Plain Language: Improving Communications from the Federal Government to the Public


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Examples> Legal

Legal Examples

Support for plain-writing is growing in the legal professions, which bring us some of our best and most varied examples of plain-writing.

External links are shown with a "external link icon".

The American Bar Association passed this resolution advising federal agencies to write regulations in plain language.

Statutes and other legal documents

Informed Consent Template for Cancer Treatment Trials (English Language) developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Federal Judicial Center developed plain–language versions of different types of class action notices external link icon.

California's Civil Jury Instructions external link icon.

Pennsylvania's Plain Language Consumer Contract Actexternal link icon requires contracts to be in written in plain language.

England's Parliament passed a Clearer Timeshare ActAdobe Acrobat Reader iconexternal link icon in 1993.

Journals, articles, essays

Judge Mark P. Painter of the Ohio First District Court Of Appeals wrote two excellent articles on plain legal writing:

Legal Writing 201: 30 Suggestions To Improve Readability, or How To Write For Judges, Not Like Judges Adobe Acrobat Reader iconexternal link icon

Appellate Practice—Including Legal Writing From A Judge’s Perspective Adobe Acrobat Reader iconexternal link icon

Martin Cutts of England's Plain Language Commission published his classic Lucid Law external link iconAdobe Acrobat Reader icon originally in 1994, with an updated version in 2000.

Clarity is an international organization dedicated to clear legal and official writing. Its journal, Clarity external link icon, includes many articles about legal writing.

Law and Justice Foundation external link icon of New South Wales, Australia, "seeks to advance the fairness and equity of the justice system, and to improve access to justice, especially for socially and economically disadvantaged people." The Foundation sees plain legal writing as an essential element of this goal. Its website includes information on guides to plain-language writing and access to its free bi-monthly plain language law newsletter.

 
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Related Topics

Using plain language in the government.

Using plain language in the legal profession.

Regulations.

 

 
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