If You Mean “Because,” Say “Because”!

Dear Legal Writer, If you mean “because,” say “because”!

The word “since” is a bad synonym for “because.”

 True, “since”
—is a full syllable shorter;
—is two fewer letters.

It also can sound better than “because.”

But still.

You should avoid “since” to mean “because” in legal writing.

Here’s why:

🔷 “Since” is a softer, less direct way to say “because.”

Most of the time, when legal writers use “since,” they intend to convey causation.

But there’s no reason to beat around the bush with whether something did cause something else. ▶️ Causation can be everything in the law!

“Because” clearly conveys causation.
“Since” suggests causation, but is less exact.

 👉 Be assertive in your legal writing. If you mean “because,” just say “because.”

🔷 “Since” can create ambiguity.

Using “since” to mean “because” forces your reader to guess your intentions.

True, “since” CAN mean “because.”

But “since” can also mean 3 other things that have nothing to do with “why” something happened, only “when” it did:

 “while,”
 “after,” or
 “at the same time.”

✏️ Here are three sentences that use “since” in a way that’s ambiguous:

1. “Since we discussed, I’ve changed my mind.”

 —Do you mean you changed your mind after we discussed, or because we discussed?

Here’s another:

2. “Since they ate breakfast, they were ready to leave.”

 —Do you mean they’ve been ready to leave since the time that they ate breakfast, or that it was because they ate breakfast that they were ready to leave?

A reader can’t be sure.
Sometimes, the writer might mean both.

3. “I listen to Taylor Swift less since I saw her ‘Eras’ show.”

 —Here, I might mean “since” to mean BOTH “after” and “because.”

It’s OK that I’m imprecise. But in legal writing, every word should be precise and ambiguity-free.

⬇️

Remember, a legal reader has a short attention span.

Your reader will not appreciate being forced to spend additional time trying to figure out what you mean by “since.”

Don’t piss off your reader.
Obviously.

So if you mean “because,” just say “because.”

💌 Amanda

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#DearLegalWriter