Legal Commentary

Gimme that Old Time Religion, procedurally speaking

By Ernest Svenson

As you know, I favor looking for new ways to do things in the legal profession. I don't like boilerplate language in pleadings because, first of all, no one reads it. One place where you see a lot of crusty legal prose is in the concluding section of pleadings. Many people refer to this area as the 'prayer for relief' section. That is no longer an accurate description of the section; a prayer is something solemn, or at least it's supposed to be.

Why, then, don't lawyers make the prayer section more solemn, more devotional?

I don't know. Maybe it has to do with that pesky fear of merging religion with government. Whatever. So, in keeping with my celebration of those who think outside the narrow legal box, I commend the plaintiff in this case (PDF FILE) for pushing the juridical envelope. Now we have a clear example of what a prayer for relief should look like.

Adjust your boilerplate accordingly.

Full post as published by Ernie the Attorney on April 04, 2008 (boomark / email).