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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BARE BONES BRIEFS: A classic case of hubris: lawyers protecting misbehaving lawyers | Regulator says lawyers naughtier than accountants | Environmentalists: at least lawyers don’t make bombs or help sell cigars | Should AI-generated docs attract privilege? | DLA Piper appoints Regional Managing Partners
RECORD FINE FOR AI MISUSE IS NO DETERRENT TO LAWYERS In what is said to be the highest fine imposed so far in Canada on lawyers who misuse AI, the Alberta Court of Appeal has imposed personal costs of $17,500 + GST on an Alberta lawyer who filed a factum drafted by a contractor that […]
Personality Rights Protection: New Zealand
“AI increases the risk of misuse of personal information, both in terms of the information that businesses are feeding into, and receiving from, AI platforms.” — Thomas Huthwaite By Julius Melnitzer | March 5, 2026 With the advent of artificially-generated images and viral content, the growing ubiquity of deepfakes and dupes has become a growing concern, […]
The AI Copyright Conundrum: Memorising or Learning?
“Copyright protects reproductions, so from a legal perspective, the way you assess memorisation is by looking at the output.” – Vincent Bergeron By Julius Melnitzer | March 4, 2026 The immediate and growing controversy over whether artificial intelligence (AI) “learns” or “memorises” is raising a foundational challenge to copyright law. What’s ignited the controversy are recent […]
B.C. court rules employer not entitled to dictate terms of share repurchases under stock option plan
By Julius Melnitzer | March 3, 2026 The British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled employers don’t necessarily have an unfettered right to dictate the terms of a repurchase of shares held by former employees under a stock option plan. “The message is that even when discretion is granted under the terms of a plan, that […]
Double Patenting: A multi-jurisdictional minefield | Part II: New Zealand & Australia
“New Zealand’s current regime is more closely allied with other countries, including Australia, than it was before.” – Sam Ting By Julius Melnitzer | February 3, 2026 New Zealand and Australia both allow divisional applications. Although both prohibit double patenting, their laws and rules are not the same, and recent developments in New Zealand have narrowed […]
Double Patenting: A multi-jurisdictional minefield | Part I: China, Hong Kong & Southeast Asia
In China, there is no doctrine preventing an applicant from obtaining multiple patents for obvious variants, patentably indistinct subject matter, or incremental improvements, so long as the claims are not identical in scope – Michael Huang Double patenting doctrine worldwide builds on the principle that an inventor is entitled to only one patent for each invention. […]