Legal Writing for Clarity Flashcards
Don’t write to be ______. Write so that you CAN’T be _______ - _______
Understood; Misunderstood; Taft
Create _______ before detail
Context
Relax your ______
Diction
______ the information in your sentences
Link
Convey the information in _______.
Manageable chunks
4 principles of clarity (CRLC)
- Create context before detail
- Relax diction
- Link the information to sentences
- Convey the information in chunks
Absolute importance of giving context so that the reader will understand _____ they are reading
As (simultaneously)
How do you create context throughout the document? (IMT)
- Informative introduction
- Meaningful headings
- Topic sentences
Give both ______and _____ context within _____ language
Factual; Legal; Concise
In an opinion, the first sentence only includes _____ umbrella law, which sets the overall ______.
ONE; Context
_______ headings are background, procedural history, discussion, analysis
Empty (meaningless)
Informative headings lead to ________ and improve reader’s ability to _______
Improved recall; Summarize content
_______ provide valuable opportunity for readers to understand context in each paragraph sequentially by sentences
Topic sentences
Readers should be able to ______ see why _____are important
Instantly; Details
Use meaningful headings and topic sentences to ______the reader
Focus