Tailoring Legal Writing to Multiple Audiences

Legal documents often reach diverse stakeholders like clients, decision-makers, regulators, external partners etc. Some strategies to appeal to multiple audiences include:

• Prioritize primary reader – Determine the core target reader and optimize content for their needs while keeping secondary audiences in mind.
• Define background context – Provide necessary background for readers with different levels of knowledge.
• Explain technical terms – Define or explain technical language, legal terms and acronyms for less specialized readers.
• Use reader-focused headings – Use informative headings speaking directly to readers’ interests and questions.
• Emphasize key takeaways – Call out main summaries, conclusions and recommendations with bold text and bullets.
• Include concrete examples – Support complex ideas with real examples different readers can relate to based on their roles.
• Leverage visual aids – Use charts, diagrams and other visuals to make information more digestible and memorable.
• Write with active voice – Active voice makes text clearer for all readers compared to passive voice.
• Vary sentence structure – Short, medium and long sentences avoid monotony. Complexity varies.
• Review critically – Look at drafts from different readers’ perspectives and refine content accordingly.