Miscellaneous links
27 November 2008
- Stop Sounding Like a Lawyer, in which Jim McElhaney offers lawyers tips to avoid their unnatural inclination to speak in legalese, and to instead tell a story in plain English. (Hat tip to Legal Writing Prof Blog.)
- The New Cicero, in which Charlotte Higgins examines rhetorical devices used by Barack Obama, giving the rest of us lessons in how to reach others’ hearts and guts. (Hat tip to Peter Friedman.)
- Illinois Bell Telephone Co. v. Box, in which Judge Posner, having endured “206 pages of briefs, brimming with jargon and technical detail,” reminds counsel that “Clarity, simplicity, and brevity are underrated qualities in legal advocacy.” (Hat tip to Howard Bashman.)
- Needless Words, in which Jan Freeman reminds us that we sometimes go too far in pursuit of brevity, and that sometimes a bit of verbal padding is a good thing.