Patrick Hagen’s legal writing tips for the LinkedIn masses

Patrick Hagen is a man of the people—he still proudly uses Times New Roman! But he also has the ear of LinkedIn’s legal-writing elite, with over 36,000 followers as of August 2025.

Patrick sits down with Jeff and Tim to share the source and method behind his viral legal-writing tips, how his judicial clerkships shaped his voice, how to hone good writing even when writing “by committee” under senior associates and partners, and why good writing—even in a losing case—is always worth the effort.

We discuss:

• Why it is axiomatic that you should pause and think before using the word “axiomatic.”
• How AI tools like ChatGPT, ClearBrief, and CoCounsel can be the road to sharpened prose—or the road to ruin.
• Can a legal writing critic still be gracious?
• And the lightning round: TNR, Arial, two spaces, Oxford commas, and “Comes now….”

Stay for the writing tips, return for the wit, and if you don’t want Patrick’s 36,000 followers laughing at your writing foibles behind your back, follow him on LinkedIn.