Examples of Bad Legal Writing from the "Legalese Hall of Shame"

Here's an example of some bad legal writing from the "Legalese Hall of Shame," originally spotted in a lawyer's letter--

I am herewith returning the stipulation to dismiss in the above entitled matter; the same being duly executed by me.

At the Legalese Hall of Shame, you'll also find translations of the twisted English posted there. Here's the quote above, in translation: "I have signed and enclosed the stipulation to dismiss the Byrd case."

The Legalese Hall of Shame is maintained by Adam Freedman, author of The Party of the First Part:The Curious World of Legalese. There's also a sort of companion weblog, titled The Party of the First Part: Adventures in Legalese.

Even if these sites won't make you a better writer (because, obviously, you already know how to write understandable English), they'll certainly entertain you, while nudging you in the direction of becoming an even better writer.

(Concluding note: I originally saw these links in a post titled "First Arrow" at Raymond Ward's the (new) legal writer. Ward's post is a list of his favorite writing sites. All of Ward's recommendations are worth exploring.)

Comments

[Bill Tilley]

Very funny, thanks for the diversion.