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.

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.

What exactly is legal about legal language? What happens to legal language when it is used across linguistic, national, socio-political, cultural, and legal systems? In what way is generic integrity of legal documents maintained in multilingual and multicultural legal contexts? What happens when the same rule of law is applied across legal systems? By bringing together scholars and practitioners from more than ten countries, representing various jurisdictions, languages, and socio-political backgrounds, this book addresses these key issues arising from the differences in legal or sociocultural systems. The discussions are based not only on the analysis of the legal texts alone, but also on the factors shaping such constructions and interpretations. Given the increasing international need for accurate and authoritative translation and use of legal documents, this important volume has considerable contemporary relevance in a globalized economy. It will appeal to discourse analysts, commercial consultants, legal trainers, translators, and applied researchers in professional communication, especially in the field of legal writing and languages for specific purposes.

As lawyers, we must not, in hot pursuit of common law, outrun common sense. The dread of that eventuality prompted this book. Uncommon Law of Learned Writing 2.0 promotes common sense in legal language. Plain language, which is commonsensical, broadens access to legal documents, thus democratizing the law. If democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people, law is the language in which government interacts with the people—it’s the language of democracy. The people whose government speaks through law must understand what is said. No democratic society should brook legalese—a dense, verbose dialect known only to lawyers. What then should society do to redress the lawyer-induced obscurity? A Shakespearean character had an alarming proposal: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Apparently, that proposal was not enthusiastically endorsed, which explains why we’re still here. A milder remedy—enrolling lawyers in language classes—has been mooted, which explains why this book is in your hands. Uncommon Law of Learned Writing 2.0 motivates lawyers to prefer plain language to the legalese and verbosity that have besmirched legal writing for centuries. This book is as sweeping and authoritative a treatment of its subject as you can find anywhere.

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.

Writing for Litigation, Third Edition, systematically addresses how audience, purpose, strategy, and ethics inform the shape, content, and tone of the full range of litigation documents. Camilla Bridges and Wayne Schiess explain how to draft litigation documents like a lawyer. And because litigation practice can’t be boiled down to a few forms, the authors provide drafting instruction for the full range of documents used in litigation practice —from client engagement letter to motions, discovery, affidavits, and jury instructions. Writing for Litigation, Third Edition is one of those indispensable books that students will refer to again and again, in law school and practice. New to the Third Edition New Chapter 14 consolidates coverage of legal writing process and style, emphasizing accessibility, readability, organization, and the principles of persuasion Discussion of the advantages and risks of using generative artificial intelligence in writing litigation documents Guidance for recognizing and avoid bias and assumptions in their legal writing Tips for researching facts and law in litigation practice An updated fact scenario for writing assignments Professors and students will benefit from Broad coverage of both common documents such as pleadings, discovery requests, and motions, and ancillary documents such as demand letters, client communications, and affidavits Practical tips and advice on strategic legal drafting, writing unambiguously, and complying with ethical obligations Clear guidance to the component parts of each type of document A complete set of sample documents in the Appendices This text addresses each component of a wide range of litigation documents—from the caption to the certificate of service—so students won’t have to ask that question after they graduate from law school. It also addresses day-to-day writing tasks, such as e-mails to clients and opposing counsel. A chapter on writing principles addresses writing process, accessibility, readability, organization, and persuasion. Samples of each type of document, all relating to the same case, allow readers to see how different forms of legal writing and the various types of legal documents relate to each stage of the litigation process, from beginning to end.

This collection will help you sharpen the key management skills you need to succeed today. We all want to give more persuasive presentations, write more effective emails, master the basics of finance, and manage both stress and time a bit better. These Harvard Business Review Guides—now offered as a complete digital collection—will help you get there. Packed with concise, practical tips from leading experts, the HBR Guides series is designed to help you learn and apply strategies and tactics to work smarter and more effectively, every day. This collection features digital editions of all eight books in the series: HBR Guides on Persuasive Presentations, Better Business Writing, Getting the Right Work Done, Managing Stress at Work, Finance Basics for Managers, Project Management, Managing Up and Across, and Getting the Mentoring You Need. As an important part of your management toolkit, these guidebooks will arm you with the advice you need to success on the job from the most trusted name in business. For busy managers looking for answers to common challenges, let these HBR Guides mentor you all the way to success. About the HBR Guide series: Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Modern Legal Drafting provides a comprehensive, authoritative guide to drafting legal documents in effective, plain English. Peter Butt, a leading expert in the field, has fully revised and updated the text for this new edition. It combines a practical focus with the legal principles that underpin the use of plain language in law. This dual practical and academic approach distinguishes it from other books in the field. It includes expanded material on the techniques for achieving a style that is both clear and legally sound. It also includes new material on the challenges and merits of drafting in plain language, and provides many before-and-after examples to help both practising lawyers and students develop their skills. It takes an international approach, drawing upon case law and statutes from England, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Ireland, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

"Elegant Legal Writing provides short, practical tips to help attorneys make their writing as clear and readable as possible, reducing the reader's cognitive burden so they can focus on your argument"--