About LegalWriter.net

LegalWriter.net is a media outlet devoted to law, the business of law, and to enhancing the profession’s writing and communication skills.

My intention is to provide media exposure for law firms, lawyers, legal departments, and their marketers, which has become increasingly difficult in the shrinking landscape of Canadian legal media today. Here, you’ll find insightful legal writing, including both news articles and opinions, highlighting the most important developments in our field. In addition to providing well-reasoned legal updates and analysis, LegalWriter.net is intended as a resource to help lawyers learn to communicate with each other, with clients, and with potential clients in a straightforward, understandable, and professional way.

About Julius Melnitzer

Great legal writing stems from a deep understanding of the law, coupled with the ability—innate or developed—to convey that information in a way that is both engaging and accessible to readers.

As a Toronto-based legal affairs writer and editor, I draw extensively from my 17 years as a practicing trial lawyer, as well as my 25 years as a legal affairs journalist. With over 200 appearances in the Ontario Court of Appeal and regular mandates in the Supreme Court of Canada, my experience as a trial and appellate lawyer gives me a strong foundation and ready access to extensive legal knowledge, which I’ve incorporated into my writing in the years since.

I’ve been published in most of the major dailies in Canada, including a regular column for the National Post and articles for The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen. My work has also appeared in virtually every major Canadian trade journal with a focus on law and the business of law, including Lexpert, Canadian Lawyer, Law Times, Benefits Canada, and The Lawyer’s Daily, as well as in various US and UK publications. To date, I have more than 3,200 articles in print and online and have written two books: Maximum, Minimum, Medium: A Journey Through Canadian Prisons, and Dirty White Collar, a novel.

Over the last few years I’ve worked with national and regional law firms in a number of capacities—namely, writer, editor, writing coach, and public relations consultant—to produce content ranging from White Papers to website articles, from conference coverage to media strategy. 

I was raised in Montreal and attended McGill University as an Honours Philosophy Student, after which I moved to Toronto to study at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Following my call to the Bar, I founded a successful law firm where I practised for close to two decades.

I’m married, with one daughter and two grandchildren.

If your law firm or marketing team could use assistance, let’s talk. You can read more about my writing and training services here.

If you’d like to browse a resource library of my legal writing, click here. As time passes, I will add relevant and interesting articles from other credible sources.

Also, please let me know if you have any articles or announcements that may be appropriate for publication on the site. I would also welcome any interesting story ideas, including those for which you or your organization are willing to be an interview or information source.

 – Julius