Legalese (a term first used in 1914) is legal writing that is hard to read and understand. It usually includes long sentences and archaic vocabulary (heretofore, herewith, etc.) Some formality in legal writing may be justified and necessary, but what if it keeps readers from understanding the meaning of what they read?
The legal profession goes back as far as ancient Greece. The first orators, or public speakers, by law, were unable to collect fees or organize into a profession. In Rome, advocates were much like the orators with no formal training in law, but a special class soon developed known as jurisconsults. In the late Roman Empire, notaries appeared, but they were considered inferior to advocates and jurisconsults and not trained in law. Responsible for drafting simple documents, they wrote in legal jargon because they were paid by the line. The longer the words and documents, the bigger their paychecks.
Perhaps this is how legalese was born. But in these modern times, can we adopt a simpler, more direct way to convey the law and legal ideas?
There is a movement growing in the US today, a trend toward using plain, every day language in technical writing instead of legalese. Some lawyers are using visuals to give clear, practical approaches to the legal word. Even the US government, known for its hard-to-understand documents, has seen the benefits of using plain language, enacting the Plain Writing Act of 2010 for its executive agencies.
Our goal at Wevorce is to make everything easy to read and understand with a liberal use of visual aids that add friendly, even funny, touches to the typical topics in the divorce experience. The agreements our families reach are captured in a family-friendly tone that echoes our belief of ending marriage in an amicable way. Now that’s thinking, and writing, outside the box!
