7/25/2019 Top 15 Tips to Improve Your Legal Writing (1)

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Top 14 Tips to Improve Your Legal Writing1

• Have something to say--and think it through.

• Omit needless words.

• eep your average senten!e length to a"out #$ words.

• %re&er the a!tive voi!e over the passive.

• Learn to detest simpli&ia"le 'argon.

• (ake everything you write speaka"le.

• Introdu!e ea!h paragraph with a topi! senten!e.

• )ridge "etween paragraphs.

• *ary the length o& your paragraphs+ "ut generally keep them short.

• %rovide signposts along the way.

• ,m"ra!e !onstru!tive !riti!ism.

• ,dit yoursel& systemati!ally.

• Learn how to &ind relia"le answers to uestions o& grammar and

usage.

• emem"er that good writing makes the reader/s 'o" easy0 "ad writing

makes it hard.

1 ,!erpt &rom Legal Writing in %lain ,nglish "y )ryan 2. 3arner 

opyright #$$1+ )ryan 2. 3arner 

%u"lished "y the 5niversity o& hi!ago %ress 6www.press.u!hi!ago.edu7