WordRake Holdings, LLC, a software company focused on clear and concise editing for professionals, is partnering with Suffolk University Law School for the 2021-22 academic year. Last year, WordRake and Suffolk tripled access to the WordRake legal writing software by offering it to all Suffolk law students, librarians, staff, and faculty, which led to a 78% increase in adoption.
“When we began this program, we hoped to elevate the importance of legal editing so it is embraced as a critical part of the legal writing process. The growing incorporation into academic courses and student organizations shows we’re meeting those goals,” said Ivy B. Grey, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for WordRake. “We’re excited to keep that momentum going for a third year.”
The collaboration introduces students to legal writing technology widely used in practice. By incorporating simple, secure, and innovative technology into the classroom, students’ own fundamental editing skills get reinforced and they will be better prepared to deliver effective, efficient legal services in their internships, and ultimately in practice.
This is the third year of the collaboration. For two years, WordRake has been included in Suffolk’s Legal Practice Skills Program for first-year law students, with nearly 400 incoming 1L Suffolk students receiving one-year WordRake licenses to use on their personal computers for writing assignments. With access for upper-class students added, over 1500 students have access to WordRake. All Suffolk faculty will also receive WordRake licenses to aid with their writing and research projects. This year, WordRake will also offer its Outlook offering for faculty and staff.
“Editing software like WordRake expands tools in the writer’s tool belt and can help create a better final product,” said Kathleen Elliott Vinson, Professor of Legal Writing and Director of Legal Writing, Research, and Written Advocacy at Suffolk Law. “Each tool might offer suggestions that the author decides to adopt or not adopt and gives the author the chance to examine their work, engage with the document’s purpose and format, and consider whether making the suggested edits improves the work. The tool reinforces and highlights the importance of editing and revision.”
Suffolk’s Legal Practice Skills program is nationally recognized for its high-quality instruction in legal writing, and Suffolk Law has been named the number one law school in the United States for Legal Technology in part due to its groundbreaking Legal Innovation & Technology Institute, academic concentration, and clinical LIT Lab. Suffolk’s legal writing faculty believe WordRake reinforces classroom instruction and supports students in the editing process.
“WordRake is a great fit for Suffolk’s legal writing classes and we look forward to collaborating with WordRake again,” said Dyane O’Leary, Associate Professor of Legal Writing and Director of Suffolk’s Legal Innovation & Technology Concentration. “It’s a priority to expose students to tools that impact modern legal practice, and the majority of students who used WordRake as a final step in their legal writing projects last year loved it.”
About WordRake
Launched in 2012, WordRake is editing software designed by writing expert and New York Times bestselling author Gary Kinder. WordRake runs in Microsoft Word and Outlook, and its suggestions appear in the familiar track-changes style. It uses complex, patented algorithms to find and improve weak lead-ins, confusing language, and high-level grammar and usage slips. Learn more about bringing WordRake to paralegal programs or law schools. A free 7-day trial is available at https://www.wordrake.com.
