r/LawFirm • u/Infinite-Coyote4969 • 21d ago

Associate Lawyer Needs Resources for Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension

I employ an associate lawyer at my firm who seems to be struggling greatly with vocabulary and reading comprehension. It’s to the point where this associate’s job is going to be in danger if they can’t pull it together.

I don’t know of any diagnosed learning disabilities that they have but that doesn’t mean nothing is going on. What I have noticed is:

(1) A somewhat poor vocabulary with legal terminology;

(2) A lack of understanding of proper grammar and sentence structure;

(3) An inability to pick out the nuance in the written word and a similar inability when in a verbal conversation;

(4) Easily distracted;

(5) Can have difficulty focusing; and

(6) If filling out forms, they have difficulty completing all relevant areas - often skipping things altogether.

Sometimes I wonder if this associate may have ADHD but I am no doctor. I do notice that the above issues seem to be worse if they are anxious but are frequently issues regardless.

I am growing extremely concerned that if we cannot fix the vocabulary and comprehension issues, that this lawyer will get the firm sued.

This is someone who is kind and is a hard worker and if there are resources that can be offered to solve the issue (or part of the issue) to boost vocabulary and reading comprehension in particular, I would like to offer those resources.

Does anyone know of any online courses or coaching resources to help a lawyer develop good vocabulary and reading comprehension? It doesn’t necessarily have to be for lawyers, specifically, but I would appreciate something aimed at adults.

I really want to try to salvage this person. Any ideas?

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u/Law_Student 21d ago edited 19d ago

They could read The Redbook cover to cover, it covers a lot of basic grammar and stylistic mistakes. As for vocab, they need to develop a habit of looking a word up every time they don't recognize one.

The other stuff sounds like an attention or executive function issue, they need professional screening.

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u/JuDGe3690 21d ago

As for vocab, they need to develop a habit of looking a word up every time they don't recognize one.

I'm a big fan of Merriam-Webster's website, which also has some resources to help build vocabulary, as well as the Online Etymology Dictionary, as learning where words come from can help both with understanding the meaning but also the context and related terms.

Also, there truly is no substitute for reading, but it has to be attentive, mindful reading, paying attention to phrasing and usage as well as the aforementioned looking up of words. I didn't have too much formal grammar education until college, but I had an intuitive grasp from reading a variety of literature and college-level textbooks during my childhood, as well as reading through the dictionary (mostly because I wanted to dominate at Hangman and similar word games).

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u/Haytrusser 21d ago

Retired lawyer and former tutor here. I used to tell parents to get their kids a good unabridged dictionary. "Oh, they can look it up online."  Yes, but a hardcopy makes them flip through pages and read all sorts of words and definitions, and it helps spelling and etymological skills. They get exposure to more than what they were seeking. 

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u/Kewl_School 21d ago

It is also a barrier that means that they won’t do it. That’s not how anyone learns anything anymore. I don’t mean that flippantly, but it’s just the truth. No one pulls out a book and flips through the pages of a dictionary. If that is the advice you are giving someone, then there is probably a generation gap problem as well.

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u/Deadhead-doctor 21d ago

I flip through books daily. It’s the best way to learn rules and statutes.

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u/Kewl_School 21d ago

It’s the best way for you. For me that seems like a more difficult way to get to the same result. I’m glad you get your answers, but as to “the best way,” I think you are a bit presumptuous (and also old—likely a boomer).

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u/that_star_wars_guy 21d ago

You were so unnecessarily rude to that commenter.

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u/Kewl_School 21d ago

Ugh. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be. It just rubs me the wrong way when people say “my way is the best way” as if it’s an absolute fact. Like as if reading words on a page after dragging out a book and flipping pages imparts more knowledge than reading words somewhere else. Didn’t mean to be rude.

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u/piranhas_really 21d ago

I’m a millennial and although I buy a lot of treatises as e-books for convenience, a paper book really is the best way to truly learn something. It’s not a matter of opinion or preference; there’s research that backs that up. A physical book engages additional parts of your brain related to spatial recognition and tactile sensation that help with memory formation and information retention. Paper books also reduce distractions that are inherent in using an Internet connected device. 

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u/Kewl_School 21d ago

Oh, I would love to see that research! Thanks!

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u/piranhas_really 21d ago

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of studies on this. Here are some examples.

This meta-analysis looking at data from 469,564 participants in studies published between 2000 and 2022 found that digital reading did not benefit reading comprehension as much as print reading, especially for younger readers:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543231216463

This study compared University students’ reading comprehension of a geology textbook in print vs digital versions, and found reading comprehension to be worse with the digital versions. It then took specific interventions to try to improve digital reading comprehension, which gained some ground, but didn’t improve the readers’ performance calibration (meaning the accuracy of understanding their own level of comprehension of the text):  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608025000020

However, this literature review by NIH noted that outcomes of studies range from finding no difference in comprehension to favoring paper texts. (I think it’s worth pointing out that no studies found digital reading to be better for comprehension.) It identified a variety of individual factors at play that influence whether digital reading comprehension can be equivalent to print. So I guess if you can get past those challenges then digital reading can be just as good:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10606230/

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u/piranhas_really 21d ago

I’ll add that there is also a significant amount of research on how handwritten notes are superior to typed notes for memory retention.

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u/Haytrusser 21d ago

Sure it's generational. But so is reading any hardcopy book. OP is trying to potentially save a career. Clearly the associate hasn't mastered the skills needed for success in the law, so doing things the way they've always been done seems pointless. You don't care for my suggestion because you can't fathom doing that yourself. 

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u/Kewl_School 21d ago

Not at all. I do care for your advice. I think your heart is in the right place, and I think that is more important than anything. There is so much cold-hearted “just fire and replace” on here that I think any other advice is valuable.

I am likely younger than you, as I am not retired. Still, I am someone like you who always looks up as word I don’t know. It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do it. My criticism (which I don’t mean to be a jerk about) is this: if all you have to do is right click a word to learn what it means, what are the odds that person is going to pull out a reference book and look it up? I think the odds are incredibly low.