Sunday, July 15, 2007

The practical law course is regrettably not the most practical course around.

We have a ton of classes on plain language for lawyers, where they teach you to avoid using words like:

  • implement - replace with carry out/ fulfil
  • indicate - replace with show, tell, say.
  • initiate - replace with begin
That's the equivalent of asking university graduates to peg their facility of the English language to primary 2 level.

Incidentally, the instruction manual says OMIT "herewith." And line 1 of the Plain English Drafting Exercise booklet reads " herewith are the papers for the above exercise."

2 comments:

nehnehpok said...

Incidentally, the instruction manual says OMIT "herewith." And line 1 of the Plain English Drafting Exercise booklet reads " herewith are the papers for the above exercise."

omg i totally did not realize they'd done that. this can only mean that you have actually combed through the materials with a fine-toothed comb!

dreeft said...

I did not comb through the materials. The inconsistencies are just so blatant they jump out at you.