Dear Legal Writer, You’ll never regret making this edit:

It cuts out a full word and two syllables, and it sounds less stuffy and formulaic—

✏️ Change “pursuant to” to “under”:

ORIG:              Defendant brings this motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

REV:                Defendant brings this motion for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

I bet you’ll find several places to make this change in every brief!

💌 Amanda

#DearLegalWriter

P.S. What about at the start of a sentence? Or the start of a paragraph?

This may surprise you, but I actually prefer “Pursuant to Rule 56” to “Under Rule 56” at a sentence’s start—especially if it’s the opening sentence of a motion.

To me, “Pursuant to” seems to have a better rhythm to it, with “Under Rule 56” sounding too abrupt.

What do you think?

Does “pursuant to” retain a place for sentences’ start? Let me know in a comment!

(I’ll tell you what AI thinks in a comment, too --> look for the ✏️.)