Episode Player
Patrick Hagen’s legal writing tips for the LinkedIn masses
The California Appellate Law Podcast
Chapters
0:00
Podcast and Guest Introduction
3:05
Patrick’s Legal Writing Journey
5:34
Writing Style & Philosophy
7:12
Formative Experiences
9:45
Writing Faux Pas & Advocacy
12:03
AI Tools in Legal Writing
15:47
Firm Policies on AI
19:21
AI for LinkedIn Content
21:29
Legal Writing Philosophy
25:32
Writing Like You Speak
29:32
Effective Conclusions & Storytelling
30:41
Patrick’s Writing Tips & Pet Peeves
37:00
Learning from LinkedIn Engagement
40:49
Client Expectations & Writing Quality
42:09
Personal Reading & Inspiration
43:53
Lightning Round: Legal Writing Preferences
The California Appellate Law Podcast
Patrick Hagen’s legal writing tips for the LinkedIn masses
Aug 26, 2025
Episode 180
Tim Kowal & Jeff Lewis
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.
