Legal Writing

Great writers have always known that they are communicating to express, not impress. Ultimately, writers must impress their readers with their ideas, not their vocabulary, and a simple, direct vocabulary gets those ideas across more effectively.

Malcolm Forbes said it well: "Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender."

This week, as you revise your drafts, look for places where you may have chosen fancier words in a conscious or unconscious attempt to impress your reader. Replace those words with words that express your meaning more clearly.