Modern Legal Drafting: A Guide to Using Clearer Language (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society)

In The Second Edition Of This Text, The Authors Show How And Why Traditional Legal Language Has Developed The Peculiar Characteristics That Make Legal Documents Inaccessible To The End Users. Incorporating Recent Research And International Examples, The Book Provides A Critical Examination Of Case Law And The Rules Of Interpretation. Detailed Case Studies Illustrate How Obscure Or Outdated Words, Phrases And Concepts Can Be Rewritten, Reworked Or Removed Altogether - Without Compromising Legal Exactitude. In Emphasising The Benefits Of Plain Language Drafting, The Focus Is On Clarity And Accessibility. Particularly Useful Is The Step-by-step Guide To Drafting In The Modern Style, Using Practical Examples From Four Types Of Common Legal Documents: Leases, Company Constitutions, Wills And Conveyances. Modern Legal Drafting: A Guide To Using Clearer Language Will Benefit Lawyers, Law Students, Legislative Drafters, And All Who Work In Law-related Fields.--book Jacket. What Influences The Legal Drafter -- How Legal Documents Are Interpreted -- The Move Towards Modern English In Legal Drafting -- Some Benefits Of Drafting In Plain English -- What To Avoid When Drafting Modern Documents -- How To Draft Modern Documents -- Using The Modern Style. Peter Butt And Richard Castle. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-234) And Index. COVER 1 HALF-TITLE 3 TITLE 5 COPYRIGHT 6 CONTENTS 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Extract from First Edition 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Second Edition 13 PANELS AND TABLES 14 Panels 14 Tables 14 TABLE OF STATUTES AND SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 15 Imperial 15 England and Wales 15 Regulations and Statutory Orders 16 Australia 16 Commonwealth 16 New South Wales 17 Queensland 17 Victoria 17 Canada 17 Federal 17 Alberta 18 British Columbia 18 Ontario 18 Hong Kong 18 India 18 New Zealand 18 United States of America 18 New York 18 TABLE OF CASES 19 INTRODUCTION 35 Traditional legal language 35 Pressures for reform 36 What this book tries to do 38 CHAPTER ONE WHAT INFLUENCES THE LEGAL DRAFTER 40 Introduction 40 Familiarity and habit 41 Conservatism 43 Fear of negligence claims 49 Means of production 51 Handwriting 51 The typewriter 52 The computer and word processor 52 The dictating machine 54 Professional pressures 55 Straining to avoid ambiguity 56 The mixture of languages 57 ‘Null and void’ 61 ‘Observe and perform’ 61 ‘Fixtures and fittings’ 62 ‘Right and liberty’ 62 ‘Excepting and reserving’ 63 ‘Use and enjoyment’ 63 ‘Free and uninterrupted’ 63 ‘Easements rights and privileges’ 64 ‘Agreed and declared’ 64 ‘Freed and discharged’ 65 ‘Full and sufficient’ 65 Payment by length 65 Payment by time 70 The litigious environment 71 CHAPTER TWO HOW LEGAL DOCUMENTS ARE INTERPRETED 73 Overview 73 What judges have said about traditional legal drafting 74 The botched clause 74 The half-baked clause 74 The cobbled-together insurance policy 75 The notices that defied understanding 76 The tortuous rent review 77 The absurd rent review 78 The archaic bond 79 The gobbledegook guarantee 79 The singularly inelegant document 80 The principles of legal interpretation 81 Internal and external factors 82 Implication of terms 83 Document must be read as a whole 85 Eiusdem generis 86 Expressio unius 90 Noscitur a sociis 91 Contra proferentem 92 The two ‘golden rules’ of interpretation and drafting 95 Golden rule 1: The ‘ordinary sense’ of words 95 Golden rule 2: Consistent terminology 95 Commercial or purposive interpretation 96 Importance of context 98 Modern restatement 100 Wills 104 Patent applications 105 Standard forms 106 Dangers in using precedent as an aid to interpretation 107 Interpreting plain language documents 107 CHAPTER THREE THE MOVE TOWARDS MODERN ENGLISH IN LEGAL DRAFTING 110 Introduction 110 The United Kingdom 112 The Parker books 112 Plain English Campaign 114 Plain Language Commission 116 National Consumer Council 117 Clarity 119 The United Kingdom government 121 Australia 127 The United States 133 Canada 141 What judges have said about plain English 143 CHAPTER FOUR SOME BENEFITS OF DRAFTING IN PLAIN ENGLISH 146 The meaning of ‘plain English’ 146 Increased efficiency and understanding 148 Fewer errors 152 Image of the legal profession 153 Marketing 155 Compliance with statutory requirements 155 The United Kingdom 155 Australia 157 General 159 Conclusion 160 CHAPTER FIVE WHAT TO AVOID WHEN DRAFTING MODERN DOCUMENTS 161 Introduction 161 Wordiness and redundancy 162 Overuse of ‘shall’ 165 Futurity or precondition? 167 Direction or obligation? 170 Obscure language 171 Unusual word order 172 Separating parts of a verb 173 Frequently litigated words and phrases 174 Foreign words and phrases 175 Long sense-bites 176 Legalese and jargon 178 ‘Hereby’ 182 Terms of art 183 Peculiar linguistic conventions 185 Nouns instead of verbs 187 Overuse of the passive 187 Deeming 188 Definitions 189 Stretched definitions 189 Over-defining 190 Disguise of an operative element 192 Excessively detailed definitions 192 ‘Unless the context requires otherwise’ 193 Overuse of capitals 194 Effect on the reader 194 Influence on interpretation 196 Provisos 197 Provisos in practice 198 Conclusion 200 CHAPTER SIX HOW TO DRAFT MODERN DOCUMENTS 201 Modern, standard English 201 Document structure 204 Examples 205 Layout and design 206 White space 207 Headings 207 Navigation and ease of reading 208 Numbering systems 210 Lists 212 Uses of lists 212 The lead-in 212 Punctuation after the lead-in 213 Punctuation within lists 213 Conjunctions 214 Short sense-bites 215 Example 216 Punctuation 217 Definitions 221 Location 222 Highlighting defined terms 223 Avoiding long alphabetical lists 224 Explanations or descriptions rather than definitions 224 Tables, plans and formulas 225 Tables 225 Plans 225 Graphs, flow charts and similar techniques 228 Formulas 228 Notes and examples 232 Simplified outlines 233 ‘Shall’ and the modern document 234 Handling generality and vagueness 237 Syntactic ambiguity 241 Pronouns 242 Inclusive language 243 Problems with ‘and’, ‘or’ 245 ‘And/or’ 248 Drafting in the present tense 249 Deeds 250 Formal parts of a deed 251 Recitals 251 Amending documents formally 252 Standard forms 253 Statutory forms 253 Precedents 254 Conclusion 255 CHAPTER SEVEN USING THE MODERN STYLE 256 Lease: how to bring it to an end if the property is damaged 256 Original version 256 Plain version 257 Company memorandum of association: subsidiary objects clause 258 Original version 258 Plain version 259 Will: attestation clause 259 Original version 259 Plain version 260 Will: distribution in unequal shares 261 Original version 261 Plain version 262 New land obligations: buyer’s restrictive covenant 263 Original version 263 Plain version 263 ‘Each and every’ 264 ‘Jointly and severally’ 264 Conclusion 265 FURTHER READING 267 INDEX 269 COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 3 TITLE......Page 5 COPYRIGHT......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Extract from First Edition......Page 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Second Edition......Page 13 Tables......Page 14 England and Wales......Page 15 Commonwealth......Page 16 Federal......Page 17 New York......Page 18 TABLE OF CASES......Page 19 Traditional legal language......Page 35 Pressures for reform......Page 36 What this book tries to do......Page 38 Introduction......Page 40 Familiarity and habit......Page 41 Conservatism......Page 43 Fear of negligence claims......Page 49 Handwriting......Page 51 The computer and word processor......Page 52 The dictating machine......Page 54 Professional pressures......Page 55 Straining to avoid ambiguity......Page 56 The mixture of languages......Page 57 ‘Observe and perform’......Page 61 ‘Right and liberty’......Page 62 ‘Free and uninterrupted’......Page 63 ‘Agreed and declared’......Page 64 Payment by length......Page 65 Payment by time......Page 70 The litigious environment......Page 71 Overview......Page 73 The half-baked clause......Page 74 The cobbled-together insurance policy......Page 75 The notices that defied understanding......Page 76 The tortuous rent review......Page 77 The absurd rent review......Page 78 The gobbledegook guarantee......Page 79 The singularly inelegant document......Page 80 The principles of legal interpretation......Page 81 Internal and external factors......Page 82 Implication of terms......Page 83 Document must be read as a whole......Page 85 Eiusdem generis......Page 86 Expressio unius......Page 90 Noscitur a sociis......Page 91 Contra proferentem......Page 92 Golden rule 2: Consistent terminology......Page 95 Commercial or purposive interpretation......Page 96 Importance of context......Page 98 Modern restatement......Page 100 Wills......Page 104 Patent applications......Page 105 Standard forms......Page 106 Interpreting plain language documents......Page 107 Introduction......Page 110 The Parker books......Page 112 Plain English Campaign......Page 114 Plain Language Commission......Page 116 National Consumer Council......Page 117 Clarity......Page 119 The United Kingdom government......Page 121 Australia......Page 127 The United States......Page 133 Canada......Page 141 What judges have said about plain English......Page 143 The meaning of ‘plain English’......Page 146 Increased efficiency and understanding......Page 148 Fewer errors......Page 152 Image of the legal profession......Page 153 The United Kingdom......Page 155 Australia......Page 157 General......Page 159 Conclusion......Page 160 Introduction......Page 161 Wordiness and redundancy......Page 162 Overuse of ‘shall’......Page 165 Futurity or precondition?......Page 167 Direction or obligation?......Page 170 Obscure language......Page 171 Unusual word order......Page 172 Separating parts of a verb......Page 173 Frequently litigated words and phrases......Page 174 Foreign words and phrases......Page 175 Long sense-bites......Page 176 Legalese and jargon......Page 178 ‘Hereby’......Page 182 Terms of art......Page 183 Peculiar linguistic conventions......Page 185 Overuse of the passive......Page 187 Deeming......Page 188 Stretched definitions......Page 189 Over-defining......Page 190 Excessively detailed definitions......Page 192 ‘Unless the context requires otherwise’......Page 193 Effect on the reader......Page 194 Influence on interpretation......Page 196 Provisos......Page 197 Provisos in practice......Page 198 Conclusion......Page 200 Modern, standard English......Page 201 Document structure......Page 204 Examples......Page 205 Layout and design......Page 206 Headings......Page 207 Navigation and ease of reading......Page 208 Numbering systems......Page 210 The lead-in......Page 212 Punctuation within lists......Page 213 Conjunctions......Page 214 Short sense-bites......Page 215 Example......Page 216 Punctuation......Page 217 Definitions......Page 221 Location......Page 222 Highlighting defined terms......Page 223 Explanations or descriptions rather than definitions......Page 224 Plans......Page 225 Formulas......Page 228 Notes and examples......Page 232 Simplified outlines......Page 233 ‘Shall’ and the modern document......Page 234 Handling generality and vagueness......Page 237 Syntactic ambiguity......Page 241 Pronouns......Page 242 Inclusive language......Page 243 Problems with ‘and’, ‘or’......Page 245 ‘And/or’......Page 248 Drafting in the present tense......Page 249 Deeds......Page 250 Recitals......Page 251 Amending documents formally......Page 252 Statutory forms......Page 253 Precedents......Page 254 Conclusion......Page 255 Original version......Page 256 Plain version......Page 257 Original version......Page 258 Original version......Page 259 Plain version......Page 260 Original version......Page 261 Plain version......Page 262 Plain version......Page 263 ‘Jointly and severally’......Page 264 Conclusion......Page 265 FURTHER READING......Page 267 INDEX......Page 269 In the second edition of this highly regarded text, the authors show how and why traditional legal language has developed the peculiar characteristics that make legal documents inaccessible to the end users. Incorporating recent research and case law, the book provides a critical examination of case law and the rules of interpretation. Detailed case studies illustrate how obtuse or outdated words, phrases and concepts can be rewritten, reworked or removed altogether. Particularly useful is the step-by-step guide to drafting in the modern style, using examples from four types of common legal documents: leases, company constitutions, wills and conveyances. Readers will gain an appreciation of the historical influences on drafting practice and the use of legal terminology. They will learn about the current moves to reform legal language, and receive clear instruction on how to make their writing clearer and their legal documents more useful