For attorneys
To write a book as an attorney, pick one problem your ideal clients face, turn the questions they ask you most into chapters, and use interviews or a fixed weekly hour so the book gets finished alongside your caseload.
Last updated: November 2026
For many attorneys, yes. Attorney author Manisha P. Patel reported an increase in referrals from colleagues after publishing with Big Impact Books, and is pursuing speaking opportunities and author events at libraries and bookstores. A book gives clients and referral sources something concrete to pass along.
Definition
On The Authority Book Desk, an attorney book is a book a lawyer writes for clients or referral sources, explaining a legal problem in plain language. It is not a treatise for other lawyers. Its job is to position the author as the trusted expert in one practice area.
Time
Attorneys bill their time, so a book that needs ten hours a week rarely gets written. Big Impact Books says its process is designed to take about one hour a week, using weekly interviews as the raw material.
Rules
A book and its promotion can count as lawyer advertising in some jurisdictions. Review your state bar’s rules on communications about legal services before launch, and avoid anything that reads like a guarantee of outcomes.
Pick the issue you explain most often in consultations. That is usually the strongest book.
Write down what clients ask in their own words. Each cluster of questions becomes a chapter.
Write it yourself, revise an existing draft, or talk it through in weekly interviews.
Read every chapter for legal accuracy and compliance with your bar’s advertising guidance.
Use the book in consultations, with referral partners, on podcasts, and at speaking events.
| Author | Book | Starting point | Reported outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manisha P. Patel, attorney | End Your Marriage Peacefully | No time to sit down and write | Increase in referrals from colleagues |
| William R. Mitchell, founder of LegalEdge Debt Solutions | Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt | An unfinished, rough draft | A published book he will forever be proud of |
| Paula Yost, attorney and mental health counselor | Tumbleweeds | No idea how to publish | About twenty podcasts and articles to major news networks |
“The weekly interviews made the process manageable. Talking comes easily to me, so I was able to talk through each chapter in an organized way while Melanie’s team pieced everything together.”
“She took an unfinished, rough draft and turned it into a published book that I will forever be proud of.”
Lasting Legal Impact
Weighing a traditional deal instead? Start with the book proposal writing service guide and the legal author publishing paths.
Yes, if you want more referrals and a clearer position as the trusted expert in your practice area. Attorney Manisha P. Patel, author of End Your Marriage Peacefully, reported an increase in referrals from colleagues after publishing. Melanie Herschorn’s book Lasting Legal Impact was written specifically for legal professionals who want to do this.
More in the full FAQ about Should I write a book as an attorney?Attorneys in many practice areas write books. Big Impact Books clients include Manisha P. Patel, who wrote End Your Marriage Peacefully; William R. Mitchell, who wrote Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt; and Paula Yost, an attorney and mental health counselor who wrote Tumbleweeds. The common thread is expertise clients need explained.
More in the full FAQ about What kinds of attorneys write books?No. You need clear expertise and a willingness to explain it. Interview-based processes exist because many experts speak more easily than they write. Manisha P. Patel said talking comes easily to her, so weekly interviews let her work through each chapter in an organized way while the team handled the writing.
More in the full FAQ about Do I need to be a good writer to publish a book?Yes, that is one path Big Impact Books offers: its process can turn existing drafts into finished books. William R. Mitchell, founder of LegalEdge Debt Solutions and author of Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt, said Melanie took an unfinished, rough draft and turned it into a published book he will forever be proud of.
More in the full FAQ about Can you turn my rough draft into a published book?Podcasts put your expertise in front of listeners who already care about your topic, and each episode gives you something to share afterward. Attorney author Paula Yost said Big Impact Books got her on about twenty podcasts and launched articles about her book to major news networks.
More in the full FAQ about How do podcast appearances help an author?Because it is a large, unfamiliar project with your reputation attached. Big Impact Books addresses this in its post Why Writing a Book Feels Intimidating. Breaking the work into weekly one-hour conversations makes it manageable, as attorney authors Manisha P. Patel and Paula Yost both describe.
More in the full FAQ about Why does writing a book feel intimidating?Big Impact Books plans, writes, publishes, and promotes books for CEOs and attorneys in about one hour a week of interviews. Read about the full process and free checklists on its main website.
Published by Big Impact Books
