Clarity for Lawyers Who is this book for?
Effective legal language
by Mark Adler and Daphne Perry
Lawyers and law-makers in England and beyond, and anyone interested in legal language.
What’s it for?
To make the law more transparent and legal writing more effective.
To make life easier for lawyers, their clients, and everyone else.
What's our approach?
We take many typical examples of legal writing and show why they don't work properly (or, in some cases, at all) and how they can be improved.
We also consider the limitations of all language, however plain it is and however skilfully it is used, and we examine some of the limitations of the thought behind the words.
We offer detailed guidance but suggest ways for busy lawyers to improve their writing a little at a time so that their workflow isn't interrupted.
What's in it?
For a complete list of chapter and section headings, and free sample chapters, please look inside.
What’s new in this edition?
The text, examples, and cases have been updated to reflect current legal practice.
There are two new parts:
What is good writing?Some of the text from the 2nd edition has been expanded and there are several entirely new chapters:
How misunderstandings arise
Who says what's right?There's also a new legal writing workshop.
How to start
Computer aids
Testing documents
The loss of non-textual clues
Misleading expectations
The boundaries of literacy and intelligence
Translating and interpreting
£34.95
Law Society Publications
20 October 2017
Approx 285 pages
Paperback
234mm x 146 mm
ISBN: 978-1-78-446048-8
I commend this book to every lawyer who engages in any form of legal writing.
indentedDr Duncan Berry, parliamentary counsel
An enjoyable read. … Instructive, engaging and refreshing.
indentedPeter Butt, emeritus professor of law
A joy to read.
indentedProf Mark Cooney, editor, Scribes Journal of Legal Writing
I … suggest that anyone who is engaged in communication, whether in writing or by word of mouth, could profit from reading this book.
indentedLord Neuberger, then President of the UK Supreme Court
Packed full of useful, career-enhancing pearls of wisdom. And it's fun to read too. I keep my copy by my bedside.
indentedTim Norman, solicitor
An accessible, intelligent and informative work.
indentedSimon Rainey QC and Sam Dunkley, solicitor
The two authors want this book to be “more interesting and readable than just a style guide” in the hope it will sometimes surprise us. Yes, it does, because it is a very good book which should be by your side as an excellent companion for the 2020s.
indentedElizabeth & Phillip Taylor, barristers
This book can help significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of drafting.
indentedPeter Todd, solicitor
Please go to our Reviews page for other reviews and for the context of these extracts, with links where available to the complete text.