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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/18/2009
Posts: 618
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Location: United States
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Abraham Lincoln remarked "A lawyer's words are his stock in trade." Which begs the question - "Why can't lawyers talk in plain English."
Which legal words do you like? Which make you want to tear your hair out?
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Rank: Member
Joined: 3/16/2009
Posts: 12
Points: 36
Location: United States
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Curiously, I'm more annoyed by the way people use words in legal correspondence than with the language in contracts, pleadings, etc. I've finally caved and started using "Please advise status" or "please advise" with no object at all, but it still sets my teeth on edge. I'm less bothered by "Yours of February 10th," meaning "your letter," but it drives a friend of mine completely nuts.
And then there's just plain misuse. I've given up on ever convincing my boss that "Absent your response by March 10" cannot be the subject of a sentence.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/20/2009
Posts: 221
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Location: NH - United States
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I like litigous, because to me it sounds similar to its meaning. I hate heretofore, forthwith and similar verbiage. I do not mind reading them, by they drive me crazy when spoken.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/17/2009
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Location: Colorado, United States
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I read somewhere that philosophy majors are the only student group that consistently scores higher on the English GRE than law students. That seems to contain something profound, but I don't know what it could be.
obligatory legal words: garnishment, garnishee (fun to say, though not to experience!)
}- Mark -{
It is good to rub and polish your mind against that of others.—Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 3/17/2009
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Location: United States
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Luftmarque wrote:[color=darkblue][size=6]I read somewhere that philosophy majors are the only student group that consistently scores higher on the English GRE than law students. That seems to contain something profound, but I don't know what it could be. That's an interesting fact, although I don't find it terribly far-fetched. I can definitely see the similarities between studying philosophy and law.
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 4/30/2009
Posts: 4
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Location: United States
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Luftmarque wrote:I read somewhere that philosophy majors are the only student group that consistently scores higher on the English GRE than law students. That seems to contain something profound, but I don't know what it could be. I see what you did there.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/9/2009
Posts: 86
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Location: Can add ahhhh
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in the canadian criminal code book, near the beginning, tho i dont have the exact quote, the book speak about the necessity for a clear and concise set of definitions for legal terms, that is, legal terms are derived from a specific dictionary, this is due to the necessity of terms to maintain a single meaning. If the term is capable of having multiple meanings, the term can be countered, argued as being one or the other or both.
example
During the grand jury testimony Clinton's responses were guarded, and he argued, "It depends on what the meaning of the word is is".
in the legal dictionary, is=of
in the standard, is=be
if is= both of & be, then it be argue-able
ARGH-YOU-A-BULL!
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