Guide to Legal Writing Style, Fifth Edition

Experienced legal writing scholar and language expert Terri LeClercq knows that bad grammar and clumsy writing cost attorneys both money and embarrassment. To help her students and clients avoid those consequences, she emphasizes the path to success--plain, straightforward writing. She taught both writing and editing at the University of Texas School of Law for 23 years encouraging students to begrammatically correct,well organized, and free of ambiguities. Legal ambiguities bring many attorneys to her door. Dr. LeClercq works with both plaintiff and defense to unravel the complex language of statutes, contracts, cases, and regulations. First operating independently from the client, she analyzes the language and applies the appropriate rules of English syntax. Clients call on her to turn briefs into persuasive arguments and to reorganize informational documents with a clear design so that readers can easily find what they need. She edited, for instance, an international service agreement covering ships entering U. S. territorial waters; she was also editor of the Federal Judiciary Center#39;s Model Notices for class-action lawsuits. In addition to leading seminars, teaching, and consulting, Dr. LeClercq has published over one hundred articles and two major texts that focus on plain language in legal writing. These articles and books offer practical advice for avoiding those common mistakes that writers make while tackling the complexities of the law.