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| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing in Plain English Bryan A. Garner, 2013-08-26 “This easy-to-follow guide is useful both as a general course of instruction and as a targeted aid in solving particular legal writing problems.” —Harvard Law Review Clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. For more than twenty years, Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process that will appeal to other professionals: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. Accessible and witty, Legal Writing in Plain English draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through decades of teaching. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting, and the book’s principles are reinforced by sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section. In this new edition, Garner preserves the successful structure of the original while adjusting the content to make it even more classroom-friendly. He includes case examples from the past decade and addresses the widespread use of legal documents in electronic formats. His book remains the standard guide for producing the jargon-free language that clients demand and courts reward. “Those who are willing to approach the book systematically and to complete the exercises will see dramatic improvements in their writing.” —Law Library Journal |
| legal writing in plain english: Plain English for Lawyers Richard C. Wydick, 1998 |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing in Plain English Bryan A. Garner, 2001-06-24 Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful-unfortunately, these adjectives rarely describe legal writing, whether in the form of briefs, opinions, contracts, or statutes. In Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The book encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. In essence, it teaches straight thinking—a skill inseparable from good writing. Replete with common sense and wit, the book draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through more than a decade of teaching in the field. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting. Meanwhile, Garner explores important aspects of document design. Basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section reinforce the book's principles. (An answer key to basic exercises is included in the book; answers to intermediate and advanced exercises are provided in a separate Instructor's Manual, free of charge to instructors.) Appendixes include a comprehensive punctuation guide with advice and examples, and four model documents. Today more than ever before, legal professionals cannot afford to ignore the trend toward clear language shorn of jargon. Clients demand it, and courts reward it. Despite the age-old tradition of poor writing in law, Legal Writing in Plain English shows how legal writers can unshackle themselves. Legal Writing in Plain English includes: *Tips on generating thoughts, organizing them, and creating outlines. *Sound advice on expressing your ideas clearly and powerfully. *Dozens of real-life writing examples to illustrate writing problems and solutions. *Exercises to reinforce principles of good writing (also available on the Internet). *Helpful guidance on page layout. *A punctuation guide that shows the correct uses of every punctuation mark. *Model legal documents that demonstrate the power of plain English. |
| legal writing in plain english: Language on Trial Plain English Campaign, 1996 This book looks at the forces that have made traditional legal language what it is today and suggests some reasoms why the law needs plain English. It also shows why most of its peculiarities are unnecessary. |
| legal writing in plain english: Plain Language Legal Writing Cheryl Stephens, 2008-07 A complete guide to clean, precise and understandable legal writing So many books give you advice that turns out to be hollow: know your audience, structure your writing. The real strength in Plain Language Legal Writing is how, throughout, Stephens provides clear instructions on how to accomplish what she's recommending. Instead of just telling you to plan what you're going to write, she walks you step-by-step through the planning. Instead of telling you to consider your audience before writing, she describes in detail the sorts of audiences a legal document might have (more than you'd expect!) and how to best meet their needs. Plain Language Legal Writing will help you produce documents that people are willing to read and able to understand. More: PlainLanguageLegalWriting.comOther versions: e-book |
| legal writing in plain english: Introduction to Legal English Mark E. Wojcik, 2001 Employing a hands-on, structured approach, the author leads the reader through carefully crafted exercises that allow readers to understand and make practical use of AngloAmerican legal terminology. The layered sequence of topics and exercises leads from the simplest use of legal terminology in conversation to mastery of advanced legal terminology and increasingly complex writing. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts Bryan A. Garner, 2004-02-13 Good legal writing wins court cases. It its first edition, The Winning Brief proved that the key to writing well is understanding the judicial readership. Now, in a revised and updated version of this modern classic, Bryan A. Garner explains the art of effective writing in 100 concise, practical, and easy-to-use sections. Covering everything from the rules for planning and organizing a brief to openers that can capture a judge's attention from the first few words, these tips add up to the most compelling, orderly, and visually appealing brief that an advocate can present. In Garner's view, good writing is good thinking put to paper. Never write a sentence that you couldn't easily speak, he warns-and demonstrates how to do just that. Beginning each tip with a set of quotable quotes from experts, he then gives masterly advice on building sound paragraphs, drafting crisp sentences, choosing the best words (Strike pursuant to from your vocabulary.), quoting authority, citing sources, and designing a document that looks as impressive as it reads. Throughout, he shows how to edit for maximal impact, using vivid before-and-after examples that apply the basics of rhetoric to persuasive writing. Filled with examples of good and bad writing from actual briefs filed in courts of all types, The Winning Brief also covers the new appellate rules for preparing federal briefs. Constantly collecting material from his seminars and polling judges for their preferences, the second edition delivers the same solid guidelines with even more supporting evidence. Including for the first time sections on the ever-changing rules of acceptable legal writing, Garner's new edition keeps even the most seasoned lawyers on their toes and writing briefs that win cases. An invaluable resource for attorneys, law clerks, judges, paralegals, law students and their teachers, The Winning Brief has the qualities that make all of Garner's books so popular: authority, accessibility, and page after page of techniques that work. If you're writing to win a case, this book shouldn't merely be on your shelf--it should be open on your desk. |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing Plain and Simple Arvin Antonio Ortiz, 2021 |
| legal writing in plain english: Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please Joseph Kimble, 2023 Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please seeks to change public and legal writing--by making the ultimate case for plain language. The book gathers a large body of evidence for two related truths: using plain language can save businesses and government agencies a ton of money, and plain language serves and satisfies readers in every possible way. It also debunks the ten biggest myths about plain writing and looks back on 50 highlights in plain-language history. The first edition was described by reviewers as powerful, compelling, inspiring, and astounding. This second edition has been updated and expanded throughout. Professor Joseph Kimble is a leading international expert on this subject. Here is the book that sums up his important work, with a message that is vital to every government writer, business writer, and attorney. |
| legal writing in plain english: How to Write Plain English Rudolf Flesch, 1979 |
| legal writing in plain english: Elements of Legal Writing Martha Faulk, Irving M. Mehler, 1996-05 This easy-to-use primer lays out 135 principles of clear writing, dictation, tone, grammar, syntax, organization, and format. Filled with before-and-after examples and illustrations from the legal world, the book is both a welcome refresher for the practicing lawyer and an indispensable reference for anyone in the legal profession. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Elements of Legal Style Bryan A. Garner, 2002 Focusing on the argumentative, narrative, and descriptive style found in legal briefs and judicial opinions, this text should be a thought provoking examination of effective argumentation in law. |
| legal writing in plain english: Oxford Guide to Plain English Martin Cutts, 2007 Plain English is an essential tool for effective communication. Information transmitted in letters, documents, reports, contracts, and forms is clearer and more understandable when presented in straightforward terms. The Oxford Guide to Plain English provides authoritative guidance on how towrite plain English using easy-to-follow guidelines which cover straightforward language, sentence length, active and passive verbs, punctuation, grammar, planning, and good organization.This handy guide will be invaluable to writers of all levels. It provides essential guidelines that will allow readers to develop their writing style, grammar, and punctuation. The book also offers help in understanding official jargon and legalese giving the plain English alternatives.This guide gives hundreds of real examples and shows 'before and after' versions of texts of different kinds which will help readers to look critically at their own writing. Helpfully organized into 21 short chapters, each covering a different aspect of writing. Clearly laid out, and easy to use,the Oxford Guide to Plain English is the best guide to writing clear and helpful documents. |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing in Plain English Bryan A. Garner, 2001-06-05 Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful-unfortunately, these adjectives rarely describe legal writing, whether in the form of briefs, opinions, contracts, or statutes. In Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The book encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. In essence, it teaches straight thinking—a skill inseparable from good writing. Replete with common sense and wit, the book draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through more than a decade of teaching in the field. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting. Meanwhile, Garner explores important aspects of document design. Basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section reinforce the book's principles. (An answer key to basic exercises is included in the book; answers to intermediate and advanced exercises are provided in a separate Instructor's Manual, free of charge to instructors.) Appendixes include a comprehensive punctuation guide with advice and examples, and four model documents. Today more than ever before, legal professionals cannot afford to ignore the trend toward clear language shorn of jargon. Clients demand it, and courts reward it. Despite the age-old tradition of poor writing in law, Legal Writing in Plain English shows how legal writers can unshackle themselves. Legal Writing in Plain English includes: *Tips on generating thoughts, organizing them, and creating outlines. *Sound advice on expressing your ideas clearly and powerfully. *Dozens of real-life writing examples to illustrate writing problems and solutions. *Exercises to reinforce principles of good writing (also available on the Internet). *Helpful guidance on page layout. *A punctuation guide that shows the correct uses of every punctuation mark. *Model legal documents that demonstrate the power of plain English. |
| legal writing in plain english: Point Made Ross Guberman, 2014-04 In Point Made, Ross Guberman uses the work of great advocates as the basis of a valuable, step-by-step brief-writing and motion-writing strategy for practitioners. The author takes an empirical approach, drawing heavily on the writings of the nation's 50 most influential lawyers. |
| legal writing in plain english: Clear and Effective Legal Writing Veda Charrow, Myra K. Erhardt, Robert Charrow, 1995 With examples drawn from legal writing and student papers, this guide walks students through the writing process and helps them refine their skills in exercises throughout the book. The Second Edition features a reorganized Part I, including three new chapters that help students gain proficiency in reading and analyzing legal materials so they can write more effectively. Part II includes a systematic approach to legal writing; understanding your context; getting organized; writing clearly; writing effectively; and reviewing and editing. Part III covers the process of writing a legal memorandum and an appellate court brief. This Second Edition includes two examples of memoranda, An interoffice memo and a memo of points and authority; a streamlined appendix that provides an overview of English sentence structure; and many enhanced writing exercises. |
| legal writing in plain english: Plain English for Lawyers Richard C. Wydick, 1979 |
| legal writing in plain english: Modern Legal Drafting Peter Butt, Richard Castle, 2006-10-23 In the second edition of this highly regarded text, the authors show how and why traditional legal language has developed the peculiar characteristics that make legal documents inaccessible to the end users. Incorporating recent research and case law, the book provides a critical examination of case law and the rules of interpretation. Detailed case studies illustrate how obtuse or outdated words, phrases and concepts can be rewritten, reworked or removed altogether. Particularly useful is the step-by-step guide to drafting in the modern style, using examples from four types of common legal documents: leases, company constitutions, wills and conveyances. Readers will gain an appreciation of the historical influences on drafting practice and the use of legal terminology. They will learn about the current moves to reform legal language, and receive clear instruction on how to make their writing clearer and their legal documents more useful. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Legal Writer Mark P. Painter, 2005 |
| legal writing in plain english: Writing for the Legal Audience Wayne Schiess, 2014 First published in 2003, Writing for the Legal Audience guides lawyers, paralegals, and law students through sensible, practical advice for writing to a dozen legal audiences, from supervisors to appellate judges and from clients to opposing counsel. Each chapter focuses on a different audience for legal writing and presents three concrete recommendations for satisfying that audience. The recommendations are amply supported with explanations, references to the leading experts, and numerous before-and-after examples. The second edition is thoroughly revised, with new tips, new examples, and up-to-date advice for producing clear, readable, effective legal writing. In addition, Schiess has added a new chapter, Writing for the Screen Reader, that offers advice for preparing legal documents aimed at readers who will encounter the text electronically on a computer, tablet, or handheld device. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Redbook Bryan A. Garner, 2006 This book provides a comprehensive guide to the essential rules of legal writing. Unlike most style or grammar guides, it focuses on the special needs of legal writers, answering a wide spectrum of questions about grammar and style -- both rules and exceptions. It also gives detailed, authoritative advice on punctuation, capitalization, spelling, footnotes, and citations, with illustrations in legal context. Designed for law students, law professors, practicing lawyers, and judges, the work emphasizes the ways in which legal writing differs from other styles of technical writing. Its how-to sections deal with editing and proofreading, numbers and symbols, and overall document design. Features: * Cautions on use of 500 stuffy phrases and needless legalisms, along with their everyday English translations * Details rules for 800 words with required prepositions in certain contexts * Explains the correct usage of more than 1,000 words that are often troublesome to legal writers * Gives tips on preparing briefs and other court documents, opinion letters and demand letters, research memos, and contracts * Provides model documents of all types of legal documents and pleadings Reviews 200 terms of art that take on new meanings in legal contexts |
| legal writing in plain english: The Language of the Law David Mellinkoff, 2004-05-13 This book tells what the language of the law is, how it got that way and how it works out in the practice. The emphasis is more historical than philosophical, more practical than pedantic. |
| legal writing in plain english: U.S. Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Practice for International Lawyers John Brendan Thornton, 2014 |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing Exercises Edwin Scott Fruehwald, 2014 Like nothing else, writing is an essential skill for every lawyer. This handy, easy-to approach guide will strengthen any lawyers writing skills through a series of specialized exercises. You'll learn to write more concise, powerful sentences; eliminate un-needed words; and structure and combine sentences and paragraphs to create clear and persuasive documents, letters, and more. It's perfect for lawyers and associates, even non-lawyers, anyone looking for an effective way to improve their writing skills. |
| legal writing in plain english: A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage Bryan A. Garner, 2001 A comprehensive guide to legal style and usage, with practical advice on how to write clear, jargon-free legal prose. Includes style tips as well as definitions. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Federalist Papers Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, 2018-08-20 Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States. |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal, Legislative, and Rule Drafting in Plain English Robert J. Martineau, Michael B. Salerno, 2005 A substantially expanded version of Professor Martineau's Drafting legislation and rules in plain English--P. v. |
| legal writing in plain english: Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home , 1995 |
| legal writing in plain english: Writing to Win Steven D. Stark, 2012-04-24 From a master teacher and writer, a fully revised and updated edition of the results-oriented approach to legal writing that is clear, that persuades—and that WINS. More than almost any profession, the law has a deserved reputation for opaque, jargon-clogged writing. Yet forceful writing is one of the most potent weapons of legal advocacy. In this new edition of Writing to Win, Steven D. Stark, a former lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, who has inspired thousands of aspiring and practicing lawyers, applies the universal principles of powerful, vigorous prose to the job of making a legal case—and winning it. Writing to Win focuses on the writing of lawyers, not judges, and includes dozens of examples of effective (and ineffective) real-life legal writing—as well as compelling models drawn from advertising, journalism, and fiction. It deals with the challenges lawyers face in writing, from organization to strengthening and editing prose; offers incisive ways of improving arguments; addresses litigation and technical writing in all its forms; and covers the writing attorneys must perform in their daily practice, from email memos to briefs and contracts. Each chapter opens with a succinct set of rules for easy reference. With new sections on client communication and drafting affidavits, as well as updated material throughout, Writing to Win is the most practical and efficacious legal-writing manual available. |
| legal writing in plain english: A Plain English Handbook United States. Securities and Exchange Commission. Office of Investor Education and Assistance, 1998 |
| legal writing in plain english: Lifting the Fog of Legalese Joseph Kimble, 2006 Professor Joseph Kimble, a leading expert on plain language, has collected in this one book many of his published essays. They will interest and inform judges, lawyers, law students, legal scholars, and anyone else who engages in legal writing.--BOOK JACKET. |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing Robert Edwin Bacharach, 2020 A magnificent book on writing. Drawing on the lessons from psycholinguistics and rhetoric, Judge Bacharach has written a remarkably practical book on how to write effectively. Judge Bacharach illustrates his points with very specific suggestions and countless examples from briefs from top lawyers and opinions of judges. I learned so much from this wonderful book. -- Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Berkeley School of Law |
| legal writing in plain english: Writing and Drafting in Legal Practice Paul Rylance, 2012-02-02 A comprehensive guide to writing and drafting from the first stage of preparation to the final edit. Features checklists, worked examples and chapters on using email, and designed to accompany readers from vocational study through to their qualification as solicitors as well as throughout the early years of practice. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Law (in Plain English) for Writers (Fifth Edition) Leonard D. DuBoff, Sarah J. Tugman, 2018-04-03 “No writer, beginning or experienced, will want to be without this book.” —Jean Auel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Clan of the Cave Bear and the Earth’s Children series A career as a writer involves much more than the act of writing itself. In The Law (in Plain English) for Writers, Fifth Edition, Leonard DuBoff and Sarah Tugman proffer invaluable advice for the myriad legal and business facets of being a writer. Readers will discover how to succeed in every area affecting a writer's livelihood, such as submissions, dealing with agents, taxes, permissions, royalties, alternatives to mainstream publishers, copyright, book and magazine contracts, and how to prevent disputes. This newly revised edition, keeping up with the changing legal landscape, contains information on a variety of legal issues pertinent to writers of all types, including: Updated coverage on issues such as how to avoid trouble posed by the interplay between the right to free speech, privacy, and defamation law Changes in the copyright law, procedures, and recent cases on copyright protection and infringement Updated and revised chapters on the business of writing New and updated Internet resources For writers of all levels, this comprehensive resource is the key to turning a writing career into a sustainable livelihood. |
| legal writing in plain english: Clarity for Lawyers Mark Adler, Daphne Perry, 2017 Guiding the reader through the pitfalls of legal writing, Adler explains how to prevent ambiguity and mistakes, therefore saving time and getting the message across effectively. |
| legal writing in plain english: The Lawyer’s Style Guide Peter Butt, 2021-02-25 Clarity and precision in legal writing are essential skills in the practice and study of law. This book offers a straightforward, practical guide to effective legal style from a world-leading expert. The book is thoughtfully structured to explain the elements of good legal writing and its most effective use. It catalogues all aspects of legal style, topic by topic, phrase by phrase, usage by usage. It scrutinises them all, suggesting improvements. Its 'dictionary' arrangement makes it easy to navigate. Entries cover matters such as abbreviations, acronyms, active and passive voice, brackets, bullet points, citation methods, cross-referencing, fonts, document design, footnotes, gender-neutral language, numbering systems, plain legal language, punctuation, the use of Latin in law, structures for legal advices and documents, and techniques for editing and proofreading. Also covered are many words and phrases that non-lawyers find opaque and obscure-the aim being to show that lawyers can usually substitute a plain-English equivalent that captures the legal nuances of the 'legalese'. Other topics include ambiguity, deeds, definitions, provisos, recitals, simplified outlines, terms of art, tone, and the various principles of legal interpretation. With an emphasis on technical effectiveness and understanding, the book is required reading for all those engaged in the practice and study of law. |
| legal writing in plain english: Making Your Case Antonin Scalia, Bryan A. Garner, 2008 In their professional lives, courtroom lawyers must do these two things well: speak persuasively and write persuasively. In this noteworthy book, two noted legal writers systematically present every important idea about judicial persuasion in a fresh, entertaining way. The book covers the essentials of sound legal reasoning, including how to develop the syllogism that underlies any argument. From there the authors explain the art of brief writing, especially what to include and what to omit, so that you can induce the judge to focus closely on your arguments. Finally, they show what it takes to succeed in oral argument. |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing in Plain English, Third Edition Bryan A. Garner, 2023-09-06 The leading guide to clear writing!--StartFragment --—and clear thinking!--StartFragment --—in the legal profession for more than two decades, now newly updated. Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. Since 2001, Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. Now the leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. Accessible and witty, Legal Writing in Plain English draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through decades of teaching experience. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting, and the book’s principles are reinforced by sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section. For this third edition, Garner has retained the structure of the previous versions, with updates and new material throughout. There are new sections on making your writing vivid and concrete and on using graphics to enhance your argument. The coverage and examples of key topics such as achieving parallelism, avoiding legalese, writing effective openers and summaries, and weaving quotations into your text have also been expanded. And the sample legal documents and exercises have been updated, while newly added checklists provide quick summaries of each section. Altogether, this new edition will be the most useful yet for legal professionals and students seeking to improve their prose. |
| legal writing in plain english: Guide to Legal Analysis and Writing Ee Ing Ong, 2023 |
| legal writing in plain english: Legal Writing and Analysis in a Nutshell Lynn Bahrych, Jeanne Merino, Beth McLellan, 2017 Softbound - New, softbound print book. |
WRITING IN PLAIN ENGLISH - Columbia Law School
Introduction. Legal writing has a bad reputation as overly technical, verbose, and confusing. That is not the proper approach to legal writing. Writing in plain English and legal writing have the same goal: communicating complex ideas in a digestible and manageable form.
Legal Writing in Plain English: A text with exercises
There are many different types of legal writing—demand let-ters,opinionletters,researchmemos,motions,briefs,judicial opinions, contracts, statutes, and ordinances, to name just a few. Although each type presents a unique challenge, they all have some things in common. That is, certain principles of good writing apply to the whole gamut.
General Legal English Course Lesson 1
WHAT IS PLAIN ENGLISH 5 Principles to keep your writing easy to understand 1. Keep sentences short –20 words or less 2. Don’t use old-fashioned legal jargon 3. Use the Active voice rather than the Passive voice 4. Use Bullet Points to break the information into small segments 5. Write with verbs not nouns (Nominalisation)
The A to Z guide to legal phrases - Plain English Campaign
The language used in law is changing. Many lawyers are now adopting a plain English style. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non-lawyers. This guide is intended to help in two ways: • it should help non-lawyers understand legal phrases; and • it should give lawyers ideas for explaining the legal phrases that they use.
MODERN LEGAL DRAFTING A Guide to Using Clearer Language …
Modern Legal Drafting provides a comprehensive guide to drafting legal documents in effective, plain English. ird edition of Peter Butt’s and Richard Castle’s successful text. P. ter Butt has fully revised and updated the text for this new edition. It combines a practical focus with the legal.
Legal English and Plain Language: an introduction - KSU
Proposals for reforming legal English. In Section 2 we outlined some of the main characteristics of legal documents, sev-eral of which have been stigmatized by the Plain Language movement as tending to make such texts obscure and beyond the comprehension of the average layper-son.
YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO USING PLAIN LANGUAGE IN WRITING
Plain language is a writing style that lets readers understand the message the first time they read it. It uses short, clear sentences and everyday words without unnecessary jargon.
Plain English for Lawyers - James E. Rogers College of Law Legal Writing
Concise Writing: clear, brief, and to the point. We’re starting here because good legal writing is clear, brief, and to the point. This section will give you a taste of how to craft good legal writing, and each subsequent section will go in-depth on a specific area or issue.
Plain English for Lawyers - Berkeley Law
We lawyers cannot write plain English. We use eight words to say what could be said in two. We use old, arcdne phrases to express com-monplace ideas. Seeking to be precise, we become redundant. Seek-ing to be cautious, we become verbose.
Book Review of Plain English for Lawyers - jle.aals.org
A text that can help law students and dedicated self-directed learners through the process is a true contribution to legal writing. Plain English for Lawyers makes exactly that contribution. The book aims to solve dificulties writers have clearly conveying their points to readers.
Legal Writing 101 - Tips & Tricks For Effective Legal Writing
The ability to write well—meaning, the ability to write plainly, precisely, and persuasively—is critical to any lawyer’s work. Many lawyers spend over 50% of their time writing, and attorneys in their first five years of practice can spend up to 75% percent of their working day writing.
Plain English in the Twenty Types of Legal Documents - State Bar …
randomly selecting a sample of legal writ-ing and critiquing it. Therefore, we have grouped all legal documents that lawyers write into five categories and 20 specific types as shown in Figure 1. We have published many articles about these 20 types of documents in our Plain English theme issues of November 1983 and January 1994, and in our ...
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD LEGAL WRITING - The Lex-Warrier: …
The paper argues that use of plain language, avoiding legalese, proper punctuation and grammar, clarity of thought, adequate and accurate research, proper organisation, brevity in expression and engaging with the audience is the key to good legal writing.
THE PLAIN ENGLISH MOVEMENT - University of California, San …
Plain English for Lawyers. has been widely used to teach law students the art of legal writing. In fact, plain English principles have been incorporated into the writing curriculum of most law schools. The crusade to make legal language less convoluted and more accessible to average citizens has also resonated outside the academy. In the United ...
PERSUADING JUDGES: - Legal Writing Journal
PLAIN ENGLISH TO LEGALESE Only a few researchers have empirically investigated with writing samples whether judges prefer Plain English to Legalese. Each study found that judges prefer Plain English.26 In 1987, Steve Harrington and Joseph Kimble sent surveys to 300 judges and 500 lawyers in Michigan.27 The surveys asked the
Professional Writing Skills: Legal Writing in Plain English
frame their thoughts using a four-step writing process— (1) Madman, (2) Architect, (3) Carpenter, and (4) Judge; phrase clear and concise sentences; choose words for clarity; structure analytical and persuasive writing; draft legal documents for easy understanding; design documents with good typography; and.
Legalese versus plain language - School of Advanced Study
In recent years, however, we have seen a growing challenge to traditional legal English. Some in the solicitors' branch of the legal profession have moved to a more relaxed style of writing; some of their precedents and opinions are now drafted in a style that is less formal and self-important.
An Essay on Legal Writing in Plain English - ResearchGate
This essay is addressed to law students, lawyers, law professors, legislators, and judges who write in English. It offers tips on writing clearly, concisely, and engagingly in the plain...
Modern Tendencies and Characteristics of Legal Writing in English …
The characteristics of legal writing describe the specificities and the intricacies that the legal jargon implies, the archaic words, wordiness and the awkward sentence structure.
How to write in plain English
and letters to legal documents − can be written in plain English without being patronising or oversimplified. • It doesn't mean reducing the length of your message or changing its meaning. Most of the UK's biggest insurance companies produce policies that explain everything fully in …
WRITING IN PLAIN ENGLISH - Columbia Law School
Introduction. Legal writing has a bad reputation as overly technical, verbose, and confusing. That is not the proper approach to legal writing. Writing in plain English and legal writing have the same goal: communicating complex ideas in a digestible and manageable form.
Legal Writing in Plain English: A text with exercises
There are many different types of legal writing—demand let-ters,opinionletters,researchmemos,motions,briefs,judicial opinions, contracts, statutes, and ordinances, to name just a few. Although each type presents a unique challenge, they all have some things in common. That is, certain principles of good writing apply to the whole gamut.
General Legal English Course Lesson 1
WHAT IS PLAIN ENGLISH 5 Principles to keep your writing easy to understand 1. Keep sentences short –20 words or less 2. Don’t use old-fashioned legal jargon 3. Use the Active voice rather than the Passive voice 4. Use Bullet Points to break the information into small segments 5. Write with verbs not nouns (Nominalisation)
The A to Z guide to legal phrases - Plain English Campaign
The language used in law is changing. Many lawyers are now adopting a plain English style. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non-lawyers. This guide is intended to help in two ways: • it should help non-lawyers understand legal phrases; and • it should give lawyers ideas for explaining the legal phrases that they use.
MODERN LEGAL DRAFTING A Guide to Using Clearer Language …
Modern Legal Drafting provides a comprehensive guide to drafting legal documents in effective, plain English. ird edition of Peter Butt’s and Richard Castle’s successful text. P. ter Butt has fully revised and updated the text for this new edition. It combines a practical focus with the legal.
Legal English and Plain Language: an introduction - KSU
Proposals for reforming legal English. In Section 2 we outlined some of the main characteristics of legal documents, sev-eral of which have been stigmatized by the Plain Language movement as tending to make such texts obscure and beyond the comprehension of the average layper-son.
YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO USING PLAIN LANGUAGE IN WRITING
Plain language is a writing style that lets readers understand the message the first time they read it. It uses short, clear sentences and everyday words without unnecessary jargon.
Plain English for Lawyers - James E. Rogers College of Law Legal Writing
Concise Writing: clear, brief, and to the point. We’re starting here because good legal writing is clear, brief, and to the point. This section will give you a taste of how to craft good legal writing, and each subsequent section will go in-depth on a specific area or issue.
Plain English for Lawyers - Berkeley Law
We lawyers cannot write plain English. We use eight words to say what could be said in two. We use old, arcdne phrases to express com-monplace ideas. Seeking to be precise, we become redundant. Seek-ing to be cautious, we become verbose.
Book Review of Plain English for Lawyers - jle.aals.org
A text that can help law students and dedicated self-directed learners through the process is a true contribution to legal writing. Plain English for Lawyers makes exactly that contribution. The book aims to solve dificulties writers have clearly conveying their points to readers.
Legal Writing 101 - Tips & Tricks For Effective Legal Writing
The ability to write well—meaning, the ability to write plainly, precisely, and persuasively—is critical to any lawyer’s work. Many lawyers spend over 50% of their time writing, and attorneys in their first five years of practice can spend up to 75% percent of their working day writing.
Plain English in the Twenty Types of Legal Documents - State Bar …
randomly selecting a sample of legal writ-ing and critiquing it. Therefore, we have grouped all legal documents that lawyers write into five categories and 20 specific types as shown in Figure 1. We have published many articles about these 20 types of documents in our Plain English theme issues of November 1983 and January 1994, and in our ...
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD LEGAL WRITING - The Lex-Warrier: …
The paper argues that use of plain language, avoiding legalese, proper punctuation and grammar, clarity of thought, adequate and accurate research, proper organisation, brevity in expression and engaging with the audience is the key to good legal writing.
THE PLAIN ENGLISH MOVEMENT - University of California, San …
Plain English for Lawyers. has been widely used to teach law students the art of legal writing. In fact, plain English principles have been incorporated into the writing curriculum of most law schools. The crusade to make legal language less convoluted and more accessible to average citizens has also resonated outside the academy. In the United ...
PERSUADING JUDGES: - Legal Writing Journal
PLAIN ENGLISH TO LEGALESE Only a few researchers have empirically investigated with writing samples whether judges prefer Plain English to Legalese. Each study found that judges prefer Plain English.26 In 1987, Steve Harrington and Joseph Kimble sent surveys to 300 judges and 500 lawyers in Michigan.27 The surveys asked the
Professional Writing Skills: Legal Writing in Plain English
frame their thoughts using a four-step writing process— (1) Madman, (2) Architect, (3) Carpenter, and (4) Judge; phrase clear and concise sentences; choose words for clarity; structure analytical and persuasive writing; draft legal documents for easy understanding; design documents with good typography; and.
Legalese versus plain language - School of Advanced Study
In recent years, however, we have seen a growing challenge to traditional legal English. Some in the solicitors' branch of the legal profession have moved to a more relaxed style of writing; some of their precedents and opinions are now drafted in a style that is less formal and self-important.
An Essay on Legal Writing in Plain English - ResearchGate
This essay is addressed to law students, lawyers, law professors, legislators, and judges who write in English. It offers tips on writing clearly, concisely, and engagingly in the plain...
Modern Tendencies and Characteristics of Legal Writing in English …
The characteristics of legal writing describe the specificities and the intricacies that the legal jargon implies, the archaic words, wordiness and the awkward sentence structure.
How to write in plain English
and letters to legal documents − can be written in plain English without being patronising or oversimplified. • It doesn't mean reducing the length of your message or changing its meaning. Most of the UK's biggest insurance companies produce policies that explain everything fully in …
