LawProse Lesson #287: The plague of wordiness
How bad is verbosity in legal writing? In a typical brief or contract prepared by reputable lawyers, a simple line-edit could typically result in a 25% reduction in the word count—without changing the meaning.
Take this example:
Not this: The Internal Revenue Code contains numerous methods for challenging errors committed by the Internal Revenue Service and its employees, but it does not contain a provision subjecting IRS employees to personal liability for damages. [34 words]
But this:
Although the tax code contains many methods for challenging IRS errors, imposing personal liability on IRS employees isn’t among them. [20 words]
In Part 2 of Bryan Garner’s forthcoming ten-part webinar series, Legal Writing in Plain English, you’ll learn how to omit needless words and streamline your writing. Three good things happen when you combat verbosity: your readers read faster, you crystallize your thoughts better, and your writing becomes punchier.
Further reading:
Legal Writing in Plain English 24–27 (2d ed. 2013). The Winning Brief 251–56 (3d ed. 2014). Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage 924–25 (3d ed. 2011).
Source: http://www.lawprose.org/lawprose-lesson-287-plague-wordiness/