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Effective Legal Writing for [your organization]

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Contents Module 1: Write stronger documents faster

4

Understand what goes wrong with writing

5

Write in stages to create readable documents

9

Stage One: Think

11

Think a little deeper—extra tools to deliver strong messages

25

Stage Two: Write

31

Module 2: Use a clear, readable style

35

Apply universal principles

5

Structure sentences effectively

7

Be concise

47

Redefine professional style

53

Translate technical and insider terms

59

Use strong verbs

63

Module 3: Edit and review effectively

77

Edit as the final stage

79

Do a peer review

83

Edit in three steps—the tools

87

Use clear design

99

Practice in your emails

103

Punctuate precisely

105

Summary and resources

109

This manual is Wordsmith's intellectual property, which we've refined over many years. It is yours to use personally if you've taken one of our workshops, but we don’t give you legal permission to copy it, share it, or use it to train others.

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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One unoriginal but useful tip: Write with a specific person in mind. When writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report, I pretend that I’m talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I don’t need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform.

Introduction to the SEC Handbook, Warren Buffett

1. Brevity It is bad manners to waste [the reader's] time. Therefore brevity first, then, clarity.

2. Clarity It is bad manners to give [readers] needless trouble. Therefore clarity. . . And how is clarity to be achieved? Mainly by taking trouble and by writing to serve people rather than to impress them.

Style, F. L. Lucas

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Module 2: Use a clear, accessible style

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Apply universal principles

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Apply universal principles

Good workplace writing is not rocket science Apply these well-researched, objective tools to be a great writer at work.

Clarity is essential for good professional writing The International Organization for Standardization released an ISO plain-language standard in 2023. It contains internationally established principles for clear workplace writing. Happily, this aligns with the principles we teach.

This module is all about the principles that build clear text. We will look at how to: • structure sentences for readability • be concise • use natural language • avoid or explain insider and technical terms and avoid bureaucratese and jargon • use the active rather than the passive voice • prefer verbs over nouns • put it all together

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Structure sentences effectively

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Structure sentences effectively

Ruthlessly shorten your sentences We suggest 25-30 words as a reasonable maximum.

Longer sentences are harder to read. They confuse and lose readers. Even writers lose the thread of their ideas as the word count rises. In general, limit your sentences to 25 or 30 words at most. By all means, make them shorter. (Word gives you a word count for any selected text.)

A sentence should never be cruel and unusual.

- William C. Burton, The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement

Exercise―Consider this 68-word sentence. How easy is it to get through?

One of the primary objectives of the AS/BAS User Engagement project is to determine the baseline knowledge of young workers, their awareness of the resources and support available through AS and BAS, the motivators that would encourage them to change their actions and behaviours, the optimal methods to deliver information to them, and how to continually engage with them to guide our programs and resources in the future.

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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Structure sentences effectively

Message first, details second Give your readers the context they need to understand and assess details.

Write sentences so the reader understands what you are telling them first and gets the details second. It is confusing when the main message is at the end of the sentence.

Don’t put details first, then explain why Choosing healthy fats, eating fibre, quitting smoking, and living an active lifestyle are things you can do to lower your cholesterol.

Say why it matters, then give the details You can lower your cholesterol by choosing healthy fats, eating fibre, quitting smoking, and living an active lifestyle.

It’s a more natural structure to have the main point first, followed by supporting details. If you keep important information for the end, your reader must re-read the sentence to understand the details in context.

Exercise—Rewrite these sentences so the main message comes first.

1.

The construction of new buildings, along with maintenance and renewal projects for existing buildings, ensures that the department maximizes asset value.

2. A person who contravenes the legislation or fails to comply with an order made under the legislation or with an acceptance issued under the act is guilty of an offence and liable for fines and/or imprisonment.

© Wordsmith Associates Communications Consultants Inc. 2012

Dept Client—Date

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