Writing Matters

• Publication year: 2022
• Pages: 0062
• Citation: Vol. 27 No. 5 Pg. 0062

Writing MattersNo. Vol. 27, No. 5 Pg. 62Georgia Bar JournalApril, 2022

Ten Tips for Clearer Legal Writing

In the context of legal writing, clarity means a straightforward, direct written communication that achieves its goals. This installment of "Writing Matters" shares tips to help you draft clear legal texts.

BY DAVID HRICIK AND KAREN J. SNEDDON

One hallmark of effective legal writing is clarity. In the context of legal writing, clarity means a straightforward, direct written communication that achieves its goals. Achieving clarity is not as easy as it might first seem. This installment of "Writing Matters" shares 10 tips to help you draft clear legal texts.

1 State the Purpose Upfront

Legal writing should not be a "whodunnit," with the reader left wondering what the point is until the very end. It makes for great TV, but lousy legal writing.

Explicitly state the purpose of the document in the beginning with an overview sentence or paragraph (also called a roadmap). For example, a letter can begin, "The purpose of this letter is to ... " Or, the first paragraph of the argument section of an appellate brief can begin, "For two reasons, this court should reverse the district court's grant of summary judgment" followed by one or two sentences succinctly describing each ground for reversal.

Each paragraph also presents the opportunity for the writer to state its purpose up front. Each paragraph should begin with a strong topic sentence. The first sentence of a paragraph should be a topic sentence, also referred to as a thesis sentence, that states what the paragraph is about. One way to ensure you have well-written and well-placed topic sentences is to read, only, the first sentence of each paragraph of a document.

Don't keep the legal reader in suspense. State the purpose upfront.

2 Include Descriptive Headings

A wall of words from top to bottom on a page can be inaccessible and appear daunting. In addition to good...