See if you know which of these 3 sentences is correct:

A: The cake comprised 6 ingredients.
B: The cake was comprised by 6 ingredients.
C: The cake was comprised of 6 ingredients.

Here’s the “how-to”:

For any writing project, cut your process into 4 stages. It helps to think of the stages building a house:

Dear Legal Writer, I got 2 kinds of contradictory, negative feedback when I was new at different firms. Both turned on the meaning of “draft”:

1️⃣

“Why on earth would you spend time at $500+/hr filling in citations when a paralegal could have done that for $100/hr?

—Courts’ words sound better than your words
—Courts’ full sentences should be quoted at length
—Courts’ reasoning will be more persuasive than your own

Instead, you should know:

Dear Legal Writer, If you think your reader wants sophisticated words, think
again.

Case in point:

“utilize” (aka, the most stilted, stupid word)

The note said:

1: “We’re overworked.”
2: “We’re bored of being first in sentences.”
3: “We’d like to sit next to someone other than a comma for once.”

I told them I would see what I could do.
So here’s this to you, my dear legal writer:

better briefs.
better motions.
better petitions.
better letter briefs.
better client updates.
better law review articles.
better position statements.
better settlement agreements.
better responses to client RFPs.
better thought-leadership articles.

🔷 Remember the court scene in “A Few Good Men”?

Tom Cruise says, “I object,” and the court overrules.

But Demi isn’t satisfied.
She just has to get up & say: “I strenuously object.”

Stay away from phrases like:

➖ “in this case”
➖ “in the present case”
➖ “in the instant case”
➖ “in the case at bar”

TBS, writing those phrases is not “wrong,” per se.

Here’s how I got a handle on things + chose which cases to use in my memos and briefs as a lawyer.

I hope it will help you come up with a system that works best for you!

***

🔹 I gathered my cases and divided them into 2 piles.

Do you question what I say?

Here’s a primer plus a question for my friends across the pond:

***

In the U.S., and in U.S. legal English:

📍 In light of the fact that
📍 Due to the fact that
📍 As a result of
📍 For the reason that
📍 On account of the fact that
📍 On the grounds that

All these ways take a roundabout route to get to your point.

Alas, but you do.

Here’s what I mean:

🔹 Definition:

An “expletive” doesn’t just need to be a profane or obscene term.

It’s easy to make it. I did.

It was fatal.

Here’s what happened and 3 lessons learned.

***

Scope: U.S. Legal Writing*

Here are two examples.

1️⃣ NO COMMA IN ORIGINAL

Original:  “The complaint lacked sufficient facts to survive summary dismissal, but we grant plaintiff leave to file an amended complaint.”