Capabilities’ Statement
Legal Writing Launch Capabilities’ Statement
LEGAL WRITING LAUNCH’S MISSION AND PRODUCTS
Legal Writing Launch (LWL or Course) is a rigorous and compact course, designed to transform students’ legal writing and analytical skills in a short period of time. The Course is particularly helpful to students who are lawyers—new and experienced, as well as paralegals, and other legal professionals. There are three levels of LWL—the Basic Course, Assignment Editing, and Zoom Mentoring (which includes Assignment Editing). The founder recommends the Basic Course for paralegals and non-lawyers, and recommends the higher two levels (e.g., Assignment Editing or Zoom Mentoring) for attorneys.
LWL CONTRACTOR INFORMATION
LWL became a SAM contractor in 2023. Our Unique identifier QV8MUZ6EYA15 and CAGE Code is 9PBX1. EIN will be available on request.
Our codes are:
- 541199 all other legal service
- 541110 legal services
- 611430 professional and management development training
- 611710 educational support services
LWL is certified by USCFR, and is a self-certified woman-owned small business.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Basic Course:
- In this all electronic format, students will:
- gain lifetime access to practical examples of key documents and pleadings for litigation and the practice of law generally
- understand how to draft:
- memoranda in the Question Presented/Brief Answer format
- memoranda in the Universal Memo Format—Introduction, Discussion & Conclusion
- demand letters
- opinion letters
- motions
- appellate briefs (with references to the record).
- learn how to spot and develop issues
- draft strong paragraphs
- use the Issue, Rule, Analysis & Conclusion (IRAC)/Conclusion, Rule, Analysis & Conclusion (CRAC) format
- write in plain English
- study the use of grammar at the professional level required for the governmental workplace
Assignment Editing:
- Students will:
- have access to the Basic Course
- write one of each of these documents, central to the practice of law in a governmental office—
- memorandum in the Question Presented/Brief Answer format
- memorandum in the Universal Memo format
- demand letter
- opinion letter
- motion
- appellate brief with references to the record
- obtain my or another experienced attorney’s personalized editing, focusing upon not just this assignment, but problematic patterns in the students’ legal writing
- complete the on-line platform, Core Grammar for Lawyers, and upload their work, significantly improving students’ grammatical skills for the professional workplace like a governmental law office
Zoom Mentoring:
- Students will:
- have access to the Basic Course and Assignment Editing
- will discuss with me or another experienced attorney editor, on Zoom, their work immediately after each assignment
- will understand, through the one-on-one mentoring in the Zoom meeting, the student’s personal progress on the particular assignment
- will learn, in the personalized meeting, about their challenges on the specific assignment and their writing patterns, requiring correction
- assist in the collaboration with me or another seasoned lawyer editor, in the Zoom meetings, to correct students’ negative writing practices
THE FOUNDER’S QUALIFICATIONS
LWL’s founder, Bev Meyers (Bev), is a retired Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, who had, largely, a motion practice and is a law professor. She has written and filed over 1,000 motions. During her almost 30 years in the Office of the Attorney General (AG’s Office), Bev supervised her section’s law student program and trained hundreds of law students for a litigation practice. Part of that litigation practice was regulatory work on behalf of governmental entities. As a law professor, she has taught substantive law courses, and specialized in legal writing for over 35 years. In 2024, Bev taught Advanced Legal Writing at John F. Kennedy School of Law, where students wrote numerous Bar Exam Performance Test essays. (In fact, LWL’s assignments model the closed-library and practice-ready writing format of the Performance Test.)
Bev is a frequent lecturer for the National Association of Continuing Legal Education, where she has lectured on, for example, Effective Legal Writing for the Attorney Practitioner, as well as The George Floyd Case: The Evidence, Arguments, Verdicts & Sentence in the Criminal Case against Derek Chauvin, Roe v. Wade: Abortion Post Dobbs, and The Evidentiary Issues in the Murdaugh Case. Additionally, Bev has appeared on the Ladies Who Law podcast a number of times, and Wordrake, discussing, for example, legal writing.
DIFFERENTIATORS
There is no filler with LWL; the Course moves right to the point. There are quick, easy and effective lessons to help students become legal writing professionals. There are not too many choices of courses to take, but instead only three, which are:
One student has said that LWL hits the “sweet spot” within the available on-line legal writing courses. LWL is not just a “one-off” course with only enough information from a single lecture on legal writing. Nor does it have too many assignments. Instead, it provides the right amount of guidance and the right number of assignments, so that a student can make real progress without experiencing a daunting and long commitment.
The founder is uniquely qualified to teach LWL, as she was a practicing litigator for over 30 years, administering a law student program for the California Attorney General’s Office, as well as a law professor, teaching legal writing for well over 30 years. The founder has managed LWL since its inception in 2020 through the present.
TESTIMONIALS
Federal Government Attorneys:
“As an attorney for the U.S General Services Administration – a federal government agency, I enhanced my analytical and legal writing skills significantly by taking Legal Writing Launch (Course or LWL). My work has primarily focused on transactional matters – drafting contracts and reviewing procurements (the purchase of goods and services). While I had strong technical knowledge, I realized I needed to improve my analytical and legal writing skills. The Course provided exactly what I needed. Founder Bev Meyer’s deep expertise and personalized approach made all the difference. She worked closely with me (in the Zoom Mentoring Add-On), understanding my unique challenges while adapting to my unpredictable work schedule to ensure that I received the most value from LWL. The Course offered me an excellent refresher on legal analysis and writing principles that I could apply immediately to my daily work. I use these newly improved skills in drafting responses to time-sensitive client inquiries, drafting procurement-related documents, and composing professional emails. Beyond improving my own writing, LWL has equipped me with valuable editing and feedback skills that will serve me well as I supervise junior attorneys. Bev’s dedication to each student’s success and her comprehensive understanding of legal writing principles make this course an invaluable investment for any government attorney looking to strengthen their legal writing foundation.“
- Katherine "Kathy" Vernet
Assistant Regional Counsel Office of the General Counsel,
National Capital Division U.S. General Services Administration
New Lawyers:
“Legal Writing Launch (LWL) has been my savior. I am a licensed attorney who needed to improve my legal writing skills. LWL is a comprehensive course that is practical, hands-on, and fun. After taking the initial grammar assessment in Core Grammar for Lawyers, I realized how little grammar I knew after my studies at law school. Each reading and writing assignment, in LWL, is designed to help students develop their legal writing skills gradually and effectively. The founder Professor Bev Meyers cares about her students’ learning. I recommend the Course to anyone who is serious about improving their legal writing skills.”
- Kanako K. Blondet, Esq.
Law Offices of Kanako K. Blondet Long Beach, California
Training:
“Bev Meyers recently conducted a training for the associates at our firm on how to be more effective legal writers. The training was excellent! Bev taught our associates not only about how to write in a clear, concise manner without legalese, but she also taught them how to effectively organize their writing using the “Power Packed Paragraph.” As a supervising attorney, I am looking forward to seeing a marked improvement in our associates’ ability to write clearly and persuasively. Thank you so much Bev!”
- William E. Camy
Shareholder, Porter-Scott
Experienced Lawyers:
As a practicing attorney, I found the Legal Writing Launch Course extremely helpful. Each assignment and exercise builds upon the last, reinforcing the lessons learned. Bev Meyers is an amazing instructor and provided constructive feedback which encouraged my quick development. She was very responsive and worked around my schedule. Although the Course assignments do take time, I strongly recommend this course to all legal professionals, who want to improve their writing or simply sharpen their skills. Anyone from young to experienced attorneys can benefit from Professor Meyers’s wisdom and guidance.
- Jared Elijah-Akeem Nelson
Associate at Liskow
Southern University Law Center, 2018
Worked with Bev:
“Bev Meyers is a clear writer, sharp editor, and thoughtful mentor. Having her as a supervisor early in my legal career was invaluable—with her assistance, I developed my own approach to legal writing and the courage to be a better writer. While working in the California Office of the Attorney General, under Bev’s supervision, I drafted briefs opposing motions for writ of mandate, a cease and desist letter, and legal research memoranda. Not only does Bev draw upon her significant experience to help train young lawyers, she is interested in constantly growing herself—I found her openness, kindness, and passion for life one of the best parts of her teaching style. I cannot recommend Bev more highly to develop legal writing technical skills and one’s voice.”
- Malia McPherson, Stanford Law School, J.D. 2016
Deputy City Attorney, Oakland City Attorney's Office
“Bev helped launch my career as a legal writer. When I was a law clerk, Bev taught me how to write concisely, make my point powerfully, and organize my arguments and evidence to be as clear and persuasive as possible. I drafted memos and a motion to dismiss. I have used these skills throughout my career, first as an associate, then as the Legal Director for nonprofit California Common Cause, and now as small business owner, running my own policy and legal consulting firm. Bev is an experienced and natural teacher. I am excited that, with her online legal writing program, she will be able to reach even more attorneys and students.”
- Nicolas Heidorn, Harvard Law School, Class of 2011
Principal, Heidorn Consulting
