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A term of art is a phrase that has become so well accepted and pervasive in a particular field that it is no longer considered proprietary to its original author.
How do you write legal terms?
Drafting Legal Documents, Principles of Clear Writing Write in the active voice. The active voice eliminates confusion by forcing you to name the actor in a sentence. Use action verbs. Use “must” instead of “shall”. Be direct. Use the present tense. Write positively. Avoid use of exceptions. Avoid split infinitives.
How are ellipses used in legal writing?
An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .) inserted into a quotation to indicate the omission of material from the original quotation. Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer.
How do you paraphrase in legal writing?
Tell me what you know.” In other words, paraphrase. Paraphrasing is often a better option than quoting in legal writing. Paraphrasing is incorporating someone else’s idea — including legal precedent — into your own writing by describing the idea and citing its source. But in describing the idea, you use your own words.
How are hyphens used in legal writing?
HYPHEN: Hyphens can be used between two words that function together to modify a subsequent word in the sentence, as in “well-pled complaint.” Hyphens can also be used to connect some prefixes to words.
What is legal term?
established by or founded upon law; lawful. 2. of or relating to law. 3. recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity.
What is meant by legal terminology?
Legal terminology is the collection of words and phrases that have a precise or peculiar use in the law profession. Legal Terminology is not only used by lawyers but also used in a wide range of associated legal professions.
What should always be italicized in legal writing?
In the main text, italicize case names; procedural phrases; and titles of publications (including statutory compilations), speeches, or articles. You also can use italics for emphasis.
How do you join compound words in legal writing?
Open compounds – school bus, living room – are commonly used together but are written with a space in between. Whether a compound word is properly open, closed or hyphenated may depend on whether it’s used as a noun, adjective or verb. Verbs are usually open.
What do brackets mean in legal writing?
Use a pair of brackets in a quotation to enclose an editorial comment, correction, explanation, interpolation, substitution, or translation that was not in the original text. Use a pair of brackets around any character that you change in or add to quoted material.
What is the best paraphrasing tool?
Best Paraphrasing Tools (Free & Paid) QuillBot. QuillBot is a comprehensive writing collaborator tool that uses AI to help you paraphrase or rewrite paragraphs while refining your content. Paraphrase Online. Spinner Chief 6. Spinbot. Duplichecker. GoParaphrase. SEO Wagon. Prepost SEO.
How much paraphrasing is appropriate?
Only paraphrase 1 is acceptable. Paraphrase 2 has mostly the same words and the sentence structure has only been changed in small ways. Paraphrase 2 would be considered plagiarised writing.
What is considered paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is when you take an original idea from an author’s work and reword, or rephrase, it so that the words are your own.
What is the difference between en and em dashes?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter n, and the em dash the length of the letter m. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
Do you use the Oxford comma in legal writing?
Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate.
Why do lawyers use two spaces?
He explains that the use of two spaces between sentences derives from when everyone was writing on manual typewriters. Due to how typewriters handled proportionate spacing, it was easier to read typewritten documents which placed two periods between sentences.
What is the difference between illegal and legal?
“Legal” means connected with the law and allowed by the law at whatever level. “Illegal” means “against the law” and could get a person into serious trouble with the police or court system.
Why is it important to understand legal terminology?
Much like learning a foreign language, developing a basic understanding of some of the essential terms can help you navigate legal documents. Since legal terminology requires specific definitions and wording, it’s important to know the exact meaning of each term, even if they already seem familiar.
What is an example of legal jargon?
Bar – general term referring to a group of attorneys – example: “The Bar of the 26th Judicial District is active in community issues.” Bench – term used to refer to judges or the court – example: “Please approach the bench” refers to approaching the judge. Biological Father – the natural father of a child.
How do you read and understand legal documents?
If you want to save some money on lawyers’ fees, here are some tricks and tips to reading these documents like your attorney might. Tip #1: Read EVERYTHING. Tip #2: Check Every Reference. Tip #3: Question Everything, Especially Things That Don’t Make Sense. Tip #4: Close Any Open Ended Terms.
Should you italicize in legal writing?
The period at the end of Id. is always italicized. Id. cannot be used for internal cross references.
Is pro se italicized in legal writing?
But no italics for Anglicized (in other words, familiar) Latin terms like certiorari, per se, pro se, and status quo.
Are legal cases italicized?
Note: In court documents (briefs, motions) and legal memoranda, a full case name is usually italicized or underlined. In academic legal writing (i.e., a law review article), full case names are generally not underlined or italicized.
What are the 5 compound words?
Here is most common compound words list; aboveboard. afterbirth. afterburner. afterglow. afterimage. afterlife. aftermath. afternoon.
What are the 3 compound words?
There are three types of compound words: closed, open and hyphenated. Closed compound words are made up of two words without a space in-between. Examples of closed compound words are: moonlight, classroom, and sunflower. Open compound words have a space between the smaller words that make them up.
What do em dashes do?
The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes set off extra information, such as examples, explanatory or descriptive phrases, or supplemental facts. Like a colon, an em dash introduces a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it.
