Legal Drafting Overview

What is Legal Drafting?

Legal drafting is a very structured method of writing that can prove intimidating to the uninitiated. Our experience shows that rewriting legalese into plain English can take time, but this can be avoided by using clearer legal writing and drafting in the first place. Legal writing team believes that knowing principles of legal drafting will enhance legal professionals to do effective legal drafting hence we provide legal drafting course which includes the principles of legal drafting, effective legal writing and drafting tips.

Principles Of  Legal Drafting

• Words: A drafter will always favour words that are ordinary and aware. Technical words will be used only if they are required to achieve accuracy or if they are familiar to the primary public spectators for the law.
• Avoid unnecessary definitions: The main purpose of a definition is to achieve clarity without needless repetition. For this reason,  “it is unnecessary” to define ordinary words that are used in their usual dictionary meaning.
• Sentence length: Shorter sentences will be favoured. Long sentence that includes similar requirements can be improved by paragraphing the parallels
• Sentence structure: The purpose is to draft with sentence structures that support the reader in understanding the fundamentals of a legal statement. The person to whom the provision applies is identified at the start. Conditions and experiences will not be embedded in the middle of a sentence
• Do not use “must” in an explanation. The definition section of your rules should not force anyone to do anything. For this reason, “must” is unsuitable for a definition. Instead, use the suggestive mood.
  DON’T SAY: Agency head must mean…
  SAY: Agency head means…

There are various other aspects of legal drafting which we will be covering in our legal drafting course which includes principles of legal drafting, effective way of legal writing and drafting.