12 - Legal Writing

Question 1

hard copy

Answer 1

a paper copy of what has been prepared on a computer

Question 2

soft form

Answer 2

text which exists on disk or on a computer screen

Question 3

format

Answer 3

1 - the way in which something is arranged, designed, or styled on a page
2 - in word processing, the layout of the page when printed

Question 4

draft

Answer 4

1 - a document in one of its preliminary stages

2 - to write

Question 5

word processor

Answer 5

software that allows you to enter and edit data in order to create and revise documents; it processes words, allowing you to write sentences, paragraphs, and pages on the computer

Question 6

homophone

Answer 6

words that sound alike but have different meanings

Question 7

plagiarism

Answer 7

taking another’s original ideas or expressions and using them as if they are one’s own

Question 8

copyright

Answer 8

the exclusive right for a fixed number of years to print, copy, sell, or perform original works

Question 9

fair use

Answer 9

the privilege of limited use of copyrighted material without permission of the copyright holder

Question 10

public domain

Answer 10

work product or other property that is not protected by copyright or patent; a status that allows use by anyone without fee

Question 11

demand letter

Answer 11

an advocacy letter that asks the recipient to take or refrain from specific action affecting the client

Question 12

informational letter

Answer 12

a letter that provides or seeks information

Question 13

status letter

Answer 13

a letter that updates someone on a matter

Question 14

confirmatory letter

Answer 14

a letter that verifies or confirms that something important has been said or done

Question 15

opinion letter

Answer 15

a letter to a client explaining the application of the law and providing legal advice based on that explanation

Question 16

below

Answer 16

pertaining to a lower level of court in the hierarchy of a court system

Question 17

subject-matter jurisdiction

Answer 17

the court’s power to resolve a particular type of legal dispute and to grant a particular type of relief

Question 18

point heading

Answer 18

a conclusion that a party wants a court to accept on one of the issues in the case

Question 19

questions presented

Answer 19

a statement of the legal issues in an appellate brief that a party wants to appellate court to resolve

Question 20

statement of the case

Answer 20

the portion of an appellate brief that summarizes the procedural history of the case to date and presents the essential facts of the dispute; it may also state the appellate court’s subject-matter jurisdiction

Question 21

circumlocution

Answer 21

the use of more words than are need to express something

Question 22

nominalizations

Answer 22

a noun formed from a verb or adjective

Question 23

active voice

Answer 23

the grammatical verb form in which the subject or thing performing or causing the action is the main focus

Question 24

passive voice

Answer 24

the grammatical verb form in which the object of the action is the main focus; the emphasis is on what is being done rather than on who or what is performing or causing the action

Question 25

truncated passive

Answer 25

a form of passive voice in which the doer or subject of the action is not mentioned