Is unwitting language butchery causing you to fail?

The journey to good writing will continue throughout your life - you just need to make the start.

English law has its tireless champions: experienced practitioners who work hard to preserve its positive contribution to the world economy and its valuable position as a UK service export. They understand the importance of maintaining the reputation of our court system and our legal profession.  The question I ask is this: how can someone be a flag carrier for English law unless they are a flag carrier for the English language? An English law practitioner must be able to draft things well, whether they are contracts, court papers, tender documents, letters, reports or articles.

Anyone trying to move into a legal career should focus on their English language skills, whether or not English is their native language. The extent of your vocabulary is unlikely to be as impressive as you think, and your punctuation, grammar and syntax can undoubtedly be improved. It is likely that while in your first legal job your early attempts at proofreading will reveal just how detail blind you are. Don't feel too bad: proofreading is an acquired skill and, if we're honest, it is quite likely that your school failed to teach you English skills that are up to the standard required of a flag carrier for English law.

One thing older people usually enjoy is a good moan about the encroachment of new styles of writing and speech. New words, abbreviations, loss of punctuation and grammar, general linguistic butchery: it all offends. The inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary of a new term like 'social network' leads to media headlines for goodness' sake.  Yes, language - and even accepted practice in punctuation - moves with the times, but we must think carefully about when we contribute to its development. An application form, for example, begs to be played safe.

My first piece of advice is this: obtain a good guide to punctuation and grammar, devour it and keep it close to hand. You could download a copy of the Associated Press (AP) Style Guide: it is widely used and you can't go wrong if you follow it. It will teach you things like when to put stops after initials or how to present numbers and percentages. To perk up your business vocabulary, read respected business media and note how language is used. Know when to use 's' and when to use 'z'. Many students submit applications to firms using words such as 'organize' or 'prioritize' when they mean 'organise' or 'prioritise'. The rule is simple: use 's' if you are on this side of the Atlantic.

I have lately reviewed several hundred applications for student delegate places at the CityLawLIVE conference and was struck by a very basic thought that leads me to my second piece of advice: read your final answers to application questions aloud.

A missed word or misused punctuation marks can spoil an otherwise good answer, leaving the person reviewing your application wondering whether your grasp of written English is lacking or, equally as bad, that you don't take the time to review your written work before submitting it. Neither scenario is good, either at the application stage or as a legal practitioner. A recruiter might overlook a small, unfortunate error on your form if your academic record is sparkling and your answers are interesting, but if your attainments and motivation are commonplace, they will be less forgiving.

Read your answers aloud, slowly. Read them out to someone else. You'll probably spot something wonky which, if corrected, will nudge you that little bit closer to a vacation scheme or training contract offer.

Anna Williams is the organiser of the CityLawLIVE conference in central London on 8 December 2012. Applications for student delegate places can be submitted until 8 November 2012.