How to Write an Effective Brief (6/12/25)

This is an in-person program hosted at Dirksen Federal Building in Courtroom 211 (219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago IL 60604). 

This practical seminar is designed to help lawyers harness the power of storytelling to craft persuasive, reader-friendly legal briefs across practice areas. Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, this seminar will highlight the "dos and don’ts" of strong legal brief writing. Special focus will also be given to the distinct writing demands of government practice versus private practice, including tone, audience, and institutional objectives. The seminar will also critically engage with the rise of Generative AI tools in legal drafting. Participants will walk away with concrete tools and practical guidance to make brief writing more powerful and engaging. This seminar is co-sponsored by The Federal Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Association’s Federal Civil Practice Committee. Lunch generously provided by Seyfarth Shaw LLP.  

Speakers:
Irina Dmitrieva, Partner, Hepler Broom 
Justice David Ellis, First District, Illinois Appellate Court
John Moynihan, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Appeals, Illinois Attorney General’s Office 

Moderator:
Judge Andrea Wood, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

To confirm you are ready to participate in an on demand webcast, please take the browser test here: http://eventcenter.commpartner...

Live CBA Committee meetings and seminars will take place via Zoom webinar.  You will click on "view video" and be directly connected to the meeting/seminar on Zoom.  (You will not receive a Zoom link.)

You MUST have Zoom Desktop Client on your Mac or PC to view a live program. If using a mobile device, you must have the Zoom App (available in the App Store or Google Play).

System requirements for Mac & PC can be found here. System requirements for mobile devices can be here.  

Please note that audience members do not need video or audio access.  Audience members are able to submit questions via the chat or Q & A features of Zoom. 

Chat: Open in-meeting chat, allowing you to send chat messages to and send a message to the host, panelists, and attendees (if permitted). Question & Answer: Open the Q&A window, allowing you to ask questions to the host and panelists. They can either reply back to you via text in the Q&A window or answer your question live.