the (new) legal writer

Plain English notarial certificates

For all you notaries out there, Caroline Vodzak has a worthwhile post at Vodzaklegal about how to notarize something in plain English.

Then there’s Petey, who, despite his busy legal career, found time to leave this amusing comment on a nearly seven-year-old post on my other (and now defunct) blog, concerning antiquated notarial language.

Why learn the difference between real rules and mere superstitions

John McIntyre has posted some worthwhile thoughts on grammar-and-usage superstitions. The whole post is worth reading, but my favorite part is why these superstitions should not be passed on:

In the first place, they don’t teach you in school how to dress or what booze to drink, but they are supposed to teach you how to write. And if they are wasting their time and yours with a load of codswallop, they are inhibiting your ability to use the language with facility and grace.

Christmas in September: The latest J. ALWD has hit the streets.

With all due respect to Scribes, I think that J. ALWD (Journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors) is the # 1 cutting-edge legal-writing periodical in this country. So it’s always big news here at T(N)LW when the latest issue of J. ALWD hits the streets. Today it’s double-plus-big news. The latest issue has hit the streets, and its name has been changed to better reflect its content: Legal Communication and Rhetoric. So scoot on over to this web page, where you’ll find the table of contents and links to the articles.

(Hat tip to Legal Writing Prof Blog—my kind of people.)