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How and why to avoid passive verbs
At last, a blog post for everyone who discovered active verbs in one of my workshops and wants more on how to identify passive verbs and edit them out. Why avoid passive verbs? Plain English favours the active voice over the passive, for good reasons.The...
Check passive verbs with Word and Outlook
Word and Outlook detect some passive verbs Word and Outlook are normally right when they identify a passive verb. But they miss plenty. In this text, for example: Word 2010 has underlined a passive verb (can be found). If you edit that out, it shows you another...
Can good contract drafting prevent disputes?
The Clarity breakfast on 6 June discussed whether good contract drafting can prevent disputes, focusing on commercial contracts and big disputes. Our speaker, Simon Rainey QC, suggested that no drafting can stop a party launching a claim, if the stakes are high...
Are 5 good writing habits enough?
I wrote a short piece for the Law Society Gazette in April, listing 5 good writing habits. Straight away, one reader emailed me back, suggesting that writing in the active voice deserves a place in the top 5. I agree, although the others are strong contenders too....
Clarity breakfast in London on 6 June – can good drafting prevent disputes?
Can a contract be written so as to defy interpretation by determined and skilful lawyers and judges? Early on 6 June in the City of London, Simon Rainey QC will discuss, from 35 years' experience of commercial disputes (including 10 years as a part-time judge): How...
Prolix defence struck out: shorter one ordered
A High Court judge struck out a 50-page defence as it “bears no resemblance to a professionally prepared statement of case”. Drafted by a solicitor, it began with a 3-page list of contents, followed by an 8-page summary. It ended with a 3-page index. This was the...
Improving jury directions
Two professors at the University of Glasgow School of Law have published research into various methods of improving the directions the judges give to juries. They found that the most effective ways to impove jurors’ understanding of their task were to put the...
California law firms graded on drafting
Clerk is software designed to analyse briefs, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and grade their chances of success. According to Clerk, a plaintiff should avoid citing a case in which the defendant won. And, obviously, an advocate should ensure quotations are...
Lawyers deny client reactions to legal language
The Legal Ombudsman commissioned research into the impact of lawyers’ language in complaint handling and in its own communications. Interviews with 15 individuals and 4 groups suggested that dissatisfied clients take their lawyers’ jargon as an attack, intended to...
“Indirect and consequential loss” misunderstood
I’ve long suspected that contract users don’t understand “indirect and consequential loss” as the courts say they should. In January, I had the chance to survey members of the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management, asking what these terms...
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