Search Results for: law

Published in The Clarity Journal 81 – 2020. Introduction This article discusses how plain language in Australian family law combined with a clear process makes justice more accessible. Both substantive and procedural law are discussed. Justice requires minimal delays, minimal costs and accessibility. Law is accessible when substantive and procedural laws are understood by lay […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 73 – 2015 By Joseph Kimble No, I’m sorry, but most lawyers are not skilled drafters. It doesn’t matter how smart or experienced they are or how many legal documents they have drafted. Most — a supermajority, probably — are lacking. And yet, oddly enough, while they tend to be […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 62 – 2009 Dr Robert Eagleson Down the centuries, lawyers have regularly been the butt of criticism and cruel jokes be- cause of the convoluted way they write. From certain perspectives these unfavourable judgements are appropriate and fair; yet, in over 30 years experience working closely with lawyers, I have […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 82 – 2020. Introduction Persons under arrest receive a Letter of Rights, which explains them what are their rights : right to keep silent, right to get a lawyer, right to get medical help, etc. But this document isn’t adapt for them to correctly understand their rights, especially as they […]

Published in the Clarity Journal 81 – 2020 Introduction Lili Krámer, Zsófia Moldova, and Vera Gergely The Letter of Rights is a text that informs suspects of their fundamental rights (such as the right to remain silent or the right to have a lawyer). If you are suspected of something the police will either read […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 82 – 2020. Background Northwest Justice Project (NJP) and the Superior Court of Washington have long relied on plain language and readable design to support people who want access to legal forms and information, but do not have lawyers. In 2018, NJP asked Transcend to create 6 new legal icons […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 81 – 2020. The right to a trial by jury is one of the fundamental elements of the American system of justice. Jurors are asked to engage in a complicated and difficult task, listening to different versions of facts provided by the parties at a trial and applying their understanding […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 80 – 2019. Every reader of this journal will be convinced that plain language revisions improve reading success. But in this article, I will argue that this improved success might not help the people you wanted to help in the first place; people who do not read as easily as […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 79 – 2018 The Plain Language Working Group is born – and gets to work The journey towards this options paper began at the 2007 PLAIN conference in Amsterdam. Three plain language organizations were considering issues, such as whether we should establish international standards for plain language, and what exactly […]

Published in The Clarity Journal 76 – 2018 By Neil James and Susan Kleimann No one could object to the evaluation of texts to assess their quality and effectiveness. Many evaluation methods exist, from readability formulas and expert reviews to usability tests and the analysis of outcomes. Yet in recent years, a divide has developed […]