In Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, authors Bryan Garner and Justice Antonin Scalia advise lawyers to “[b]anish jargon, hackneyed expressions and needless Latin” from their briefs. You can accomplish this goal, and write more persuasive briefs, by applying the principles of plain language legal writing. Plain language legal writing refers to legal writing that is well thought out, well organized, and understandable to the reader without interpretation: the language is clear, the legal concepts are explained and the technical terms are defined.

In Plain Language Principles for Better Briefs, you’ll learn:

• What it means to really know your audience
• What your intro should include
• When and how to use precedent
• Ways to reword legal terms so they’re understandable in plain English
• Methods for reducing wordiness
• When ambiguity is useful, and when it’s a hindrance
• Traps that make your writing cumbersome
• How to structure a sentence for clarity
• How to design paragraphs that work
• What passive voice is good for

. . . and more!

Join us for this teleconference on Thursday, January 22 at 3 p.m. Eastern (noon Pacific).

Presenter Cheryl Stephens is the author of several articles and books, including Plain Language Legal Writing. Her plain language blog, Rapport, is a popular resource online. For nearly twenty years, she has been writing, speaking, and teaching about plain language, helping legal professionals to become more successful communicators using plain language principles.

Your registration includes participation in the live teleseminar and a copy of the program recording (mp3). To register, visit our Products page and add a Silver Membership to your cart.