The Legal Writer: 30 Rules for the Art of Legal Writing

Judge Mark Painter is continuing his campaign to get lawyers to write in plain English. The Legal Writer is Judge Painter’s new book, which tells lawyers that they are allowed to write plainly. Since 1998, Judge Painter has given 22 legal writing seminars across Ohio, instructing lawyers and judges on how to make their words understandable—not only to other lawyers, but to the public. "Cases are about people. Shouldn’t they be able to read what is happening to them?" Judge Painter asks in his seminars. In The Legal Writer, he expands on that theme, and offers 30 rules for lawyers to follow in changing their writing style. For example, Rule 16 states "What is the most underused punctuation mark in legal writing? The period—it is that key down at the lower right of your keyboard. Even though you are a lawyer, you are allowed to use it." The book tells lawyers and judges to write shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, purge legal jargon, and write in plain language.