Legal English (edition 2)
By
Rupert Haigh
Preface 4
1 Introduction to Legal English 6
1.1 The development of modern English 6
1.2 Sources of legal English 6
1.3 What makes English difficult? 7
1.4 What makes legal language difficult? 8
2 Elements of Legal Writing 10
1.1 Articles 10
1.2 Prepositions 11
1.3 Pronouns 12
1.4 Adjectives 14
1.5 Adverbs 15
1.6 Collective nouns 16
1.7 Uncountable nouns 17
1.8 Past tenses 18
1.9 Verb forms 19
1.10 Phrasal verbs 20
1.11 Negatives 23
1.12 Sentence structure 24
1.13 Relative pronouns 26
2 Punctuation for Legal Writing 27
2.1 General points 27
2.2 Punctuation marks 28
3 Basic Standards of Legal Writing 33
3.1 Dates 33
3.2 Numbers 33
3.3 Citations 34
3.4 Terminology & linguistic peculiarities 35
3.5 Abbreviations 43
3.6 Business buzzwords 45
4 Elements of Good Style: Clarity, Consistency, Effectiveness 46
4.1 General considerations 46
4.1 Clarity 47
4.2 Consistency 57
4.3 Effectiveness 59
4.4 Examples of bad style & analysis 61
5 What to Avoid 65
5.1 Ambiguity 65
5.2 Sexist language 66
5.3 Constantly litigated words 68
5.4 False word pairs 69
5.5 Problem words 70
6 British & American English 72
6.1 Differences in language use conventions 72
6.2 Vocabulary 74
6.3 Differences related to cultural values 78
7 Contracts: Performance, Termination & Remedies 79
7.1 Performance of contracts 79
7.2 Termination of contracts 80
7.3 Remedies 81
8 Contracts: Structure & Interpretation 84
8.1 Structure of contracts 84
8.2 Principles of interpretation 87
9 Contract Clauses: Types & Specimen Clauses 90
9.1 Overview 90
9.2 Definitions 90
9.3 Main commercial provisions 91
9.2 Secondary commercial provisions 99
9.3 Boilerplate clauses 104
10 Drafting Legal Documents: Language & Structure 110
10.1 Operative language 110
10.2 Troubleshooting issues 112
10.3 Drafting exemption clauses 115
10.4 Structuring a clause 116
10.5 Layout and design 117
10.6 Checklist 117
10.7 Contract comprehension exercises 119
10.8 Specimen contract (NDA) 124
11 Correspondence & Memoranda 127
11.1 Letter-writing conventions 127
11.2 Letter-writing style 130
11.3 Specimen letter 132
11.4 Emails 133
11.5 Language for letters and emails 136
11.6 Checklist 140
11.7 Memoranda 143
12 Applying for a Legal Position 147
12.1 How to apply 147
12.2 Specimen application letter 150
12.3 Application forms and CVs 151
12.3.3 Attending an interview 152
13 Aspects of Spoken English 153
13.1 Spoken and written English compared 153
13.2 Body language 154
13.4 Tone of voice 156
13.6 Emphasis 157
13.6 Techniques 157
14 Meeting, Greeting & Getting Down to Business 161
14.1 The opening phase 161
14.2 Establishing a Basis for Communication 163
14.3 Getting Down to Business 165
14.4 Small talk exercises 166
15 Interviewing and Advising 166
15.1 Overview 166
15.2 Preparation 167
15.3 Conduct of the interview 168
15.4 Language 170
15.5 Client interview transcript 174
15.6 Checklist 176
16 Dealing with Difficult People: Ten-Point Guide 178
16.1 Empathise 178
16.2 Avoid defensiveness 178
16.3 Seek more information 179
16.4 Anger management 179
16.5 Don’t be judgmental 180
16.6 Avoid unrealistic promises 181
16.7 Use human language 181
16.8 Set a realistic timetable for action 181
16.9 Deal with perceived irrelevance 182
16.10 Avoid echoing the client 182
17 Court Advocacy 182
17.1 Structure of a civil trial 182
17.2 Examination-in-chief 184
17.3 Cross-examination 184
17.4 Re-examination 186
17.5 General points 186
17.6 Modes of address in court 186
17.7 Suggested language 187
17.8 Court hearing transcript 189
18 Negotiation 192
18.1 Negotiation styles & strategies 192
18.2 Differences in negotiation language between USA & UK 195
18.3 The qualities of a good negotiator 197
18.4 Preparation: five-step plan 198
18.5 The negotiation process 200
18.6 Negotiation ploys 203
18.7 Suggested language 206
18.8 Killer lines for negotiations 214
18.9 Negotiation transcript 216
18.10 Checklist 218
19 Chairing a Formal Meeting 219
19.1 The role of the chair 219
19.2 Structure and language 219
19.3 Suggested language 220
20 Making a Presentation 224
20.1 Preparation 224
20.2 Structure 225
20.3 Content 227
20.4 Language 227
20.5 What to avoid 228
20.6 Suggested language 228
20.7 Checklist 231
20.8 Presentation exercise 232
21 Telephoning 233
21.1 Considerations 233
21.2 Suggested language 234
21.3 Leaving a message on an answering machine 237
21.4 Making people speak more slowly 238
Exercise Answer Key 238
Glossaries 252
Easily Confused Words 252
Business Abbreviations 257
Phrasal Verbs Used in Legal English 260
Obscure Words Used in Business Contracts 268
Obscure Phrases Used in Business Contracts 274
Foreign Terms Used in Law 278
Legal Terminology 282
About the Author 295