Responsibilities of administrative tribunals wetribunal staff, members, lawyers cannot solve the literacy. Plain language communication research papers academia. Press room program offices resources contact us informacin en espaol how to file a fair housing complaint in languages other than english it is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing, mortgage lending, and other housingre. A central problem for plain language drafting is identifying the legislatures primary audience. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.
Try changing it to the active voice and revising the text further afteryou complete exercise nine. Plain language is the future of law enforcement communication. Using system fonts also keeps the pdf files small so consumers can download them quickly. Proponents of the plain language movement have heralded this form of communication as leading to simplicity in tax compliance, more equitable access to federal programs and increased open government. Plain language course exercise file british columbia. In addition, members of particular professions such as lawyers and accountants are subject to their own codes of professional responsibility. The plain language program would break down without the technology. There are many other plain language resources that can help you gain a deeper understanding of the topic. Wydick, richard, plain english for lawyers, 5th edition, 2005, carolina academic press, durham.
The eight plain language rules exercises to illustrate plain language principles when drafting legislation what is legalese. Making a pdf file of a logo is surprisingly easy and is essential for most web designers. Plain language at usaid 2012 plain language compliance report 2012 page 2 introduction on october, 2010, president obama signed the plain writing act of 2010 the act into law. Its the law \president obama signed the plain writing act of 2010 on october, 2010. Plain language puts the focus on the reader and does what is necessary to help the reader to find, comprehend, and use the information. Writing that is clear, concise, well organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience. For example, the entire passageis written in the passive voice.
Pdf plain language is a valuable tool that can be applied in order to proactively. Plain language and good communication victoria law foundation. Plain language plain language for the legal assistantpreparing enclosure letters by susan mcintyre egal assistants are often asked to prepare enclosure letters to send pleadings or other documents to the client, other interested parties, or other counsel in a case. Using plain language can result in major savings, as well as better health.
I say both, be cause often the spirit is willing, but client demands leave you unavailable. This means it can be viewed across multiple devices, regardless of the underlying operating system. Plain language institute found that the more experience a person has with lawyers and legal documents, the more likely the person feels frustrated and angered. Pdf file or convert a pdf file to docx, jpg, or other file format. Although nims guidance only requires plain language use in mutual aid events, the way.
Applying plain language principles to your work as a lawyer has the potential to give you a strong commercial edge. Family law forms plain language conversion sorted by. Plain language federation the federation and formed a committee to take on the next question identified in 2010 what standards to set for plain language. This thesis discusses the benefits of using plain language in legal documents and the role. Plain language in drafting legislative texts has always been beneficial. Number 79 2018 the clarity journal hofstra law home page. Family law forms plain language conversion sorted by existing number updated 1292016 existing form number existing form title new fl number plain lang. The technical communicators role 2008 unpublished m. Fds filers are required to complete the cetc within two years from the date they became required to file. Pdf plain language and assessment of plain language. Perhaps no single work has done more to improve the writing of lawyers and law students and to promote the modern trend toward a clear, plain style of legal writing. The court found that the plain language of section 106a1 completely abolished sovereign immunity with respect to section 544b claims, notwithstanding that the immunity defense could apply to an unsecured creditors claim under applicable state fraudulent transfer law. Siben plain language and simplification cle materials.
Unfortunately, posting too many pdfs can work against your goal of retaining users. Training the plain language program would also ultimately break down if lawyers were not trained in the art of plain language drafting. In recent years, controversy has surrounded the migration to plain language radio communications. Plain english using plain language in law firms by edward kerr m allesons stephen jaques has had a plain language policy since 1986. Doc legal english and plain language shubham fatehpuria. Pdf as a lawyer, you spend much of your time writing so why not do it well. This article explains what pdfs are, how to open one, all the different ways.
We agreed that we wanted to introduce the concept to the plain language community in the clarity journal and at the clarity conference in montreal in october, 2018. This part is an overview of the rules of writing in plain language. In 2003 wydick retired after 32 years on the law faculty of the university of california, davis. Why because the more often a person deals with a lawyer or reads legal documents, the higher that persons expectation that they will acquire the skill to. To keep the files free and lean, use system fonts, like arial and times, to create the active files. The following rules and guides are included in this category. Column 3 what the law means is plain language wording about the law. After reading, you will rewrite the section you read in plain language, using the plain language guidelines in your.
Using plain language in law firms adams on contract drafting. The promise of plain language drafting mcgill law journal. A text with exercises can be one of the options to. Federal plain language guidelines see website on page 15. Pdf is a hugely popular format for documents simply because it is independent of the hardware or application used to create that file. Peggy bivens, implementing plain language into legal documents. To combine pdf files into a single pdf document is easier than it looks. I paid for a pro membership specifically to enable this feature. We think people have a right to be able to understand the documents, instructions, websites and product labels that affect them. Law and language are intimately linked insofar as, simple as it may. You can use the tools in paint to add something to a different document. Information in this guide derives from detailed statutes, regulations, and executive orders. If your scanner saves files as pdf portbale document format files, the potential exists to merge the individual files into one doc. The a to z guide to legal phrases plain english campaign.
The first thing a plain language writer will ask is what do we know about the reader. Plain language recommendations for reporting newborn. The plain english inquiry was initiated by the then attorneygeneral, jim kennan, who gave the commission. The author surveys various plain language initiatives, highlighting problems encountered by the plain language drafter as well as techniques for achieving more direct communication of the legislative message. The ftc enters consumer complaints into the consumer sentinel. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non lawyers. With this in mind, newborn screening lab reports must be.
Once youve done it, youll be able to easily send the logos you create to clients, make them available for download, or attach them to emails in a fo. It does not replace any actual laws or rules, and it does not address every ethical restriction contained in the laws and rules it summarizes. Carol bast, author of the article lawyers should use plain language, asserts the. President obama signed the plain writing act of 2010 on october, 2010. A pdf file is a portable document format file, developed by adobe systems. An oversized pdf file can be hard to send through email and may not upload onto certain file managers. Note that a lot more could be done to convert the text above to plain language. Plain language for the legal assistant preparing enclosure. The sixth edition, now coauthored by amy sloan, updates this classic text, including new chapter exercises, while preserving all the approaches that make it such a standard in the field. As a lawyer being an effective communicator makes good business sense. The paint program can help you make new image files, but it cannot open document or pdf file. The amount you earn or receive before taxes are taken out, minus certain allowed tax deductions, such as some business and medical costs.
Try changing it to the active voice and revising the text further. Apr, 2011 plain writing act of 2010 the act public law 111274, which the president signed into law on october, 2010, calls for writing that is clear, concise, and wellorganized. Members, special education attorneys, and the wisconsin department of public. He soon became a member of clarity the group of, mainly, lawyers in favour of plain language. Searching for a specific type of document on the internet is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack. Depending on the type of scanner you have, you might only be able to scan one page of a document at a time. Transitioning from 10codes to plain language is not difficult, but it requires cultural change within the organization. Form title comments court files confidential information forms wpf drpscu 09. Health literacy and plain language january 2015 2 limited health literacy. Therefore, the plain language of many rules and guides applies to claims made online. Plain language activity plain language activity read one section of the following example and underline, circle, or highlight anything in the text that you think could be rephrased to make it clearer or more easily understandable. Read on to find out just how to combine multiple pdf files on macos and windows 10. While many fire departments and emergency medical services ems already use plain language, law enforcement agencies typically use 10codes for internal radio transmissions.
They concluded that the organization did not have a true process or standard for communication, and as a result implemented plain language as the standard. Pdf plain english for lawyers 2 laura martinezramos. Chapters 5 11 which contain a stepbystep explanation of the elements of plain language, supported by legal analysis and case law to support each drafting decision. In every agency there are common arguments for and against using 10codes. Federal plain language guidelines, march 2011, rev.
Sample plain language notice provisions spanish translation 8al we will not ask you about employee support for the union. Complaint filing in languages other than english hud. This task is so routine that the question of plain language may never have been. One of the fun things about computers is playing with programs like paint. The plain language coordinators oversee the plain language work group that was established to devise and implement a plan to complete the required deliverables. According to recent census bureau findings, the savings that can be achieved by improving health literacy with plain language translate into enough funds to insure every one of the more than 47 million persons who lacked coverage in the united states in 2006. Latinate is commonly used in government, law and higher education. Plain language can be fairer language because it informs and empowers people. Plain english for lawyers, sixth edition kindle edition. The plain writing act of 2010 defines plain language as. The plain language movement and legal reform in the south. Health outcomes, utilization, and health care costs limited health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes,9 differences in utilization of the health care system,10 and higher health care costs.
The project is one example of the uks slow but hopeful progress towards clearer legislation for more details, see cutts m, lucid law,2000. The cetc is a two hour, live, instructor led, training that covers the public officers law and other related ethics laws and regulations. Part two, the administrative tribunal, is a model that applies the principles of plain language in explaining the main legal rules used before adminis. By michelle rae uy 24 january 2020 knowing how to combine pdf files isnt reserved. Luckily, there are lots of free and paid tools that can compress a pdf file in just a few easy steps. Plain writing act of 2010 president barack obama signed the plain writing act into law on oct.
Chapter 4, plain language around the world, completely updated, showing how plain language has become the international standard for good legal writing. A few legislatures passed laws that require documents such as insurance policies and consumer contracts to be written in plain language, meaning with. Plain language recommendations for reporting newborn screening results by law, lab results must be reported to anyone receiving testing and the individuals they legally represent. Within months of lucid law spublication, the first parliamentary counsel had retired and been succeeded by christopher jenkins, qc. Canadian bar association plain language legal writing. Plain language is required by many leading organizations, by several regulators and even by some laws. It is also critically important to have lawyers who can adapt. The work group is composed of members from m, es, legislative and public affairs lpa, and the office of human resources ohr. It is all very well to have precedents in plain language. Because many investors are neither lawyers, accountants, nor investment bankers, we need to start writing disclosure documents in a language investors can. It does not cover the requirements contained in your agencys supplemental ethics code, to which you are also subject if your agency has adopted such a code. Advance premium tax credit aptc the premium tax credit helps lower the cost of. Asprey m, plain language for lawyers 4 th ed, federation press, 2010 effective writing for lawyers.
Avoid pdf overload posting pdf versions pdfs of original documents on your site would seem to be an obvious alternative to rewriting your content in web format. On january 18, 2011, he issued a new executive order, e. Leadership from commanders and supervisors, along with buyin from officers, is the key to success. Plain english for lawyers has been a favorite of law students, legal writing teachers, lawyers, and judges for almost 40 years. The specialized language of the legal profession1 language containing an excessive amount of legal terminology or of legal jargon2 the language used by lawyers that is difficult for. Plain language and the law was published in mid1999 and was followed by a discussion process which, due to the high level of interest in this topic, included two wellattended seminars at which the views of judges, academics, parliamentary.
422 1386 1439 899 1387 1042 354 445 1220 227 105 602 1292 603 799 1233 491 592 1320 1172 1258 1323 105 1276 1284 78 25 488 180