Effective Legal Writing (Including 1 Hour of Ethics)

Chris S. Edwards | Ward and Smith, P.A.

Chris is an appellate attorney who focuses his practice on complex legal issues in both federal and state courts of appeals. A North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice, Chris has handled both civil and criminal appeals raising a wide variety of legal issues. To take a few examples, he has handled appeals in constitutional litigation, child custody litigation, employment litigation, equitable distribution litigation, estate litigation, municipal litigation, patent litigation, personal injury litigation, tax litigation, trade secrets litigation, and unfair competition litigation. All told, since joining the firm in 2018, Chris has presented more than a dozen oral arguments in state and federal courts, and he has been the primary author of more than 30 appellate briefs.

As an appellate attorney, Chris also works with trial counsel before a final judgment has been entered. In this capacity, he drafts and argues significant motions, consults on legal strategy, and works to set the case up for a successful appeal.

Before joining Ward and Smith, Chris was a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge G. Steven Agee of the Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan of the Eastern District of North Carolina. Outside of the firm, Chris is an active member of the appellate bar, administering the N.C. Bar Association’s Appellate Pro Bono Program and serving on its Appellate Rules Committee.

Veronica Finkelstein | Wilmington University School of Law

Veronica J. Finkelstein is a 2004 graduate, with honors, of the Emory University School of Law and 2001 graduate, with dual distinction and dual honors, of the Pennsylvania State University. Finkelstein currently works as for the U.S. Department of Justice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Litigative Consultant. She is also a faculty member of the Wilmington University School of Law. At the DOJ, she has served as the Civil Division Training Officer, Paralegal Supervisor for the civil division, and Senior Litigation Counsel.

At the Department of Justice, Finkelstein tried numerous cases to defense verdicts, including in tort, employment law, and medical malpractice cases. In addition to this defensive work, Finkelstein investigated and prosecuted affirmative fraud claims, including qui tam actions. She also handled criminal child exploitation cases.

She has taught at the National Advocacy Center on ethics, appellate advocacy, legal writing, and trial practice. In 2014, she was awarded the Executive Office of United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as a Civil Assistant United States Attorney. Prior to her government service, Finkelstein clerked for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and was an associate at Duane Morris, LLP and Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman, PC.

In addition to teaching at Wilmington Law, Finkelstein teaches at Drexel Law and Emory Law. In the past she has also taught at Rutgers Law. At these law schools she teaches a variety of courses including Appellate Advocacy, Trial Advocacy, Evidence, Advanced Evidence, Deposition Skills, Professional Responsibility, Sales, Criminal Law, Health Care Fraud, Civil Procedure, Legal Writing, and Corrections Law. She has repeatedly been named “Adjunct Professor of the Year” at Rutgers Law and won the university-wide Adjunct Award for Teaching Excellence at Drexel University in 2016.

She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Session I – Writing for Screens: Crafting Clear and Effective Legal Briefs | 11:00am – 12:00pm

• Crafting Structured and Readable Legal Briefs | 11:00am – 11:10am
• Whitespace as a Visual Aid | 11:10am – 11:20am
• Choosing Fonts for Screen Legibility | 11:20am – 11:30am
• Adapting to Screen Reading Habits | 11:30am – 11:40am
• Embracing Technological Change in Legal Writing | 11:40am – 12:00pm

Break | 12:00pm – 12:10pm

Session II – Ethical and Effective Legal Writing | 12:10pm – 1:10pm

• Handling adverse authority | 12:10pm – 12:20pm
• The use of technology, including artificial intelligence | 12:20pm – 12:30pm
• Incivility in legal writing | 12:30pm – 12:40pm
• Following court rules and procedures | 12:40pm – 12:50pm
• Ghostwriting/plagiarism | 12:50pm – 1:10pm