WHAT IS LEGAL GHOSTWRITING?
Our specialty is communicating legal concepts to non-attorneys, but we also handle lawyer-to-lawyer pieces that call for less legalese. Law firms and individual attorneys hire us to write articles or guest columns on particular legal topics. The resulting manuscript gets submitted to a local business journal or bar association newsletter. Such contacts with the press are typically handled by law firm marketing or public relations staff, though attorneys sometimes foster direct relationships with editors.

HOW DO GHOSTWRITTEN ARTICLES HELP LAW FIRM MARKETING EFFORTS?
Getting published translates into credibility. And once an article or column is ghostwritten and ready for print, it has instant value beyond the initial application. For example, it can be used as content on web sites. Or as body copy in brochures, information packets and new business proposals. When the media seeks your firm out on a particular legal topic, a ghostwritten piece from the archives can provide useful background information. The pluses are many.

DOES THE ATTORNEY GET THE BY-LINE?
Yes, that's the essential concept. The insights and interpretations offered are those of the attorney whose name appears in print with the written piece; the authoring attorney. But the demanding work of writing a very good column or article falls to the ghostwriter, who remains anonymous.

IS GHOSTWRITING THE ETHICAL EQUIVILENT OF SPEECHWRITING?
Virtually every elected official of consequence employs a speechwriter. It's a widely accepted communications practice that reaches all the way to the White House. Legal ghostwriting is no less legitimate, and every bit as wise.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR COMPLETING AN ARTICLE OR COLUMN?
The work always begins with the harvest of information. Research is critical, and often takes full advantage of the law firm's library staff. A meeting between the attorney and the ghostwriter is always a good idea, whether face-to-face or via teleconference. A first draft document is generated and submitted for review and feedback. The second draft is often very nearly ready for print, though sometimes a third draft is necessary. Importantly, the law firm's staff proofreader should review the document before submission to the publication.

HOW DOES THE GHOSTWRITER GAIN COMMAND OF LEGAL TOPICS?
It's imperative that the legal ghostwriter be a very quick study. Add to that, the ghostwriter must bring a level of intellectual acuity to the job that hastens the assimilation of knowledge and legal concepts that belong to the authoring attorney. Law Ghost has these qualities.

IF THE ATTORNEY IS A TALENTED WRITER, WHY CONSIDER LAW GHOST?
This is strictly about making the best use of the attorney's billable time. Though writing an article or guest column may be both fun and satisfying for the attorney, it may not be smart for the bottom line. The cost of having the article ghostwritten begins to look very reasonable when authoring attorneys can remain engaged on client business.

CAN A LEGAL GHOSTWRITER BE EXPECTED TO SOUND LIKE AN ATTORNEY?
An excellent legal ghostwriter will have the unique ability to craft a voice that properly reflects the tone and intent of the authoring attorney. There is no cookie cutter approach in this work. Each article or guest column must necessarily honor the attorney whose name appears in the by-line. To achieve this, the ghostwriter must be adept at embracing and interpreting the image desired by the authoring attorney. That's what Law Ghost does.

HOW MUCH DOES A LEGAL GHOSTWRITER COST?
There's a direct relationship between cost and degree of difficulty. The three factors that tend to influence ghostwriting fees the most are: The word count, the complexity of the topic, the deadline. Each ghostwriting assignment is estimated and approved in advance. When travel is a factor, such costs are in addition to writing fees.

WHO OWNS THE FINISHED PRODUCT?
Law Ghost typically handles projects on a work-for-hire basis, which means we release the U.S. Copyright for the original manuscript to the client. Consult with a copyright attorney to learn more about the rights of individual publications that might print your article or column.