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How to Write for Oregon Law Help

Writing for Oregon Law Help is different from writing legal briefs or client letters. Our goal is to help everyday Oregonians understand their legal options and take action. This guide will show you how to create clear, helpful, and user-friendly content for Oregonians.  

It explains the style, process, and expectations for creating content for Oregon Law Help (OLH) and is for everyone who works with the OLH team to develop articles for the site. By following the OLH style and practices, you’ll help ensure that everything we create together meets the same clear, consistent, and accessible standard. 

Know your audience 

Before you write a single word, remember: our readers are not lawyers. They are everyday people, often facing serious challenges. 

Who are they? 
  • Low- to moderate-income Oregonians. 
  • Stay-at-home parents, unemployed workers, immigrants, retail clerks, caregivers—maybe even your neighbor. 
What challenges do they face? 
  • Don’t know that their problem is legal. 
  • Don’t know what law applies or what steps to take. 
  • Limited time and often reading on mobile devices. 
  • Language barriers and possibly immigration concerns. 
  • Stress, trauma, and financial insecurity. 
  • Overwhelmed by too much information. 
What do they expect from us? 
  • Clear and actionable content that answers, “What do I do next?” 
  • Easy-to-scan pages with headings, bullets, and short paragraphs. 
  • Plain language, no legalese. 
  • Well-organized and visually clean design. 

Tip: Think of this like writing directions for someone who’s lost and stressed. Your job is to help them get to the right destination without extra detours. 

What makes good Oregon Law Help content? 

Oregon Law Help content follows a style guide, maintained by our team, that outlines the writing rules, formatting standards, and strategies we use to make content clear and easy to navigate. The examples below illustrate what it means to write in the Oregon Law Help style and create great online legal content: 

Focused: Cover one topic or question at a time 
  • Not so good: “All about family law in Oregon” 
  • Better: “How to file for divorce in Oregon” 
Scannable: Break up paragraphs of text 
  • Use headings and subheadings 
  • Short sentences 
  • Bulleted or numbered lists 
  • Short paragraphs (2–3 sentences) 
In your audience’s language  
  • Use the words are audience uses 
  • 7th or 8th grade reading level 
Action-oriented 
  • Readers want steps, not theory 
  • Offer practical tips that someone could follow without a lawyer 

Why writing this way feels hard for lawyers 

  • The curse of knowledge: You know too much. Things that seem obvious to you are confusing to the reader. 
  • Professional bias: You work with people who have already reached out for help. Many of our readers are earlier in the process—they haven’t even decided whether to call a lawyer. 
  • Legal language habit: Our training makes us love precision and citations. Our readers need clarity and simplicity instead. 

Tip: Pretend you’re explaining this to a smart 13-year-old who has never been to court. 

How to create great content (step by step) 

These steps illustrate how we plan, draft, and review content. Use this process whenever you write for Oregon Law Help to stay aligned with our goals and style. 

Step 1: Do audience research 

Audience research can help you understand the language non-lawyers use and the key questions people have about a topic. Here are some easy ways to do audience research: 

  • Google: Search for your topic and check the “People also ask” section in Google results to find related questions.   
  • Keyword research tools: Use free keyword tools like Answer the Public or SEMRush Keyword Magic (you’ll need to create a free account). 
  • Online forums: Browse Reddit threads like r/legaladvice or Facebook. 
  • AI: You can also use AI to help with research but make sure to ask it to cite sources. For example, you can ask it to make lists of common questions or search terms people use. 
  • Other sources: Look at government data or other publicly available data (if it exists).  
Step 2: Plan your article 

Before you start writing, jot down some notes about what you want your article to accomplish.  

  • Identify key questions to answer: Identify the 5-7 key questions your audience has about this topic (based on your research).  
  • Define a realistic goal for your article: People don’t read online; they skim. There are limits to what online legal information can convey. Keep your articles focused. For example: 
  • Example goal: Help readers understand the difference between contested divorce and uncontested divorce and where to get free court forms or free help if people get stuck.  
  • Example goal: Provide readers with practical guidance on how to hire a contractor to help with home repairs after a disaster.  
Step 3: Understand how to structure your article 

Your article should include these key components: 

  • Title: Clear and specific: 
    • Example #1: How to Prepare for Your Unemployment Hearing 
    • Example #2: Guide to Hiring a Lawyer in Oregon 
    • Example #3: Garnishment in Oregon: What Can a Debt Collector Take? 
  • Intro paragraph: Tell readers what they’ll find in the article: 
    • Example #1: This article explains how to get ready for your unemployment benefits hearing, including how to gather evidence, prepare witnesses, and what to expect at the hearing. 
    • Example #2: If you and your spouse agree on the details of your divorce, you can file an uncontested divorce together. This guide will explain the steps to filing your uncontested divorce in Oregon.   
    • Example 3: When a person or business believes you owe them money, they may want to take it directly from your wages or bank account. This process is called garnishment, being garnished, or having your bank account seized. 
  • Headings: Use headings and subheadings to break up your text. Try to use one heading for every two to three paragraphs of text. 
  • Lists: Use bulleted or numbered lists often. Lists are a great way to help people understand steps in a process or complicated issues. 
  • Pull quotes: Add tips, alerts, or call-out boxes to articles. Aim for one to two per article. This helps break up the text and can highlight important information.  
Step 4: Pick a format for your article 

Use one of these formats for your articles: 

Step 5: Follow the Oregon Law Help writing style 
  • Short sentences and paragraphs: Our readers are mostly reading our content on mobile devices. Keep your sentences short. Aim for paragraphs that are no more than two to three sentences long.  
  • Plain language: Don’t use legal terms unless your readers need to know that term to navigate a legal process. 
  • Avoid legal citations: Don’t cite the law within your article. You can include a FAQ or a “Further Reading” section in your article if you’d like to include references. 
Step 6: Use AI to speed things up 

AI can help you draft faster or improve your drafts. But be sure to edit drafts to ensure they sound like a human. Also, check all facts or sources relied on by AI—it often makes factual mistakes.   

Helpful AI prompts to try: 

  • Research prompt: “I’m writing an article on rental assistance in Oregon. I want to understand the search terms or queries people most commonly use when they’re looking for help on this topic. Please create a list of the most common keywords and search phrases people use. Please cite your sources.”  
  • Editing prompt: “I drafted an article for Oregon Law Help about unemployment benefits. Please edit for 7th-grade reading level, online best practices, under 1,100 words, AP style. Please also identify any gaps in the article.” 

The Oregon Law Help review process 

The Oregon Law Help team comes up with the overall content strategy and content plan—based on user data and in coordination with expert work groups. Individual attorneys may volunteer to write articles that are part of these plans or the overall content strategy.  

After you draft your article, it will go through a standard review process: 

  • Review by our team: Our team reviews each article for plain language, clarity, tone, and overall structure. We will make necessary edits and changes to bring your article in line with the overall Oregon Law Help writing style. We’ll also add related links to other content.  
  • Review proposed changes: You will get the revised article back to review the edits to ensure information is still legally and factually accurate. 
  • Final proofread: Our team will do a final check to ensure consistency with Oregon Law Help style guidelines and AP style rules. 
  • Upload & final review: We’ll upload your article to Oregon Law Help, select a stock image (if helpful), publish the article, and check formatting on the site. 
  • Credit: We’ll add your name and the name of your organization or law firm in the author byline to give you credit for the articles you help us write.  
  • Outreach: We will share the article via our newsletter and other outreach channels. 
  • Updates: We assume responsibility for maintaining all articles published on our site, but we ask that you help us keep your articles up to date by responding to our requests to review your article periodically. We also ask that you reach out if you become aware of a law change that necessitates an update to your article. 

Earning CLE credits 

If writing legal content is not part of your regular job, you can earn one CLE credit for each hour spent researching and writing for Oregon Law Help. 

To add credits to your MCLE transcript:  

  • Log on to your Member Dashboard at hello.osbar.org  
  • Go to the MCLE Reporting  
  • Click Add Activity to Transcript  
  • Click Activity Type from the list:  Legal Research and Writing  
  • Enter Activity Date, Description/Title, and Location/School/Publication  
  • Enter the number of credits in the appropriate category  
  • Add to transcript 

Further reading 

If you’d like to learn more about why we write the way we do, check out these articles: 

 

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