Recommendations
Recommendations
“Daphne started and drove the plain language programme at SNR Denton. She understands training and good intentions are not enough to entrench good drafting habits. Her efforts bridged the gulf between good intentions and tangible, lasting progress at our firm. Her enthusiasm is an inspiration.”
Helen Cleaveland, Partner, Dentons“Daphne presented a number of successful sessions for our PSLs on editing client publications. She is an engaging speaker and her background as a barrister, PSL and plain English nut means that she has valuable insights in this area, and make her a very credible and knowledgeable presenter on the topic. Daphne tailored the sessions perfectly for our needs and they received excellent feedback from our PSLs.
Perhaps the best endorsement, though, is that we have already seen some of Daphne’s helpful tips and suggestions for improvement making their way into our client publications. We would certainly use her again in future sessions.”
Knowledge Management lawyer, magic circle law firm“I have attended a number of writing courses but this was by far the best. This was because it felt practical, included manageable tips and because Daphne was so well prepared and engaging. I highly recommend Daphne as an instructor. Everyone can benefit from a course like this!”
Stephenie Fox, Vice-President Standards at Chartered Professional Accountants Canada“I realised that my scribbled note of feedback did not do justice to what I think was one of the best and most relevant training courses I have been on for some time. Your style was light and you dealt with questions authoritatively and well. The paperwork was clear as was the thrust of what you did and it was all very relevant to the ‘day job’. You had an understanding of what we were trying to do and helped us see the things we all do wrong to stop us achieving that. All in all not a minute wasted. All I have to do is put it into practice …”
Investigator, Local Government Ombudsman“Very happy for you to give me as a reference. I think you are under-selling the value of the work you did with us in setting out what a good decision statement should cover.”
Anne Seex, Local Government Ombudsman“Plain Language training for all our lawyers was one of the most successful and popular programmes we ran. It improved the quality of our work and benefited clients. Daphne was central to the development of the programme and its delivery. Because of her work the firm gave clearer legal advice.”
Howard Morris, Partner, Dentons“I’ve heard nothing but good things about the sessions you did in York. You have really won people’s hearts and minds and made a terrific impression. Thank you. It’s onward and upward from here!”
Anne Seex, Local Government Ombudsman“I worked with Daphne at a previous firm and found her to be the most committed of plain English proponents. She was an absolute pleasure to work with: committed, passionate about her specialism and with a clear talent for delivering training in a clear and easy-to-understand way.”
Simon Brayton, Head of Finance Knowledge Management, Berwin Leighton Paisner“Working with Daphne was every bit as simple as the text of our engagement letter once she’d edited it.”
William Robins, Operations Director, Keystone Law“Regarding our standard terms: everybody that has seen the plain language version has been impressed and very complimentary – both lawyers and subject matter experts such as tax, credit management and international trade compliance.”
Clive Bowsher, Director of Contracts, Emerson Process Management“I attended one of Daphne’s workshops on effective writing skills for lawyers back in March 2013. It remains the best writing/editing workshop I’ve attended – and I’ve been to quite a few. Daphne is an extremely knowledgeable and engaging trainer and I still refer back to her training materials from time to time. She’s always been around to answer follow-up queries as well, which I hugely appreciate.”
Sarah McCaldon, Sector Development Manager, Eversheds“It is now two years or so since you came to train us to use plain English. My documents have halved in length and doubled in clarity. I thus get work done more quickly and my readers understand my texts better. This is important as we publish our decisions on the organisation’s website and they have to be clear for general readers. As we all use StyleWriter, I can also understand colleagues’ decisions in subject areas I do not normally cover. This training is the most useful I have had in the last ten years of my professional life.”
Decision writer in an organisation set up to resolve complaints“Daphne is a highly skilled and knowledgeable trainer with a clear and engaging style. At the request of a client, I recently attended a short course Daphne ran on plain English writing for professionals. The course was dynamic, informative, and entertaining – an excellent combination. Daphne’s passion for plain English and good communication shines through. For example, she answers questions clearly, even when they’re not posed clearly! Daphne has a legal background, and specialises in clarifying legal language. However, I’m sure she could turn her hand to improving people’s writing in almost any field. I heartily recommend Daphne to anyone who needs training in plain English or clear writing skills.”
Helen Kara, Lay Adjudicator, Solicitors Regulation Authority“I recently attended a plain English training session which Daphne ran at OC. Her training was thorough, her style interesting and the session was hugely informative. I came away with some very useful ideas and tips as to how to make my writing clearer and more accessible. Daphne showed just how important it is to use plain English in legal (and non-legal) writing and she is clearly passionate about the subject matter.”
Jenny Reid, solicitor, Osborne Clarke LLP“A fantastic course: helpful, insightful and enjoyable. The whole of chambers took part and all of the barristers were full of praise. I highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to learn the highest standards of written advocacy in a practical, intelligent and fun way.”
Luke Parsons QC, head of Quadrant Chambers“Daphne’s interactive workshop on “Writing to Persuade” for Shell Legal in London was enthusiastically received. The feedback was exceptionally good, with particularly high marks for clarity, interest and knowledge of her subject. Participants praised her engaging, clear and concise style and the way she enabled everyone to contribute. We are happy to recommend her as a trainer for this subject.”
Ruth Crawford, Shell Legal“Daphne gave us detailed analytical feedback on our website text and layout. Her comments were practical and helped us significantly to improve the site and our communication style.”
Liam Flanagan, Founding Director, Enable Business Solutions“Daphne gave us detailed feedback on our website text. Her comments were very constructive and have helped us improve the website, steering our attention to issues we had not considered previously. We found her report straightforward, refreshing and encouraging, and we are now implementing her suggestions.”
Brigitta Stumpf, BD Manager, Lakatos, Köves & Partners“Daphne is a highly professional lawyer and a brilliant tutor who generously shares her knowledge in an easy to understand manner.”
Olga Simachkova, Lead Legal Advisor, Contracts Department, Lukoil Overseas“No need for me to say I am sure but as you will have gathered everyone found the day fantastically beneficial, enjoyable and challenging on all sorts of levels and most of it was down to your very adept skills of training which I suppose facilitate the maximum efficient uptake and transfer of relevant knowledge and experience from and between all participants rather than the traditional lecturing approach.”
John McDermott, Legal Manager, ESB Energy International“Thank you, Daphne. You gave me inspiration and strength to go on with law of contract. These are not just mere words of gratitude, I mean it. You showed me that there is still light in the end of the tunnel and that there is a cohesion in the system of the English law of contract.”
Konstantin Tsiberkin, Lead Legal Counsel, Contracts Department, Lukoil Overseas“It was an excellent course, thanks to Daphne” – Delegate from the DIFC Court Service
“The instructor’s explanation was fantastic. She used very good examples to elaborate the issues” – Delegate from Abdi Ibrahim Pharmaceuticals
“A very good course and necessary for anyone involved in the contracting process” – Delegate from Total E&P Nigeria
“This is the most valuable course I’ve ever been to” – Delegate from Vinci Construction Grands Projets
Feedback collected by Euromoney Legal TrainingIf you have feedback on our services that you haven’t yet sent, please do let us know. What results have you seen since we last spoke? What are you happiest about? What would you like to change?
