Dear Legal Writer: The Oxford Comma is the ugliest eyesore.

Dear Legal Writer: The Oxford Comma is the ugliest eyesore.

But we legal writers MUST use it, even where others don’t.

RULE: DO use a comma before “and” or “or” in a list or series that has 3 or more.

❌ A, B and C
🟢 A, B, and C

❌ He walked home, ate dinner and went to bed.
🟢 He walked home, ate dinner, and went to bed.

❌ She filed a motion, a brief and a Rule 56.1 statement.
🟢 She filed a motion, a brief, and a Rule 56.1 statement.

For other types of writing, and in other countries, the style guides vary about comma use.

Like me, in school you might have learned another way.

That was not wrong, per se.

But in U.S. legal English, always use a comma after the “B” in A, B, and C.

Always.

💌 Amanda

#DearLegalWriter