Law Commons^™

Secondary Legal Sources: A Selected Subject Bibliography Of Treatises, Looseleaf Services And Form Books Fourth Edition, Bruce S. Johnson, Steven M. Barkan, Mary C. Wilson

Law Library Publications

The fourth edition of this bibliography is a subject arrangement of selected English language treatises, looseleaf services and form books. Most all of the works listed were published in this country and all are in the collection of this law library.

Our object in revising this bibliography has been to present to the law students of The University of Michigan a reasonably thorough listing of useful and current secondary sources covering dorr1estic and international Jaw. The inclusion of a work in this bibliography does not mean that the Law Library is endorsing either the author's style or the substance of …

Language, Law, And Logic: Plain Legal Drafting For The Electronic Age, Layman E. Allen

Book Chapters

The achievement of current demands for clearer legal drafting in the United States (New York, 1973 and President's Executive Order, 1978) and Great Britain (Renton Report, 1975) can be aided by applying modern logic to improve the language of the law. In considering how the expression of legal norms can be clarified by using some formal language techniques, particular attention will be given to alternatives for dealing with problems of inadvertent imprecision in current legal drafting, alternatives that facilitate human understanding as well as enhance the possibilities for analysis by computer. A brief sketch of the imprecision of the expression …

The Need For Clear Structure In 'Plain Language' Legal Drafting, Layman E. Allen, C. Rudy Engholm

Articles

Language is not simple. To pretend otherwise is to mislead. In practice the aspect that is handled most ineptly in written legal materials is the structure. The focus of this article is upon structure and how to improve it. At the outset, let one thing be absolutely clear. In seeking to achieve clarity of expression, those who have no more to recommend than short sentences, simple words, and readability formulas are offering a cracker in circumstances where a full gourmet feast is gleaming in the chef's eye for those with the wit but to ask for the menu. To practice …