Whether you are a law student, NQ, or simply looking for legal advice, legal language and legal language are often complicated and confusing. It may take a while to familiarize yourself with all the specific terms and legalese, and even if you`ve completed your law degree, you can still find a use for a legal dictionary. If you have no other way to express an idea than by using technical language, be sure to define your terms. However, it is preferable to keep the definitions to a minimum. Remember to write to communicate, not to impress. Of course, if you do, you should use less jargon. For more information about definitions, see Managing Definitions. Special terms can be a useful shortcut within a given audience and can be the clearest way to communicate with that group. However, going beyond the technical terms needed to write in jargon can lead to misunderstandings or alienation, even if your only readers are specialists. Legal language is a major source of annoying jargon. The reader can dispense with archaic jargon such as “in the afterlife”, “so far” and “so”. Law – it may be an exaggeration to call this “lawyer`s jargon,” but it`s funny to note that the law doesn`t come from French or Latin.

It comes from Old Norse lag. When we say not to use jargon, we are not advocating omitting the necessary technical terms, but we are saying that you should make sure your language is as clear as possible. For example, there may be no other correct way to refer to a “breaker valve control ring”. But that doesn`t stop you from saying, “Tighten the strand valve control ring safely” instead of “Apply enough torque to the stretcor valve control ring to ensure that the entire control ring is securely connected to the clamp so that no loosening can occur under normal conditions.” The first is the necessary use of a technical term. The second is jargon. If you look at the legalese today, you can clearly see how French and Latin are still used constantly. Let`s look at a selection of terms used in law today and determine what language they come from. Readers complain more about jargon than any other misspelling because writers often don`t realize that terms they know well can be difficult or meaningless to their audience.

Try to replace jargon with everyday language as often as possible. Consider the following pairs. The simplest version conveys technical information as accurate and clear as the jargon-laden version. The jargon is often impenetrable to people outside a profession. That`s the whole idea behind this series: to break down what these strange and specific terms mean. If you`re not informed, jargon can look like a completely different language, and that`s especially true when it comes to legalese. Not only is law already a notoriously complicated field that requires years of training to master, but legal jargon is often literally in another language. A special condition imposed by the court requires a person to work – without pay – for a civil or non-profit organization. Wobbler – a crime that can be punished either as a misdemeanor (a crime with a less severe sentence, usually less than a year in prison) or as a felony (a crime with a heavier sentence, usually more than one year in prison). Lawyer – A lawyer who advises clients and the public on legal matters and may represent them in certain courts. Lawyers are on a list of lawyers maintained by the Law Society.

Reasonable doubt – A standard of proof used to convict defendants, requiring prosecutors to prove the defendant`s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Evidence: A document or object submitted to the court as evidence. Rooms – A room or office used by lawyers or a judge. Testimonial – according to the testimony of the former Frenchman, a testimony is testimony before a court that can be given orally or in writing. Despite some joking etymology rumors, the word has nothing to do with male genitalia. The qualification of the status of debtor after bankruptcy, that is to say free of most debts. (Allowing debtors to make a fresh start is one of the objectives of the Insolvency Code.) A debt owed by the debtor in certain circumstances, such as when the debtor is a co-signer of another person`s loan and that person does not pay. A declaration by a debtor under Chapter 7 regarding plans for dealing with consumer debts secured by estate assets.

Dispute resolution procedure outside the courtroom. Most alternative dispute resolution methods are non-binding and involve referring the case to a neutral party such as an arbitrator or mediator. Any manner in which a debtor disposes of or disposes of his assets. A jury verdict that a criminal accused is not guilty, or a judge`s conclusion that there is insufficient evidence to support a conviction.