the (new) legal writer

Clarity

Quoting Clarity's statement about itself:

CLARITY is a worldwide group of lawyers and interested lay people. Its aim is the use of good, clear language by the legal profession. We hope to achieve this by:

• avoiding archaic, obscure, and over-elaborate language in legal work;
• drafting legal documents in language that is both certain in meaning and easily understandable;
• exchanging ideas and precedents, not to be followed slavishly but to give guidance in producing good written and spoken legal language;
• exerting a firm, responsible influence on the style of legal language, with the hope of achieving a change in fashion.

Clarity publishes a journal, appropriately titled Clarity. The current issue is for members only, but the rest of us can download back issues for free by clicking here.

(Thanks to Effective Written Communication.)

SPELL

Here's what SPELL says about itself:

The Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature (SPELL) is an organization of people who love our language and are determined to resist its abuse and misuse in the news media and elsewhere. We have almost 2,000 members in the United States and Canada. Members are from all professions and all walks of life -- doctors, lawyers, executives, engineers, teachers, writers, secretaries, students, retired people. The list could go on.

If you're proudly pedantic, this organization could be for you. Members are entitled to send a SPELL "Goof Card" to those who transgress the rules of grammar, syntax, and usage. "SPELL's bright yellow Goof Cards are becoming increasingly familiar in news rooms and broadcast studios across the country," they say.

(Hat tip to Legal Writing Prof Blog.)

Plain English Campaign

The Plain English Campaign describes itself as

an independent pressure group fighting for public information to be written in plain English. We have more than 10,000 registered supporters in 80 countries.

'Public information' means anything people have to read to get by in their daily lives.

'Plain English' is language that the intended audience can understand and act upon from a single reading.

Their web site is full of fun stuff, such as the annual Golden Bull and Foot In Mouth awards, and the Gobbledygook Generator. They also have some useful stuff, such as How to Write in Plain English and the A-Z of Alternate Words, a compendium of wordy phrases paired with less-wordy substitutes.

Scribes

"Scribes was founded in 1953 to honor legal writers and encourage a "clear, succinct, and forceful style in legal writing."  We seek to promote better writing across the legal community -- in the courthouse, the law office, the publishing house, and the law school. And we hope to spread the growing scorn for legal writing that is archaic, turgid, obscure, and needlessly dull."

Plain Language Association International

The Plain Language Association INternational (PLAIN) maintains this web site, providing "free plain-language articles, writing tutorials, Web links, news, networking opportunities, professional support, and e-mail discussion group. We also offer PLAIN membership, connections with consultants, and professional conferences." To learn more about PLAIN membership, click here.

Legal Writing Institute

LWI "is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving legal writing by providing a forum for discussion and scholarship about legal writing, analysis, and research. The Institute promotes these activities through its publications and its Summer Conferences, held every two years."

DRI

The Defense Research Institute is "the largest and most active national association of lawyers and others concerned with the defense of civil actions. Its membership includes more than 22,000 individuals, in addition to corporations, insurance companies and other groups." They've been kind enough to publish everything you see here under Articles I've written.

ALWD

The Association of Legal Writing Directors "is a non-profit professional association of directors and former directors of legal research, writing, analysis, and advocacy programs from law schools throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. We are dedicated to improving legal education and the  analytic, reasoning, and writing abilities of lawyers"