I was involved
in an interesting Twitter discussion recently about legal writing pet peeves.
Both law professors and practitioners alike chimed in to create the list. So what
are some common pet peeves among those who judge the writing of students and young
associates?
--Starting
sentences with: “It is important to note that” (@ksilverkelly), “Due to the
fact that” (@daniel_l_real), and “There is/are” (@ladylegalwriter)
--Using double
negatives (@katrinajunelee)
--Failing to use
affect and effect properly (katrinajunelee)
--Employing
rhetorical questions (Who likes those?) (@djsziff)
--Using “however”
in multiple consecutive sentences (@aerwrites) and failing to properly
punctuate when using “however” mid-sentence (@ladylegalwriter)
-- Employing unnecessary
parentheticals to define terms (@5thcircappeals)
Other pet peeves
of mine include:
--wordiness
--using too many
nominalizations (which leads to wordiness)
--failing to
spell-check and proofread (They are not the same thing!)
--failing to follow
local rules
--employing
over-the-top language
What do you
think of the list? What would you add?
