Okay Paras, How many times have you been stuck in a situation where you know what you want to say, but don’t know how to adequately get it out of your mind and onto a document? We’ve all been stuck in a situation where we are asked to draft an unfamiliar pleading, with a deadline of course, and have no idea where to start. Or, on the flip, you are asked to review an already drafted pleading and are looking at all the citations and symbols like a kid learning to read.

Legal writing is a skill independent of just writing. It should literally be a separate box to mark off on your list of skills when asked. Luckily, this is a safe spot. A judgment free zone. We understand legal writing is a skill that many pay to learn, literally. While we are not experts in this department, we certainly know a few tips that we have learned along the way that will help you develop better legal writing and reviewing skills.

1. Be Clear:

Clarity is one of the most important elements of effective legal writing. Be straightforward and direct. This is not an easy task of course but it is important in order to achieve your overall goal.

2. State The Purpose up Front:

The reader should not be left wondering what the point is until the very end. State the purpose of the document in the beginning. In essence, you want to create a roadmap for the reader right off the back. The body of the document should contain paragraphs that have strong topic sentences and again state the purpose upfront.

3. Try Not to Use Acronyms:

Not all acronyms are understood. Some readers may misunderstand the meaning of an acronym or skip over it completely. I know we are in a world full of short hand messages because we text all day however acronyms interfere with the rule #1 – clarity. Write out the full word as much as possible. 

4.  Have an Active Voice:

Okay what is an “Active voice” you ask? In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The active voice is clearer. 

5.  Avoid Unnecessary Double Negatives:

A double negative uses two negative words or phrases. It can create confusion and clutter the message.  Find ways to simplify what you are trying to say. Instead of “she was not able to get her shoe on” use ” she was unable to get her shoe on”.

Remember, things are not as complicated as they may seem. Writing should be the same. Keep sentences short and to the point, proof read your document and remember to limit the acronyms and abbreviations used in order to avoid confusion.