Why the Legal Speak?


It is all too common for people to become frustrated with lawyers’ so-called “legal speak,” which can often be confusing for those not fluent in it. Over the years, countless people have asked the question, “Why can’t lawyers just use plain language?”

The truth of the matter is that everyday language often has different possible interpretations—and that’s not something you want to run into in legal documents. Guidelines, rules, policies, wills, and all other legal documents should be as clear as possible; it’s when they’re not that lawsuits happen.

While plain English may seem straightforward, it can become incredibly complicated when situations change or questions are raised. Legal speak, or legalese, is often better at making clear distinctions that can’t be interpreted in multiple ways. Good lawyers should be able to write, understand, and explain legalese to clients in layman’s terms.

Correct legalese is especially important to large businesses. These businesses deal with a large volume of legal issues varying from writing up contracts to making sure the company meets all guidelines and standards. Giant companies such as Moody’s Corporation, headed Ray McDaniel, Moody's CEO, often have extensive legal departments that can be as big as law firms. Lawyers working in these departments analyze and write up legalese, often functioning as advisors on legal matters.

Even individuals writing up their last will and testament should seek advice from a legal professional. Wills using everyday vernacular have been known to cause huge upsets and legal battles, family members interpreting the division of assets differently from one another. With proper legalese, these problems should not occur—and any good lawyer will later be able to explain to family members exactly what anything written in legalese means, so not being able to understand shouldn’t be an issue, either.  

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