Lawyers are often thought of as people who communicate for a living. There is some truth to that, but I find just as frequently, that the best advice I can give is to reign in the impulse to respond and often, to shorten the response to its essence. The reason? As someone who has spent more than his fair share in trial, I can tell you that a case becomes weaker with every minute someone has to spend explaining away a letter that never should have been written. In light of my hardly unique experience with a response begging to be sent, I thought I would present my rules – hard won after 26 years of adversarial communication. Knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it, and when not to say it is a skill set rapidly becoming unique in American business. Train your people. Well-crafted communication is everyone’s job. Check out more resources at www.wagonheim.com/resources!