01 — The brief
Six years ago, I was contacted by two very different law firms to ghostwrite thought leadership articles and other content on behalf of some of their leading lawyers.
In both cases, I carried out due diligence to ensure the values of the firms and their clients were aligned with my own. I repeated this process every time I considered a new assignment with any lawyer—even if we'd worked together before.
I have signed non-disclosure agreements with both firms and have allowed them to review this case study to ensure no individual or organisation can be identified by details included.
Contracts matter to me :-)
02 — A few more things about me (and ghostwriting!)
Number one—I only work with clients whose values align with mine
Where law firms are concerned, this means considering the values of their clients too. And it's something I review before accepting every new project—even if I've worked with the lawyer and firm before. It makes due diligence a bit more complex, but, in my opinion, it's worth it!
Two—hiring a ghostwriter is entirely ethical—or it is the way I do it.
People reading these articles want the lawyer/author's ideas, not mine! And that's exact what they get. I just pull it all together to a beautiful, coherent whole.
I'm no lawyer but I know the law
I've passed the LPC (I was even a member of the Law Society!) and spent years working in legal publishing and journalism. This means I understand global legal systems. It also means I've talked to lots of lawyers, which really helps me channel my inner lawyer as I write.
03 — Creative process
Researching
This means going deep into the weeds on the legal issues I'm covering—reviewing both statute and commentary from trustworthy sources. I then provide a list of possible 'hook'/titles for the piece ahead of the discovery call.
Discovery Call
After the firm had reviewed my initial ideas, the next step was a video call involving me, the lawyers and a marketing contact. This was where I go to ask lots of questions to check I understood the legal issues! By the end, we'd have a rough plan and working title in place.
Writing
With all the materials ready, I was ready to weave them all into a story that connected with readers, written in plain English...strictly no legalese!
Submission
Lastly, I submitted the piece to the lawyer's marketing team. There was usually one round of edits ahead of publication—but never more!
03 — Results
Over the past six years highlights, achieved with both firms include:
An article published on the firm's website was later republished in the legal press.
I wrote the most shared and commented on LinkedIn post one lawyer had ever published.
I have been retained by both firms throughout this period and have often been requested more than once by the same lawyer.