In addition to the other benefits and attributes of partnership, you have also become a guide to the people who read your work. Now, as you complete your switch into a partnership position, your editing skills become more important than ever. As a new partner, you must edit your own work as well as that of the associates you supervise. You benefit by ensuring your reader has a trouble-free trip. Like it or not, the quality of a document has an enormous impact on the reader's perception of the person who wrote it.
Readable writing is critical.
Readers who can navigate a document easily are more likely to pay attention to that document, remember it, and act on its content. Your readers, of course, will include not only clients who must understand the substance of your communication, but also judges who will form an opinion of your case based on your brief. Judges overwhelmed by stacks of paperwork appreciate writing that is easy to comprehend, and are more likely to understand the implications of your argument if they do not have to maneuver through complicated language. Constrained by legal terminology and the need to describe events in excruciating detail, many lawyers have developed writing habits that slow readers down and confuse them. Strong sentences packed with active verbs demand readers' attention.