LegalWriter.net
Devoted to law, the business of law, and to enhancing lawyers’ writing skills.
I’m Julius Melnitzer, Legal Journalist, Writing Coach & Media Trainer for Lawyers.
I also help create strategies and story ideas for law firms and legal departments, and I train lawyers to write in plain English that people want to read. I’ve created this site to showcase thoughts and opinions about law and the business of law, as well as providing a resource for law firms, legal departments, and their marketers interested in my services.
What I offer is a unique skill set that will help you take your firm to new levels of clarity, accessibility, and media exposure. With 25 years of experience as a legal affairs journalist, and 17 years of experience as a practicing trial lawyer, my deep understanding of both environments enables me to translate complex legalese into plain yet elegant English. I can produce your content myself; I can also train your lawyers to write in simple English that anyone can understand, and assist in placing and pitching your stories to the media.
Julius Melnitzer was the recipient of The Canadian Online Publishing Awards’ silver medal for Best Investigative Series 2020.
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How Agentic Prior Art Searches Have Changed Patent Practice
“What stands out about agentic technology is the extent to which it has allowed penetration of a system that has so frequently seemed impenetrable.” — David Hughes It’s no surprise, perhaps, that the advent of AI-driven agentic prior art searches marks a turning point in patent law practice. How, after all, were mere humans going to […]
Fair Dealing: The Canadian Context
By Julius Melnitzer | May 11, 2026 “In Canada, fair dealing is a creature of statute with a closed list of eligible purposes. Courts have described it as a ‘users’ right’ that provides a ‘fsafety valve’ on the monopoly of copyright.” — Tamara Céline Winegust Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China and most of Southeast […]
Fair Dealing: The Australian Context
“The fair dealing exception in Australia is limited to the purpose-based exceptions listed in the Copyright Act. If a use doesn’t fall within a listed purpose, fair dealing simply does not apply, regardless of fairness.” — Katrina Crooks By Julius Melnitzer | May 8, 2026 Australia’s iteration of the “fair use” doctrine — called “fair dealing”— […]
ELORA’S BEST-KEPT SECRET: KAT FLORENCE HOTELS
The perfect getaway for hard-working lawyers By Janet Carr & Julius Melnitzer | May 6, 2026 Kat Florence may not yet be a household name, but if you’re “in the know”—you know! She and her gem hunter husband, Don Kogen, have been sourcing stones and designing works of jewelry-art for over a decade. Recently, the […]
ELORA’S BEST-KEPT SECRET: KAT FLORENCE HOTELS
The perfect getaway for hard-working lawyers By Janet Carr & Julius Melnitzer | April 29 2026 Kat Florence may not yet be a household name, but if you’re “in the know”—you know! She and her gem hunter husband, Don Kogen, have been sourcing stones and designing works of jewelry-art for over a decade. Recently, the […]
Working From Hell
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko at Pexels By Murray Gottheil I was at the receiving end of a rant from a young associate recently, whom I will call Mike. I don’t mind when Mike calls me to rant, usually late at night on his commute home from work. He needs to unload, and I am happy […]