Legal Writing
INTA Writing Workshop: Mission Accomplished
May 24, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
They came. They laughed. They learned.
After scores of conference calls, emails, and revisions to our respective PowerPoint presentations, Effective Legal Writing Workshop is in the INTA history books.
With humor, practical examples, and an engaging approach with the audience of approximately 170, our panel enjoyed a lively response.
I began with a general exercise to engage the audience. We broke up into small groups to answer this question: Why is legal writing important? Give your top three reasons.
Bob Latham talked about going beyond the form file, striking the word ‘clearly’ from drafts, and avoiding using superfluous words. Kelly Slavitt talked about the importance of language in cease and desist letters and license agreements. Joff Wild talked about the strategies that lawyers can use to effectively communicate with the media.
But there’s no resting on laurels. Jim McCarthy of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff is coordinating workshops for the 2011 INTA Annual Meeting. Last week, Jim invited me to speak. He sat through this morning’s workshop and, immediately after it ended, we began brainstorming about my topic for 2011.
david@davidkrell.com
They came. They laughed. They learned.
After scores of conference calls, emails, and revisions to our respective PowerPoint presentations, Effective Legal Writing Workshop is in the INTA history books.
With humor, practical examples, and an engaging approach with the audience of approximately 170, our panel enjoyed a lively response.
I began with a general exercise to engage the audience. We broke up into small groups to answer this question: Why is legal writing important? Give your top three reasons.
Bob Latham talked about going beyond the form file, striking the word ‘clearly’ from drafts, and avoiding using superfluous words. Kelly Slavitt talked about the importance of language in cease and desist letters and license agreements. Joff Wild talked about the strategies that lawyers can use to effectively communicate with the media.
But there’s no resting on laurels. Jim McCarthy of McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff is coordinating workshops for the 2011 INTA Annual Meeting. Last week, Jim invited me to speak. He sat through this morning’s workshop and, immediately after it ended, we began brainstorming about my topic for 2011.
INTA Writing Workshop: Pre-Game
May 24, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Expect the unexpected.
I just found out that more than 300 people registered for my event at the INTA Annual Meeting -- Effective Legal Writing Workshop in Room 203 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
Unfortunately, the convention center set the room for 100 -- 10 tables with 10 chairs each.
Thanks to quick thinking and quicker action by Elizabeth Cooper, Event Services Manager of Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Stuart Ruff, Senior Event Planner of INTA, we now have rows instead of tables to handle the seating.
david@davidkrell.com
Expect the unexpected.
I just found out that more than 300 people registered for my event at the INTA Annual Meeting -- Effective Legal Writing Workshop in Room 203 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
Unfortunately, the convention center set the room for 100 -- 10 tables with 10 chairs each.
Thanks to quick thinking and quicker action by Elizabeth Cooper, Event Services Manager of Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and Stuart Ruff, Senior Event Planner of INTA, we now have rows instead of tables to handle the seating.
INTA - New Friends, Old Friends
May 23, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
And so the annual gathering of trademark professionals, otherwise known as INTA Annual Meeting, began tonight with the kickoff cocktail party. I connected with my Effective Legal Writing co-panelists Bob Latham and Kelly Slavitt. Unfortunately, we did not connect with the other member of our quartet, Joff Wild. But we’ll all be in the same place tomorrow at 10:30 am -- Room 203 in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Bob Latham generously invited us to Jackson Walker’s cocktail party at City Bar in the Westin adjoining the convention center. I reconnected with Jackson Walker veterans Carl Butzer and John Jackson. And I struck up a conversation with two attorneys -- Alan Kaufman of McKenna Long & Aldridge and Sunita Koneru of Bullivant Houser Bailey.
Sunita, raised in Iowa, now calls San Francisco her home city. Alan is a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan transplanted to New York City. They are proof positive that INTA’s Annual Meeting inspires networking. Alan and Sunita met at last year’s event -- now they’re old friends. To market future INTA events, Alan theorizes that the word “Intaversary” could be an emblem, maybe even a trademark.
While I waited on the taxicab line outside the convention center, I ran into another Alan -- Alan Drewsen, INTA’s Executive Director. Alan graciously remembered my blogging and Tweeting from last year’s Annual Meeting. I promised more of the same for this year.
We’re off to a good start.
david@davidkrell.com
And so the annual gathering of trademark professionals, otherwise known as INTA Annual Meeting, began tonight with the kickoff cocktail party. I connected with my Effective Legal Writing co-panelists Bob Latham and Kelly Slavitt. Unfortunately, we did not connect with the other member of our quartet, Joff Wild. But we’ll all be in the same place tomorrow at 10:30 am -- Room 203 in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Bob Latham generously invited us to Jackson Walker’s cocktail party at City Bar in the Westin adjoining the convention center. I reconnected with Jackson Walker veterans Carl Butzer and John Jackson. And I struck up a conversation with two attorneys -- Alan Kaufman of McKenna Long & Aldridge and Sunita Koneru of Bullivant Houser Bailey.
Sunita, raised in Iowa, now calls San Francisco her home city. Alan is a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan transplanted to New York City. They are proof positive that INTA’s Annual Meeting inspires networking. Alan and Sunita met at last year’s event -- now they’re old friends. To market future INTA events, Alan theorizes that the word “Intaversary” could be an emblem, maybe even a trademark.
While I waited on the taxicab line outside the convention center, I ran into another Alan -- Alan Drewsen, INTA’s Executive Director. Alan graciously remembered my blogging and Tweeting from last year’s Annual Meeting. I promised more of the same for this year.
We’re off to a good start.
INTA Annual Meeting
May 19, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Next week, approximately 8,000 people working in trademark law will gather for the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting. This year, INTA’s Annual Meeting will take place in Boston.
Beginning with a keynote speech and cocktail party on Sunday, May 23rd, INTA’s Annual Meeting will provide workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities galore.
Lawyers. Paralegals. Marketers. We’ll all be there to learn about everything from the effects of the Madrid Protocol on your client’s trademark portfolio to how to improve your legal writing skills. I have the privilege of moderating the workshop on the latter subject in the ‘pole position’ time slot. Effective Legal Writing Workshop takes place on Monday, May 24th, 10:30 a.m.
Yesterday, I talked with my friend and colleague Daryl Grecich, INTA’s Director of Marketing and Program Strategy, about the upcoming Annual Meeting. Daryl pointed out some changes for this year.
We’re looking forward to a great Annual Meeting and here are three reasons why.
First, we’re able to attract a large number of professionals who work in the trademark arena -- lawyers, paralegals, marketers. In addition to the educational opportunities, the attendees will be able to benefit from the networking opportunities.
Second, the workshops and seminars provide more than just Continuing Legal Education credit. They are paramount to INTA’s mission of providing good, quality education to practitioners.
Third, the Annual Meeting helps us advance INTA’s work through its committee meetings. These meetings reveal ways we can build on our success and allow us to program future events, forums and conferences.
This year’s Annual Meeting also features a number of new events. For the first time, we have a half-day workshop dedicated to in-house counsel. Alexander Macgillvray, General Counsel of Twitter, Inc., will be the keynote speaker. The workshop provides an outstanding opportunity for in-house counsel to talk about commonalities and differences in how they manage their responsibilities. Generally, in-house counsel deal with fewer resources, so the workshop will help them learn strategies on benchmarking internal resources and managing outside counsel.
Additionally, we have our first art show in the exhibition hall. The art show will display creative work by INTA members, attendees, guests and staff.
david@davidkrell.com
Next week, approximately 8,000 people working in trademark law will gather for the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting. This year, INTA’s Annual Meeting will take place in Boston.
Beginning with a keynote speech and cocktail party on Sunday, May 23rd, INTA’s Annual Meeting will provide workshops, seminars, and networking opportunities galore.
Lawyers. Paralegals. Marketers. We’ll all be there to learn about everything from the effects of the Madrid Protocol on your client’s trademark portfolio to how to improve your legal writing skills. I have the privilege of moderating the workshop on the latter subject in the ‘pole position’ time slot. Effective Legal Writing Workshop takes place on Monday, May 24th, 10:30 a.m.
Yesterday, I talked with my friend and colleague Daryl Grecich, INTA’s Director of Marketing and Program Strategy, about the upcoming Annual Meeting. Daryl pointed out some changes for this year.
We’re looking forward to a great Annual Meeting and here are three reasons why.
First, we’re able to attract a large number of professionals who work in the trademark arena -- lawyers, paralegals, marketers. In addition to the educational opportunities, the attendees will be able to benefit from the networking opportunities.
Second, the workshops and seminars provide more than just Continuing Legal Education credit. They are paramount to INTA’s mission of providing good, quality education to practitioners.
Third, the Annual Meeting helps us advance INTA’s work through its committee meetings. These meetings reveal ways we can build on our success and allow us to program future events, forums and conferences.
This year’s Annual Meeting also features a number of new events. For the first time, we have a half-day workshop dedicated to in-house counsel. Alexander Macgillvray, General Counsel of Twitter, Inc., will be the keynote speaker. The workshop provides an outstanding opportunity for in-house counsel to talk about commonalities and differences in how they manage their responsibilities. Generally, in-house counsel deal with fewer resources, so the workshop will help them learn strategies on benchmarking internal resources and managing outside counsel.
Additionally, we have our first art show in the exhibition hall. The art show will display creative work by INTA members, attendees, guests and staff.