Solo Practice

Plain Communication

By Garrett Worley

Sometimes legalese is necessary. For example, a lawyer may want to incorporate language used in case law or statutes. More often than not, however, lawyers go too far and write documents that are virtually unintelligible.

I’ve been reading Steven D. Stark’s Writing to Win and it gives some great pointers on writing clear legal prose. Stark argues that legalese was developed by semi-literate legal scribes poking fun at their bosses. That’s something to think about.

If you’re looking for examples of great legal writing, check out Judge Painter of Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals. Judge Painter is one of the most published judges in Ohio and is nationally recognized for his clear writing.

Full post as published by Garrett Worley's Blawg on February 19, 2008 (boomark / email).